Rejection. Why did it happen? How to accept it? Full of questions, thoughts and emotions...
First of all, relax. Nobody died, except your motivation. BUT! We can re-incarnate that thing! I know, it is difficult to take it easy. Probably, you started to think about something is wrong with you or you will never get an offer and what people will think about you. This line of self-analysis does not have an end-line. BUT you should understand it is normal to get rejected.
Roughly speaking, out of 10 applications only 3-5 might invite you to the interviews, and only 1-3 can give you an offer. In fact, I and many friends of mine had a similar experience to yours. So don't worry! Instead, learn from it.
Here, I will share my secrets that I give to my students in the first consultation for admission to grad schools. You can use it for FREE!
Be rational to yourself. If you have a low GPA, no basic experience in the field you want to be in, a poor network, then it might be challenging to get in. BUT STILL POSSIBLE. Just change your focus from "top" or "the most prestigious" schools to less popular. In the end, education depends only on you. Believe me. To my students, I recommend the following: research grad school and choose the most interesting for you. Then, make the table (TOP-Middle- fully-funded 100% admission-not funded 100% admission schools) as detailed as possible and follow it.
Simply apply more. Maybe you just applied to a few schools and the chances to get in are low. 10 applications are not enough, 20 should be an optimal number. Just keep in mind, every year it gets more and more competitive, especially to get a fully-funded admission.
Improve your motivation letter. GPA is not the most important thing in this game. You need to think about the motivation letter. What story you will put there, will affect the final decision.
Quick tips on that:
-be specific and certain about your choice;
-to write about the country or city where you want to study is not the best idea;
-keep the same statement to every university is not a good idea either;
If you want to know more about the common mistakes in the motivation letter, this post will be very helpful! For online consulting, please, check our You Grad Coach section and choose your tutor. The first lesson is FREE!
Some PhD programs or projects are not just for you. That is why I advise researching every grad program you are interested in before you apply. Sometimes we do not imagine how your direction might look in reality. It would be better to think about what you want and what candidate the school wants.
Maybe we should expand your search options. Most applicants go for very well-advertised programs. However, there are lots of open positions available and maybe one is just right for you! Usually research laboratories post on their websites open positions, or state "we are hiring". You can directly contact PI and show your interest. You can also track for new offers on social media such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Also, if you upgrade your profile and show your active status, people might contact you back. Do not hesitate to show you are looking for a new job! Usually, it is worthy paid back.
Rejection is not a sign to think that you are done, not at all! Don't take it personally, Definitely, do not give up!
If you want to know more about PhD degree, you can read this article Masters vs PhD: https://thedarwinmonkey.wixsite.com/thedarwinmonkey/post/masters-vs-phd
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