By Guest Author Rachel Santarsiero
In the past five years, I’ve completed several fellowships, including the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship, the National Churchill Leadership Center Graduate Research Fellowship, and the Eric B. Sager Fellowship. I earned my Master’s degree in International Development through a fully funded program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Looking back on my professional and academic career so far, I am incredibly grateful for my experiences and am proud to have successfully applied to so many opportunities.
However, listing out accolades on a resume can obscure a harsh reality: winding career paths are often filled with rejection. Rejection is a natural part of life. But after months of hard work crafting applications, writing personal statements, and seeking recommendation letters, it’s understandable to feel disheartened when the response from a prestigious fellowship or graduate school program isn’t what you hoped for.
When I first began my fellowship journey, I was a senior in college, and I applied for a Fulbright Research Fellowship in Morocco to study climate change and renewable energy. I spent months crafting my research proposal, working with my college mentors to edit drafts of my application, and was even able to locate a host institution in-country to support my research. Naturally, I was thrilled to make it past the semifinalist round, convinced that by that time next year, I would be living abroad. However, days before my college graduation, I was devastated to find out I wasn’t selected as a finalist.
At the time, I took the rejection personally. I had invested so much of myself in this opportunity; how was I not selected?
While that initial Fulbright rejection stung, as well as many other rejections along the way, in the years since, I’ve applied to dozens (perhaps more) of fellowship and graduate school opportunities. In retrospect, I’m thankful for all the ones I’ve been lucky enough to be selected for, like Scoville and my fully funded master’s program at WPI. Only by looking back and connecting the dots between these applications and opportunities have I realized there is peace in persistence.
One of the most powerful things you can do in the face of rejection is to persist. Rejection isn’t the end of the road—it’s just a temporary detour. Countless successful individuals have faced multiple rejections before finding the right fit. Oftentimes, the application process for incredibly prestigious fellowships and graduate programs depends on countless external factors beyond your control, like funding, application numbers, and even a global pandemic! In 2020, I was accepted to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals in Germany, but the program was canceled due to COVID-19. What matters is continuing to apply, refine your applications, and learn from your experience.
For each rejection, you gain valuable feedback, improve your application materials, and learn about what you want and need in a program. You may even get feedback from the selection committee – always ask if they’re willing to provide feedback on your application! Redirection can also help you refine your personal story. For example, fellowships and graduate school applications that require an interview give you the opportunity to speak about your trajectory and goals in a different way than you would on a CV or personal statement.
While receiving a rejection after making it to an interview round can hurt, this may provide additional room for feedback on how you articulated your experiences to the selection committee! Over time, your understanding of your own goals will deepen, and you will get better at articulating your passions and qualifications. With each application, you get closer to finding an opportunity that aligns perfectly with your aspirations.
Instead of focusing solely on the outcome, try to shift your perspective. Embrace the process of applying as a learning experience and tool for navigating your path moving forward. Even if your first, second, or third attempt doesn’t lead to success, remember that the skills and insights you gain along the way are invaluable, whether you’re applying to another fellowship, graduate program, or job. You’ll come out the other side stronger, more self-aware, and even more determined.
Rejection doesn’t define your future; it’s just a chapter on your journey. Keep applying, refining, and growing—because success often comes to those who are willing to try, fail, and try again.
Ready to tackle your own fellowship application with Rachel’s tips? Get started today by searching for an opportunity using ProFellow’s free database!
Rachel Santarsiero is the director of the National Security Archive’s Climate Change Transparency Project. She first joined the Archive in 2022 as a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow. Rachel has had a winding path, from engineering to international development to archival and investigative research, and has completed multiple fellowships. She has been involved with ProFellow since 2019, and currently coaches ProFellow Fully Funded Students applying to fellowships and graduate school programs. Rachel holds a Master of Science in International Development from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and a dual Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Professional Writing from WPI, with a minor in International and Global Studies.
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