The Grad School Rollercoaster: Navigating Rejections and Celebrating Success - Courtney McGuire

If you’ve gone through the application process for GC school, you’ll know the rollercoaster of stress and emotions that everyone experiences. From gaining advocacy experience and checking off pre-req’s, to putting the final touches on your application materials, it can feel like you’re running a marathon for months on end. As someone who applied multiple cycles, I can share I did not find the process any less exhausting the second time even though I had a better idea of what to expect and how to prepare.

After not matching the first cycle I applied, I was devastated. I had spent so much time and energy applying to schools, connecting with program leadership and current students, and writing and re-writing my personal statements and CV. I had been assured by numerous professionals in my life I had developed a strong application which made it that much harder to accept I hadn’t matched.

I have always been a problem-solver and tend to push my feelings to the back burner. While my initial instinct was to formulate a plan for the next application cycle, I also recognized I would have to deal with my disappointment before it grew into additional anxiety about the next application cycle.

Taking the year between application cycles to get as much exposure to genetic counseling as possible allowed me to better articulate how sure I was (and still am) that this is the best career path for me. I was more confident writing my personal statement and answering application questions the second time around. I was more collected in interviews, feeling I was better able to express my personality and desires to program leadership. I was definitely still nervous about matching, but I was much more confident than the first cycle I applied.

When Match Day came and I learned I had matched at Pitt, I cried. I called my husband, my mom, and ran around my dad’s shop letting everyone know. I was ecstatic, even if a bit overwhelmed. After almost two years of preparation, I would get to go to school for my dream career.

There’s no way around it - getting rejected sucks… But there’s always something to learn. Knowing my classmates as well as I do now, I believe these are the people I was meant to go on this journey with, and as hard as not matching was the first time around, I could not be more grateful to be here now.

For me, navigating rejection is broken down into a few steps. Take the time to experience your feelings - it’s ok to be upset, sad, and even angry. Just don’t stop there; let your feelings fuel your desire to move on, however you choose to. Whether it’s applying a second time, taking a gap year to relax and explore, or moving on to something else, there’s always something to take away from a failure. Remind yourself why you’re doing this. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially from the people who know you best. You are important and skilled and worthy; you just have to figure out how to showcase that to others. Enjoy the journey - it makes the success that much sweeter.