…get rejected by a club and take it personally.

…GET REJECTED BY A CLUB AND TAKE IT PERSONALLY. Follow for more relatable Ivy insights and shared experiences.

We all arrived with a certain level of expectation, not just for ourselves, but for the paths laid out before us. The academic journey was one thing, but the club scene? That was where we often sought to define our extracurricular "prestige," to validate our multifaceted brilliance beyond the classroom. We applied to those elite societies, the fiercely competitive groups with names whispered in hushed tones, the ones that seemed to hold the keys to future internships, networks, or simply, belonging.

Then came the email. Or the silent absence of one. The sting of rejection from a club, especially one you poured your carefully crafted application into, wasn't just a "no." It felt like a personal indictment. It was a moment of cognitive dissonance: "I got into this institution, but I'm not good enough for that club?" The ego, finely tuned by years of consistent achievement, took a direct hit. You started to question everything, replaying interviews, dissecting every casual comment. It was disproportionate, irrational even, but undeniably real. We’ve all been there, nursing a bruised sense of self-worth over something that, in hindsight, was just a club.

But here’s the secret: almost everyone has a story like this. That rejection, that moment of intense personal disappointment, often pushed us towards new, unexpected, and ultimately more fulfilling avenues. It taught us resilience, a crucial lesson for the bigger rejections life inevitably throws our way. It forced us to redefine prestige, not by external validation, but by genuine passion. So, did you even truly experience it all if you didn't once get rejected by a club and take it very personally?