First Rejection in College

As soon as I come into college as a freshman, everyone was immediately pressuring me to "join an organization" and "apply for a leadership position". As an eager freshman, that's exactly what I did as soon as I could.

Within my first 4 weeks of college, I applied for a leadership position within a business organization. Since I was a freshman, from a small town, with no college or interview experience, I did not expect much out of it. However, I figured this would be the first step into stepping out of my comfort zone. Being I had no interview experience, all I knew to do for the interview was to be completely honest and myself. I was also very insecure, and I wasn't sure about my abilities and potential, and I made this very clear without being direct about it.

I thought my interview had gone well, up until I further reflected on it with my dad. I later realized that I expressed a negative attitude and mentality for this position. Realizing this at the time pained me.

I grew up with a negative and draining mentality and attitude. I was always putting myself down, beating myself up, and lowering my expectations for myself because I never wanted to hope for something and then disappoint myself later. I never realized the gravity of this mentality and attitude up until the time of my rejection. I learned how much I was holding myself back, simply because I chose not to believe in myself.

Over time, I have worked to improve my mindset and trust myself more. This experience stands out to me because it was the start of a path that I would've never crossed if I hadn't experienced this rejection. I was able to see the impact over time, as I continued to put myself out there in applications and interviews. Although I didn't get into a few of the positions I applied to, I did get into other positions I applied for. At the end of my year, I had two interviews lined up for different organizations/programs. Although I didn't get accepted into everything I applied for, I was proud of my application and interview processes. I was able to notice a drastic, positive difference from then till now, and although I am not perfect, I am proud of the growth I have made within myself.