How to Respond to Rejection (and Why) - Biomedical Graduate Education (2024)

FAQs

How to respond to graduate school rejection? ›

Reach Back Out to the Admission Office

As soon as you receive a rejection letter, the first thing that you should do is reach out to the medical school's admission office. Some admissions set up one-on-one meetings with you and go through your entire application with you.

Thank the employer for letting you know their decision and for their time and consideration. Demonstrate your genuine interest in the position. Express your disappointment, but keep it brief and maintain a positive tone. Lastly, ask for feedback.

Template. Hi [Name], Thank you for the update regarding the [Position Title] position. While I am disappointed that I will not be able to work as part of the [Employer name] team, it was great to meet [you/the team] and learn more about the work that [you/they] are doing.

Here's a sample response you could use when following up after being rejected. In addition to thanking the other person for their time and expressing gratitude for the opportunity, you should do two things: State your interest in being considered for future opportunities, and ask for feedback on how you can improve.

The most obvious reason for a medical school rejection is a low GPA or MCAT score. Either can hinder an applicant from making it past the first round in the admissions process, as many schools screen out applicants who don't meet a school's minimum cut-off.

How to respond to rejection with dignity? ›

When applicants reach out after a rejection letter, they should be sure to approach it in a professional manner. Notes can be introduced with a thank you for reviewing the application, followed by a request for what can be done differently next time.

After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your rejection at this time. This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of schools, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

4 things to say:

"I'm here for you if you need anything." "Everyone fails at some point. Plenty of other people in our class are in the same position as you, and I know that you will all get through it." "Let me know how you're feeling, I'm here to listen for as long as you need me."

You can either spend time to improve your qualifications and reapply to the same schools in a later application cycle, or you can lower the bar and apply to less-competitive programs. More and more applicants these days are reapplicants – people who didn't give up. And guess what? Reapplicants do well.