I experienced the first rejections of my scientific career when I applied to graduate school. I had graduated as the top student from my undergraduate program, but I didn't get into my top choice for grad school. In fact, about half my applications were met with rejection. I did not know how to cope. I felt that I had let my family and teachers down, and I was embarrassed and bitter. That was 3 years ago. Since then, I've continued to experience the rejections that are a routine part of scientific training and research. But I have learned that, with the right mindset and some initiative and introspection, I can transform rejections into useful lessons to strengthen my future work. ![Figure][1] ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER > “With the right mindset … I can transform rejections into useful lessons.” I did get into my second-choice graduate school. But I continued to learn the lessons of rejection when I failed to win a small-scale writing contest. At first, I felt rather discouraged. I worried that asking for feedback might seem inappropriate and that I might come across as a sore loser. But I reasoned that there was no better way for me to improve than to take the initiative and ask. I took my time drafting the email to make sure that my tone was sincere, and I ended up receiving valuable comments that equipped me to go on to win two similar competitions. Following up after rejections can also open the door to unexpected opportunities. A year ago, for example, I applied unsuccessfully for a science writing internship. I asked the editor whether there were any other ways I could contribute, and I was surprised to learn that I was welcome to pitch ideas for articles that I wanted to write. (The editor also assured me that my application was of decent quality, which restored my confidence in my writing ability.) A few months later, I contacted the editor with a pitch, and I was thrilled to be offered a paid contract to contribute an article. Even when you don't get individual feedback or immediate further opportunities, you can still help yourself by trying to figure out why your application wasn't successful. Last year, for example, when my application for a short-term fellowship to do research in Germany was rejected, I decided to look more closely at the winners from past years. I found that almost all of the funded fellows studied disease biology, while my proposal had focused more on using biology for engineering and materials applications. Realizing that my rejection was due—at least in part—to the fact that it was a bad fit, and not necessarily a reflection on the quality of my proposal, made me feel better about my research. I also learned that it's important to do my homework. Now, I ensure that my application is a good fit by learning who was successful, and sometimes even contacting them for advice, before submission. In other cases, understanding the reasons behind a rejection can suggest concrete ways to strengthen your work. For example, after looking into the students who were chosen for a program to work as journalists at a conference—which I was rejected from 2 years in a row—it dawned on me that the organizers were looking for people with experience writing informal blogstyle articles. I didn't have this type of background, and I had been selling myself as an academic writer. So, I started reading more scientific blogs and recently got an opportunity to start writing for one, which I hope can help me avoid a third rejection. I also learned that sometimes I need to be patient and put in the time and work to accumulate credentials if I am not a good fit at the moment. There's a lot of advice out there about not feeling down after rejections. I beg to differ. I believe that it's OK to be stressed, upset, frustrated, and even to harbor self-doubt. The important thing is to harness these feelings so that they lead to something productive. Frankly speaking, I still have a hard time when my applications fail. As a final-year Ph.D. student applying for postdoc fellowships, I get worried even thinking about potential rejection. But as I contend with these negative thoughts, I remind myself to pick myself up and transform rejections into positive lessons. [1]: pending:yes

中文翻译：

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从拒绝中学习

当我申请研究生院时，我经历了我的科学生涯的第一次拒绝。我以优等生的身份从本科课程毕业，但我没有进入研究生院的首选。事实上，我的申请大约有一半被拒绝了。我不知道如何应对。我觉得我让我的家人和老师失望了，我很尴尬，很痛苦。那是 3 年前。从那以后，我一直在经历被拒绝，这是科学培训和研究的常规部分。但我了解到，只要有正确的心态以及一些主动性和自省，我就可以将拒绝转化为有用的经验教训，以加强我未来的工作。![图][1] 插图：ROBERT NEUBECKER > “只要有正确的心态……我可以将拒绝转化为有用的教训。“我确实进入了我的第二选择研究生院。但是当我未能赢得小型写作比赛时，我继续吸取拒绝的教训。起初，我感到相当沮丧。我担心寻求反馈可能看起来不合适，而且我可能会被认为是一个痛苦的失败者。但我认为没有比主动提出要求更好的改进方法了。我花时间起草电子邮件以确保我的语气是真诚的，最终我收到了宝贵的评论，这些评论使我能够继续赢得两场类似的比赛。被拒绝后的跟进也可以为意想不到的机会打开大门。例如，一年前，我申请了一份科学写作实习，但没有成功。我问编辑是否还有其他方式可以贡献，我很惊讶地得知欢迎我为我想写的文章提出想法。（编辑还向我保证我的申请质量不错，这让我对自己的写作能力恢复了信心。）几个月后，我联系了编辑进行了推销，我很高兴收到一份有偿合同来贡献一份文章。即使您没有得到个人反馈或直接的进一步机会，您仍然可以通过尝试找出您的申请不成功的原因来帮助自己。例如，去年，当我申请在德国做研究的短期奖学金被拒绝时，我决定更仔细地研究过去几年的获奖者。我发现几乎所有受资助的研究员都研究疾病生物学，而我的提议更侧重于将生物学用于工程和材料应用。意识到我的拒绝是由于——至少部分是因为它不合适，而不一定是对我提案质量的反映，这让我对我的研究感觉更好。我还了解到做功课很重要。现在，我通过在提交之前了解谁是成功的，有时甚至联系他们寻求建议来确保我的申请适合。在其他情况下，了解拒绝背后的原因可以提出具体的方法来加强您的工作。例如，在调查了那些被选为一个项目的学生在会议上担任记者后——我连续两年被拒绝——我突然意识到组织者正在寻找有撰写非正式博客风格文章经验的人。我没有这种背景，我一直以学术作家的身份推销自己。所以，我开始阅读更多的科学博客，最近有机会开始写一篇文章，我希望这可以帮助我避免第三次拒绝。我还了解到，如果我目前不适合，有时我需要耐心并投入时间和工作来积累证书。有很多关于在被拒绝后不要感到沮丧的建议。我不敢苟同。我相信压力、沮丧、沮丧，甚至是自我怀疑都是可以的。重要的是利用这些感觉，使它们产生一些富有成效的东西。坦率地说，当我的申请失败时，我仍然很难过。作为最后一年的博士。申请博士后奖学金的学生，我什至担心可能会被拒绝。但是当我与这些消极的想法作斗争时，我提醒自己振作起来，将拒绝转化为积极的教训。[1]：待定：是