What Temple is Saying About “Rejection”

By Julie Kim

Denied. Turned down. Rejected.

Rejection has quite a negative connotation, and it’s probably one of the worst feelings ever. It’s a part of the fundamentals of living life and growing as a person. We all go through it, whether it’s rejection from a company you were dying to work for or when you didn’t get a match on Tinder.

REFINE's Spring Issue is all about rejection—who bears the brunt of it, and who succeeds despite it. Here’s what some Temple students and staff have to say about rejection.

STUDENTS

“When I get my expectations up and I get let down, I usually don't take it well. I set very high standards and goals for myself. When I don’t achieve a goal or when a boy rejects you, it definitely hits a part in you. But you can definitely learn and grow from it.” – Kayley Nilon, junior communication studies major

“It’s simply a lesson. It is something we all take in and express in a different manner.” – David Lee, junior marketing major

“When you are hoping for something, but it does not turn out that way.” – Abe Park, freshman biology major

“Rejection, to me, is not being accepted for who you are and how you present yourself. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t good enough, but not what the rejecter is looking for. Which leads me to believe that there is a lack in something about me that may or may not be true, but at that moment that is how I take it.” – Drew Murray, senior media and production studies major

“Rejection is scary for me because I usually am the one to work very hard for things that I want in life. When I get rejected, at first, usually I am very sad and contemplate why I even tried in the first place or if I am good enough. But after I stop letting the thought of rejection get to my head, I usually stick it out and work harder for next time to prove to not only the people/things that rejected me but myself as well, of my strengths and passions to do what I love.” – Alyssa Piselli, sophomore marketing major with a minor in management information systems

“Rejection can hurt some people, but in the end it’s a form of consent. For you to be with another person there has to be approval from both sides. If you get rejected, you can’t get upset. But you have to respect the other person’s decision.” – Jonathan Zonshein, freshman biology major

PROFESSORS

Photo courtesy of Kimberly Cassady Kincade

“I think rejection prompts introspection. I feel like when you get rejected, it’s in our nature to immediately internalize and think about what we did to deserve it, or be rejected which sometimes...it is something we did. What better way to look at yourself when you are rejected! When you get success, you don’t really think about what you did.” – Kimberly Cassady Kincade, adjunct faculty in the advertising department