A Rejection Turned Success

Does everything happen for a reason? Well, several college rejection letters have shaped that reasoning in the lives of many. It’s the time of year that high school seniors have been waiting for: college acceptance letters are rolling in, and for some, could make or break the future.

As the letters begin to fill up the mailboxes, pre-college freshman should put on their hard hats and prepare for the worst, as fall 2010 freshman class enrollment numbers will reach a record low, according to the Wall Street Journal. While Ivy League schools like Harvard and Stanford lower their acceptance rates to about 7 percent, more rising high school graduates are left with devastation.

A college rejection, however, doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Some of the most successful people in the workforce, including Oscar-winning film director, Steven Spielberg, received a rejection letter from their top school. Others, including American investor, Warren Buffett, and Today show host, Meredith Vieira, who also got turned down from their dream school believe the result shaped their careers and provided them with the opportunity to meet the mentors who played pivotal roles in their career successes.

And if all fails, try and try again. Rejected twice from Stanford and Harvard graduate business schools, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Scott McNealy, kept his eye on the prize as he continued to apply for a chance of acceptance from one of the prestigious schools. Eventually he was accepted into Stanford where he earned his MBA.

What may seem to be a crushing shutdown at the time could turn out to be the alternate road towards success.