Tag Page RejectionRecovery

The Rejection Bit Deep. I'm Still Here

They said my odds were good. Grant success rates hover around 20%—way better than 1 in 11.5 million. But when that rejection email landed, it felt exactly like a shark attack. I was swimming in what felt like safe waters. Three years of data. Preliminary results that made my PI smile. The application was clean, the budget tight, the aims ambitious but feasible. Then the bite came. "Not competitive this cycle." I bled grant money for months afterward—burning through startup funds, watching my postdoc clock tick down. Everyone said attacks like this were rare, that I'd probably never face another one this brutal. But here I am, still in the water. Still swimming. Because despite the scars and the fear, I can't seem to stay on shore. The data calls me back every time. 🧪 #LabBurnout #GradSchoolLife #RejectionRecovery #Science