ME v. ME: Rejection is Redirection
Everyone at UNC knows what today is. It’s that dreaded day in mid-October when hopes soar or crash for hundreds of undergrads. If you see someone crying between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., you don’t even need to ask why—it’s business school decision day.
I know because I’ve been there. I was one of those hopeful undergrads, refreshing my email anxiously, my future seemingly hinging on that one notification.
I came to UNC as a pre-business major, laser-focused on becoming a Kenan-Flagler student. I joined all the right clubs, took the prerequisite classes, and spent countless hours perfecting my application. The application consisted of 5 essay questions, hefty personal questions, a resume, and a virtual interview.
I had convinced myself that success meant walking through the doors of the business school, and I was sure my hard work would pay off.
When decision day finally came, I didn’t get the answer I was hoping for. I was rejected.
I felt devastated. My first thought was to reapply. Surely, if I doubled down and improved my application, I’d get in the second time. So, I switched my major to economics, took more business courses, and poured myself into building a stronger resume. I met with the admissions representative to dissect my application and gather advice on making myself a stronger applicant.
The following year, I was ready to try again. I finished my personal statement for one of the many pieces of the application, and naturally, I had friends and fellows read it over. One of my closest friends looked at me after reading and said, “Makayla, this isn’t a business school application—but it’s a killer journalism school application.”
Her words stopped me in my tracks.
The idea of applying to the journalism school had never crossed my mind. For years, I had been so fixated on Kenan-Flagler that I hadn’t stopped to ask myself why I wanted to be there in the first place. As I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a clear answer beyond “it’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Her comment planted a seed. What I could articulate was how much I loved storytelling, creativity, and media. The more I reflected, the more I realized my passion wasn’t rooted in balance sheets or supply chains but in strategy, branding, and communication.
So, I still reapplied to Kenan-Flaglar and yet again was rejected, but I simultaneously applied to the Hussman School of Journalism and Media. This time, the answer was different: I was accepted.
Looking back, it feels like fate was steering me all along. Hussman turned out to be exactly where I was meant to be. It may sound odd, but I’m glad that I was rejected from the business school. I genuinely don’t think I would have been happy there. At Hussman, I’ve found a sense of belonging, excitement, and purpose I never knew was missing. I’ve learned from some of the best professors in the nation, and I’ve taken classes that have challenged me in ways I never expected.
That rejection from Kenan-Flagler? It was a redirection—one that I’ll forever be grateful for.
Rejection is one of life’s toughest lessons. It’s easy to equate it with failure, but it often signals something more profound: the opportunity to pause, reassess, and pivot toward something better suited for you. I wouldn’t have discovered my passion for journalism without that rejection letter forcing me to look beyond my narrow definition of success.
So, to those who might be sitting with their own rejection letter today—whether it’s from a school, an internship, or a job—remember this: rejection isn’t the end of the road. It’s a sign that your path lies elsewhere. Trust that redirection. Lean into it. What’s meant for you will find you, even if it’s not what you originally envisioned.
