The Opportunities I Almost Didn't Apply For
The times I almost talked myself out of applying because I thought I wasn't qualified. The lesson isn't that I got everything. The lesson is: don't reject yourself before someone else has the chance to say yes or no.
This is about the times I almost talked myself out of applying. The opportunities I almost let slip away because I thought I wasn't qualified enough, or because sponsorship worries made me hesitate, or because my confidence was running low that week.
The lesson here isn't "I applied and got everything." I didn't. The lesson is something I think is more important:
I'm really glad I didn't reject myself before someone else had the chance to say yes or no.
I remember staring at the application page. The requirements listed a 3.8 GPA. Mine was lower. The page said "preference for research experience." I had none. Every line felt like a reason not to apply.
I almost closed the tab. I almost told myself, "Why bother? You don't meet the requirements."
But something made me apply anyway. Maybe stubbornness. Maybe desperation. Maybe a friend who said, "What do you have to lose?"
I got it.
That scholarship changed my year. It opened doors I didn't even know existed. And I almost didn't apply because I'd already told myself no.