Rejection hurts -  whether it’s a journal decision, a grant outcome, or yet another “unsuccessful” email landing in your inbox. In this short Listen to This If episode, Jen and Michael talk honestly about the emotional rollercoaster of academic rejection, why it’s not a reflection of your worth (or your work), and how to keep going when the disappointment hits hard.

They share practical strategies for making the most of the effort you’ve already put in, learning from feedback (when you’re ready for it!), and normalising rejection as a part of the research cycle, not a personal failure.

If you’re feeling frustrated, deflated, or questioning yourself after a knockback, this one’s for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why rejection is a normal (but still awful) part of academia

• How low funding rates and high competition skew outcomes

• The importance of venting and feeling miserable - briefly!

• Turning reviewer feedback into your next stronger submission

• Why trying again (and again) really does get easier

You can find more great advice here:

• https://patthomson.net/2020/08/31/dealing-with-rejection/

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/how-to-do-academia/202207/coping-with-rejection-in-the-academic-world

• https://researcher-hub.sydney.edu.au/funding/plan-for-funding/reframing-rejection.html

• https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/six-steps-overcoming-setbacks-and-rejection

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/osj2