Being premed isn’t just about memorizing pathways or grinding MCAT practice questions. A huge part of the journey to applying to medical school is sending cold emails, applying for opportunities, waiting for responses that sometimes never come, and learning how to handle rejection. And honestly, that part can feel even harder than the academics.
I remember sitting in my dorm refreshing my inbox after emailing a dozen doctors about shadowing. Days went by, then weeks, and nothing. It felt like I was already “behind” before I had even started. Later, when I started tutoring MCAT students, I realized my experience wasn’t unique. Almost everyone has their own version of the “no one emailed me back” story.
The truth is, rejection and silence are not red flags about your future. They’re normal, expected, and often just part of the numbers game. Here are a few things I wish I had understood earlier about how to handle rejection.
Tips To Help You Handle Rejection
If you never hear “no,” you might not be aiming high enough.
1. Normalize the Numbers
Opportunities are limited, and the demand is huge. A single PI can get dozens of emails each semester from students eager to join their lab. A physician’s inbox is often packed with patient messages, admin notes, and hundreds of unread emails and your shadowing request can simply get lost.
When I applied for summer research my sophomore year, I sent emails to seven labs. Six never replied. The seventh PI got back to me months later, and that turned into my first real research experience. At the time, I thought I had “failed” six times. Looking back, those non-responses were just part of the process, and I wasn’t alone in my experience.
Further Reading
2. Silence Isn’t Always Final
It’s easy to take silence as a “no,” but often it’s more like a “not yet.” Doctors and professors are genuinely busy, and your email may not have been their top priority that day. Following up politely (a short, kind nudge after a week or two) often makes all the difference.
One of my tutoring students almost gave up after not hearing back from a physician she really admired. I encouraged her to send a second, short email. The doctor replied within 24 hours, apologizing for missing the first message, and she ended up shadowing in that clinic for months. It can be difficult to shake the feeling that you’re bugging people who are already busy, but as long as you don’t overdo it and give them ample time to respond between reaching out, you should feel empowered to follow up with people!
3. Expect Rejection, Don’t Fear It
Rejection isn’t proof that you don’t belong. Rather, it’s proof you’re putting yourself out there. Every competitive program, lab, and job will turn away more applicants than it accepts. If you never hear “no,” you might not be aiming high enough.
I applied to a national summer fellowship and got the rejection email so fast it felt like they hadn’t even read my application. At the time, I was embarrassed. But a year later, I had more experience and re-applied to a different program, and that time I got in. Timing matters more than we like to admit.
4. Cast a Wide Net
Because rejection and silence are so common, don’t hinge everything on one opportunity. Apply to several programs, reach out to multiple physicians, and explore different ways of getting clinical or research experience.
One student I worked with emailed only one lab because she was so set on that PI’s project. When she didn’t get a response, she felt stuck. How did she handle rejection? Once she broadened her list and reached out to five more labs, she quickly landed a position. The wider your net, the less discouraging each individual “no” feels.
5. Remember the Bigger Picture
It’s hard to see it in the moment, but resilience is one of the most important skills you’ll take into medicine. Medical schools don’t care how many rejections you got along the way—they care how you responded.
The reality is, rejection never disappears. Residency applications, research submissions, and even grant proposals all come with silence or “no’s.” Learning how to handle rejection now will make you more grounded later.
Final Thoughts
Rejection and silence are frustrating, but they’re not the end of your premed journey. They’re just background noise. What really matters is that you keep putting yourself out there, learning, and building experiences.
The funny thing is, once you finally get that “yes”, whether it’s from a lab, a doctor, or a program, you realize none of the earlier silence actually held you back. It just made the “yes” that much more meaningful.
No matter where you are in your premed journey, Blueprint MCAT is here to help when you’re ready to take the MCAT. Whether you need the flexibility of a Self-Paced Course, the instruction of a live 515+ Course, or the 1:1 attention of a private MCAT tutor, Blueprint MCAT has the MCAT prep option that works for your learning style!
Get started with a free MCAT diagnostic, one free practice exam, and tons more MCAT prep resources.
