Ariane de Gennaro
Last year, I had a crush on a girl. We got lunch every week, and one day, towards the end of the meal, I asked her, “Hey, do you wanna go on a date some time?” She replied, “Oh, I really like you as a friend, but no thanks.” And you know what? That might be my proudest achievement from first year.
Don’t get me wrong; my confidence in the Romance Department was in shambles after that. However, having the confidence to put myself in such a vulnerable position —especially with a high likelihood of failure — was a thrill no less. Yale has taught me a fair amount but figuring out how to embrace rejection might be the most important lesson I learned in Year One.
After a high school experience that was light on rejection — as is the case for many Yale students, I