Everyone knows what it’s like to be rejected. It starts on the playground and follows you through life. It’s the feeling you get being picked last in gym class, not getting called back for that dream job, or being scoffed at by the object of your affection. Rejection is a seemingly unavoidable part of life.

And where did I and thousands of other teens most recently find it? That’s right, in Teen Ink magazine. Despite my many attempts, I remain unpublished. Every month my highly competitive friends and I eagerly await the new issue’s arrival. And though we would all swear our writing is positively fantastic, we have thus far been disappointed. I suppose each month we will continue to pursue the elusive Teen Ink dream and the 200 bonus points in English class it would bring. And most of us, including students all across the country, will meet our old friend: rejection.

Editor’s note: Tricia, Teen Ink gets thousands more submissions than we can fit into the magazine. Rejection can be rough, but anything that’s worth attaining is worth struggling for. Enjoy the 200 bonus points.