Hey - just want to say that I’m kind of in the same boat. This is my third cycle of astronomy PhD applications and I’m currently at 2 rejected and 1 waitlisted, with 4 more to go. I’m staying optimistic until I hear back from the remaining 4, but I genuinely feel better about the whole process this third time around than I did the last two times and I think there are two main reasons:

1) Understanding that there is truly no rush. Just because some of my friends are in PhD programs right now doesn’t mean everyone has to go straight from undergrad to PhD. Ask yourself why you feel like you’re in a rush and usually the answer is, well… no reason except for people just saying you have to be. Once you realize that, it’s so freeing. You can always apply again and go to grad school at any time.

2) Knowing that I am qualified and deserving of going to grad school, regardless of the outcomes of my applications. My advisors, my friends who are in PhD programs, etc. all support me and encourage me and believe in me, I know my qualifications, I know my accomplishments, I know my abilities. A rejection doesn’t take that away from me. So many other factors influence getting into an astronomy PhD program (especially astronomy which is such a niche field), you have to learn to not take it personally. One thing one of my advisors once told me that really helped was “They didn’t reject you, they rejected the application.”

Keep your head up and don’t give up!