Everyone has been rejected in life. Whether that’s from a dream college, an honors society, even something as simple as a failed relationship. Axel Webber, a 22-year-old from Cumming, Georgia became an online sensation overnight. After going viral on TikTok for applying to Juilliard for acting and shortly after getting denied, his shocked fanbase swarmed Juilliard’s comments. For context, Juilliard is a school with a 7.6% acceptance rate and less than 1% acceptance for the BFA Drama program, so it’s not a surprise that he was denied.  Many current Broadway stars and musicians were also denied admission.

After his rejection, famous pop singer Charlie Puth reached out to Axel through a TikTok stitch. Charlie Puth went on to explain that rejection doesn’t define an artist and that Axel would make it far without attending Juilliard. Puth shared his path including his rejections. Across TikTok, a conversation was sparked, rejection became a conversation.  After receiving his stitch Axel shared his reaction with his millions of followers. Young artists and viewers saw for their own that rejection wasn’t the end but the beginning for many successful artists. In just 2 days, the internet went back into a frenzy and was reaching out to just about anyone to hire Axel. News channels were interviewing Webber and Julliard Professors to hear why they denied him.

 Soon thereafter, it was announced that Axel was hired as a model with “The Society” and posted his announcement with the headline “Big things are to come.”

As a high school senior auditioning for musical theatre programs, I have had my fair share of rejections throughout my college process. I have applied to over 25 schools, and have been denied from about 13. In retrospect, it definitely would have been nice if I had 3.7 million followers to help me get into college and eventually obtain a career.

 This public rejection had made many applicants to BFA Musical Theatre programs feel more comfortable about the college rejection process. It normalized this painful experience. 

When I go on TikTok, I often see very positive videos of people getting accepted into their dream school. Whenever the acceptance decision is received, everyone is thrilled with their accomplishment. However, most aren’t open about the downsides of applying to drama programs.

 When I was denied by my dream school, Point Park University, I was devastated. As I go on social media, I see others getting accepted and having their “dreams come true.” So why haven’t mine? Did I hit the wrong note? Was my acting not the right amount of dramatic? 

The hardest part of this process was coming to terms with how selective these musical theatre programs are.  Everyone was sharing the joys of acceptance through college but very few discussed the rejection process which is just as important.

Once I saw Axel experience this public rejection, it made me feel a lot better. As I experienced stress and heartache, seeing it normalized helped. He was open about something that no one had talked about; and when I mean open, over 30 million people had watched his current dreams fall into words:

“You are no longer under consideration for admission for Fall 2022.”

 Axel changed the opinion of rejection to something that is part of life and the college process. Hearing his story was healing. It helped me realize that reading the word “denied” doesn’t have to be the death of an opportunity. Currently, I have been accepted into many other programs that will also help me learn and grow as a performer. I have adopted this new mindset and have seen growth in how it has affected me. Without Axel’s story, I would not have seen that rejection is a normal process that others go through and I have found a new appreciation for the word “denied.”