Getting rejected stings like hell, and having to helplessly watch someone go through it hurts nearly just as much.

Your friend is one of the best people you know (otherwise they obviously wouldn’t be your friend, duh), so seeing them get knocked back from an awesome opportunity is heartbreaking. Now’s the best time to stretch the friendship muscles you’ve been building for years and put them to use.

#1 Buy Them Flowers

Flowers are the ultimate “say no more, fam” of being there for someone. You don’t have to attach a sappy card or explain why you’re giving them, your friend will likely understand.

#2 Remind Them How Much Time They Have

They have so much time! Honestly, even people in their mid-40s are still chucking a U-ey and starting their career over again – not getting into the course you wanted when you’re in your 20s is nothing more than a speed bump.

#3 Start Planning For Next Year

So they didn’t get in this time around and it sucks! But failure is only failure if you never grow from it. Come up with strategies and ways your mate can bounce back stronger next time around.

Crack out the UAC guide and an unreasonably tall tub of ice cream and figure out next steps. Alternative pathways litter pretty much every uni course you can think of; remind them this isn’t the end of the road by any means.

#4 Go Out And Get Drunk

If all else fails, drink the pain away! Yes, this is generally terrible advice (you should never lean on alcohol as a solution), but it’s also very fun advice. We’re only young once so now’s the time for terrible decisions.

#5 Have A Movie Marathon

Movies aren’t only supremely entertaining, they give us an insight into how other people experience life. Your friend is probably feeling really lost and directionless right now, so 90 minutes of someone else’s problems will be really soothing. Make sure to add in lots of snacks.

#6 Pick Up A New Hobby With Them

So your friend can’t study a certain thing? How about they learn something else new? Suggest that you two pick up a hobby you’ve been talking about for ages, like painting, a language, a bootcamp or rock climbing. It’ll distract them and make them feel like they’re achieving something, both of which are pretty important right now.

#7 Remind Them About The Positive Side

We firmly believe that you can put a positive skew on anything and not getting into a degree is no exception.

They’ll make more money because they’ll have more time to work, they’ll get the entire year to travel if they’d like to, they can take the time to figure out if this is really the path they want to pursue. There’s so many positives to not getting in.

#8 But Let Them Wallow

Distracting them and being a source of positivity is important, but it’s also a good idea to let them get their emotions out. Sitting while they whine and kick and complain is probably more help to them than anything we wrote in 1-7, tbh.

(Lead image: The Good Place/Netflix)