Unfortunately, it too said the same thing, “WE REJECT YOU.” I was not devastated, I was shocked.

My initial response was not “what's wrong with me?” Instead, it was “what's their problem, what's wrong with them, don't they know who I am?” I was not willing to accept defeat. Although I was embarrassed and sad, I reminded myself that feeling bad was temporary, defeat was forever. I made a commitment to do whatever it took to get into graduate school. I began by going to the library six days a week for a minimum of six hours a day. For the next 12 months I packed a lunch and left for the library every morning. Bringing lunch prevented me from leaving the library and from wasting time. It also helped me to save money. I was unemployed, on a tight budget, and on a mission. Fortunately I had some money saved and of course, I earned a little extra money teaching tap classes during the evenings. The following year I re-applied to the same ten schools. I was rejected by nine…