What If Your Best Isn't Enough?
Grad School Rejected Me
I was driving home from a doctor's appointment in rush hour traffic when a new email notified my phone.
I opened the notification while sitting at a red light.
This is the email I've checked my inbox for every day for the past four months.
The subject line read: Graduate Application — Creative Writing.
I opened the email and read the first paragraph.
I didn't get in.
This is a template rejection email.
The same email they sent to the other candidates they rejected.
I know this because the email is sent to a blank email address.
I texted my friend, "I didn't get in," in the middle of our conversation with no context.
"Oh, Madi, I'm so sorry," he said.
The tears started falling.
I didn't get in.
My Application Wasn't My Best
I spent months writing the 14-page sample for my application.
Then, two weeks before my application was due, I deleted everything I wrote and started from scratch.
