I need a damn key or something

This post is more for my peace of mind more then anything else, but I hope you guys get something out of it, too.

I recently came across a post by Jill Corcoran, called "The Dissection of Rejection." It's full of inspirational quotes that I feel obligated to share with you:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

“Some guys they just give up living, others start dying little by little piece by piece, some guys come home from work and wash up, and go racing in the streets.” ~ Bruce Springsteen

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." ~ Thomas Edison

Rejection is never the final word about your integrity or talent as an artist. It is even less about you as a person. Chant this in front of a mirror if you have to, but know it's true. Everything in life is subjective. I'm even taking a sociology class that studies how subjective humans are.

But another sad truth is that rejection will ALWAYS hurt. I've heard so many agents say that a writer should get used to rejection, and while I agree with them, I also know that it's impossible to truly be used to rejection. It always stings a little, and I think it's supposed to. After all, it means that someone didn't like something that you probably worked very hard on. Art is a difficult career to pursue, I think, because no matter what, someone will dislike it, and your work is inevitably a very deep part of you. It's not just business. It's personal.

Why am I thinking so much about rejection? Aside from the obvious answer about queries and agents and the publishing business, I just got rejected from a very prestigious, very competitive program on campus.

For the second time.

Like, twenty minutes ago.

A standard form rejection, the letter was straight to the point, and straight to the heart of my goals here at Northwestern.

I'm not going to stop writing, and I'm not angry. I'm just disappointed.

I said I'd be fine, and at the core of it, I am. I still feel like I missed out on a great opportunity though. How does the saying go? Every time one door closes, another opens? Well, I'm sitting here waiting for an open door. I refuse to walk away from it.