Monday's Mailbag

The bad news continued this week for the Risk family as yet another graduate school application was rejected. We have now officially been rejected by 50% of the schools to which we applied. This third rejection came from Johns Hopkins University, my number 2 choice of schools, which eliminates Baltimore from our list of possible relocations.

With this third rejection, we are having to seriously consider the possibility that our move this summer will not be for graduate school, but rather simply to start a new chapter in our lives. While we have always held that as a possibility, the reality of it has begun to set in.

The three schools that have declined to offer me admission to their program were the number 2, 3, and 6 schools on my list. The bright side is that my top choice - the University of Delaware is still debating whether I am worthy of attending their program. The University of Pittsburgh and Ohio State University are also still in the running - or should I say I am still in the running at those three schools.

Each of the remaining schools are fine schools. Each has their pluses and minuses, but each would be a welcomed choice, if I was found deserving by their admissions committees. At the rate that the notifications are coming in, we will know very shortly what our future holds. Until then, all we can do is hope and pray.