I was excited. I was
about to become a graduate student in the famous School of Cinema at the
University of Southern California, the school where George Lucas of 'Star Wars'
fame had already made his mark. I had
already been accepted by the University.
All that remained was the confirmation letter from the Cinema School
(a separate admissions process after the University’s acceptance.) One
day in November it finally came. It was
NOT the letter I was expecting. It was
from the Dean of Admissions and it began, “We regret to inform you…” and ended
with “We hope you will be able to pursue your advanced studies at another
institution.” I was devastated!
I had interviewed with key faculty members and
administrators. I had shown the admissions committee clips of my
work. I had met numerous times with Dr.
Russell McGregor, Associate Chairman of the Division of Cinema. Everything had seemed positive for my
acceptance. And now this!
After brooding over my disappointment, I determined to find
out why, this far into the process, and after so much encouragement, I should
be so flatly rejected. Maybe there was
something I could still do to change their mind. I had to at least try! I picked up the phone and called Dr. McGregor’s
office, scheduled an appointment for 2 pm the next day. (I have no idea why I still remember the time
of that meeting this many years later!)
The next afternoon I drove my little red Volvo down to University Park. In those days, the Cinema school was still
housed in what had once been the USC faculty stables and carriage barns. The administrators occupied nearby bungalows
(all pre Lucas and Zemeckis Buildings for you USC alum). As soon as I walked in the door, Russ (Dr. McGregor) looked up from his desk and smiled warmly. “Tom,
how’s it going?” he asked as he extended his hand. “It was going great,” I
replied, “until I got this letter” . “What letter?” he asked. I handed him the notice I had
received. He looked it over, handed it
back, and then said just three words, “Oh!
THAT letter!” “What do you mean
THAT letter?” I asked. “We send that
letter to everyone,” he calmly replied.
As I looked at him dumbfounded, he explained, “The motion picture and
television industry is extremely competitive.
The Cinema school at USC is one of the most competitive and difficult
programs at the University. We concluded
that only those who are not willing to take ‘no’ for an answer have what it
takes to survive in this industry or even make it through this program. So, we send a rejection letter to everyone
and wait to see who shows up. Obviously
you have that kind of determination, Tom.”
He concluded, “Don’t worry about the letter. I’ll note your file. We’ll see you next semester.” A few weeks later I started my master’s
program in Cinema at USC.
What I learned at USC over the next two years would have a
formative impact on my skills as a writer / director. The friendships made and the principles
learned were invaluable. But what if I
had not questioned that letter? What if
I had not pursued my dream in the face of clear rejection? How would my future have been altered? The lesson I learned from that letter and my
response, may have actually been the greatest lesson learned from all of my
University experience.
That letter from USC was not the last time I would face rejection
of an idea or a dream or a vision. I
would have many opportunities to decide whether to accept ‘No’ as a conclusion or
rather as a challenge to be tackled.
Sometimes (I’ve learned) to accept a ‘no’ really IS the right choice, all things and everyone involved being considered. Equally important, there have been other times when I have turned a ‘no’ into a challenge to
find another way to pursue the dream in my heart and to achieve the goal that I
knew was right. And often, in those
times, I have been reminded of that letter from so long ago and dean McGregor's three words “Oh,
THAT letter!” The rest is history.
Footnote:
The policy at USC apparently changed in the years since I was there. When my son David was accepted to the USC School
of Cinema, he never received such a letter. He went on to graduate with honors.
