A Lousey Hundreth of a Point

I went to Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. Actually, I wanted very much to go to a certain university in the Northwest, but my older brother, Jay, who always gives the best advice, said that I should go to Oberlin instead. So I sent in a taped audition and was promptly accepted.
Undisciplined and way too enamored of the whole college experience, I didn't work too hard academically. Oh, I practiced my music and grew quickly as a young musical artist. But, looking back, I could just kick myself for not taking advantage of the wonderful cultural and educational opportunities afforded by that extraordinary college.

I graduated with an undistinguished 2.99 grade point average.

Later when I started to apply to graduate schools, that same northwestern university that I really wanted to attend informed me that no matter how good my musical audition was, they wouldn't consider any graduate student with a gradepoint average less than a 3.0.

So I missed out because of a lousey hundredth of a point.

Brother Jay, now a doctoral student in music, told me that the University of Michigan was way better for serious music students anyway, and that's where I should go.
I made another taped audition, sent it off and was promptly accepted.
I really didn't have enough money to go to Michigan, but again brother Jay told me to "just go. If they really want you, they'll find a way to keep you there all three semesters."
When I arrived in Ann Arbor, the scholarship committee awarded me a scholarship and the vocal department offered me a teaching assistantship. I found out later that no one gets both a scholarship and an assistantship. Must be a God-thing.
A few weeks later, I met my future husband. Three semesters later, both with master's degrees, we got married.
Thirty-two years later, very happily married, with three children, three children-in-laws and three grandchildren, I wonder how life would have turned out if I'd actually gotten a 3.0 instead of a 2.99 GPA.

Guess that lousey hundredth of a point wasn't so lousey after all.