I traipse in the dark silence to my designated spot. My hair is tamed back and my eyes are dressed with liner and lashes. The stage lights illuminate the rosin coated marley as the music notes begin to course through my limbs. The butterflies that inhabited my core off stage have dispersed. The nervous stiffness that clung to my muscles releases instantly as I dance in woven time with the counts. I invested tireless hours of rehearsal to prepare myself...

If I were to change anything about my application process, it would be to seek out more help and advice from the teachers at my school. Every year the teachers watch a new...