[aruanan]

The institution made no effort to reach out to me -- a bright and promising student in their midst -- and I had no reason to believe there was a place for me there.

Maybe it was because she wasn't that bright or that promising. This is demonstrated by that very sentence: there is no 'their' when referring to the university and she wasn't in its 'midst' unless she was actually a part of the university instead of just being on the south side like it was.

[SharpRightTurn]

“The institution made no effort to reach out to me”

What’s with all these people saying others should “reach out” to them or to some group?

How about instead quit the whining, get off your butt, and work hard without any desire for or expectation of a hand-out, quota, or affirmative action gimme?

[Anti-Bubba182]

"Maybe it was because she wasn't that bright or that promising. "

And she failed the bar exam.