When I was going to mortuary college, I was asked to be the peer counselor. Before taking the seven California State Boards, the mortuary college administers seven comps. In the by-rules of Cypress College of Mortuary Science, it states that if a student fails a comp, he/she is allowed to take it again. This one woman failed all seven comps and as the peer counselor I told her that she could take them again. She stated: "I'm not as smart as you. There's no way I can pass them." I told her that she was every bit as smart as me, but that she just didn't know how to study. I told her to come to my home that evening and that I would make her copies of my seven study sheets (one page for each comp). I reassured her that if she memorized all seven study sheets, that she would pass all seven comps.

When I told the mortuary college faculty that she was going to retake all seven comps they replied: "No way! We've never had any of our students fail all seven comps; you can't waste our time and her time." I reminded them of their by-rules which never stipulated the number of comps which could be retaken; I told them it was not their choice but her choice. They agreed.

The next day she retook and passed all seven comps. She turned to me and stated, "I am just as smart as you, just as you said." I replied, "Yes, you are; you just never knew it." She went on and passed all of the seven California State Boards.

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