mayeoli21
Jan 4, 2012
Scholarship / 'English' - Gates Millennium Scholars Prompt: Subjects You Excel in. [3]
Prompt 1: Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have excelled. To what factors do you attribute your success? Use specific examples to illustrate how you succeeded.
My subject of strength is English, more specifically writing. It might have emerged as a silly hobby when I was thirteen years old. However, I realized that my writing fascination has helped me throughout my high school years. I owe my growth to my fanaticism for television programs. I have thought of various 'what if' situations involving characters and their fates. So, in reality, my imagination has a lot to do with my interest in writing. I have accumulated around one-hundred and ninety stories in four years and through those stories, I have noticed my progress and my writing styles. I also noted my understanding of characterization, literary elements, grammar, vocabulary, and plot lines. I think it is all very interesting because some of the craziest ideas I have come up with are the ones my readers enjoy the most and the ones I enjoy writing.
My writing has also excelled because I have joined a number of 'challenges' in a website called Live Journal. Through those challenges, my brain stimulates at least three types of situations for each theme (words or phrases that are listed so they could be used for writing). The challenges range from seven themes to five-hundred themes, and each challenge has a key factor, such as hugs, memories, romance, genres, and the hours in a clock. There are even weekly challenge contests where one entry per week is entered to compete with other entries for the same prompt, but different interpretation, and each week has a different word limit, so that in itself is something to consider.
Another factor that has contributed to my success in writing is reading. I have read books from L. J. Smith, Ellen Hopkins, Suzanne Collins, Sara Shepard, Elizabeth Chandler, Stephanie Meyer, William Shakespere, Corin Tellado, and William Blake, among others, and I have incorporated their writing styles into mine to challenge myself and see which one I am more comfortable mimicking. However, I have created my own styles to distinguish my work.
My 11th grade English teacher, Mrs. Mukherji, was responsible for preparing my class for the English Language and Composition AP Exam. We also had the opportunity to take college courses, such as English 1301 and 1302, along with high school courses, so the dual enrollment was very helpful. She taught my class and I different types of essay formats and how to properly use the MLA format for citing works in essays. Thanks to her strict syllabus, I was prepared for anything that came in the AP exam and I was able to score a 4 out of 5 on the test.
Although I dislike Social Studies, I have been able to succeed in U.S. history because of my professor, Mr. Pietrzak. He is the only teacher that has made me keep an organized binder and I always managed to do everything he asked for so I could have a high grade. His class was not difficult, but since it was a college class, it required a lot of effort from my part. I read every chapter, completed every homework assignment, participated in every class discussion, wrote every essay, and passed every exam, including the practice AP exams that evaluate a student's potential to pass the actual test. Despite my preference for other subjects, I was able to get an A for both HIST 1301 and 1302 courses and a 5 out of 5 on my U.S. History AP exam. Aside from history, Mr. Pietrzak also taught me how to keep a schedule for my assignments so that I would not have to stress over things that could pile up.
Comments are greatly appreciated!
Prompt 1: Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have excelled. To what factors do you attribute your success? Use specific examples to illustrate how you succeeded.
My subject of strength is English, more specifically writing. It might have emerged as a silly hobby when I was thirteen years old. However, I realized that my writing fascination has helped me throughout my high school years. I owe my growth to my fanaticism for television programs. I have thought of various 'what if' situations involving characters and their fates. So, in reality, my imagination has a lot to do with my interest in writing. I have accumulated around one-hundred and ninety stories in four years and through those stories, I have noticed my progress and my writing styles. I also noted my understanding of characterization, literary elements, grammar, vocabulary, and plot lines. I think it is all very interesting because some of the craziest ideas I have come up with are the ones my readers enjoy the most and the ones I enjoy writing.
My writing has also excelled because I have joined a number of 'challenges' in a website called Live Journal. Through those challenges, my brain stimulates at least three types of situations for each theme (words or phrases that are listed so they could be used for writing). The challenges range from seven themes to five-hundred themes, and each challenge has a key factor, such as hugs, memories, romance, genres, and the hours in a clock. There are even weekly challenge contests where one entry per week is entered to compete with other entries for the same prompt, but different interpretation, and each week has a different word limit, so that in itself is something to consider.
Another factor that has contributed to my success in writing is reading. I have read books from L. J. Smith, Ellen Hopkins, Suzanne Collins, Sara Shepard, Elizabeth Chandler, Stephanie Meyer, William Shakespere, Corin Tellado, and William Blake, among others, and I have incorporated their writing styles into mine to challenge myself and see which one I am more comfortable mimicking. However, I have created my own styles to distinguish my work.
My 11th grade English teacher, Mrs. Mukherji, was responsible for preparing my class for the English Language and Composition AP Exam. We also had the opportunity to take college courses, such as English 1301 and 1302, along with high school courses, so the dual enrollment was very helpful. She taught my class and I different types of essay formats and how to properly use the MLA format for citing works in essays. Thanks to her strict syllabus, I was prepared for anything that came in the AP exam and I was able to score a 4 out of 5 on the test.
Although I dislike Social Studies, I have been able to succeed in U.S. history because of my professor, Mr. Pietrzak. He is the only teacher that has made me keep an organized binder and I always managed to do everything he asked for so I could have a high grade. His class was not difficult, but since it was a college class, it required a lot of effort from my part. I read every chapter, completed every homework assignment, participated in every class discussion, wrote every essay, and passed every exam, including the practice AP exams that evaluate a student's potential to pass the actual test. Despite my preference for other subjects, I was able to get an A for both HIST 1301 and 1302 courses and a 5 out of 5 on my U.S. History AP exam. Aside from history, Mr. Pietrzak also taught me how to keep a schedule for my assignments so that I would not have to stress over things that could pile up.
Comments are greatly appreciated!