Writing Feedback / SAT: "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything" [2]

"A little inaccuracy saves a world of explaination"
Assignment: Is it always essential to tell the truth or are there circumstances in which it is better to lie?
Essay:
"Honesty is the best policy"
All of us grew up listening to the same saying but is it really the best policy or are there circumstances in which it is better to tell a white lie?

I believe that although being honest once can save you from telling multiple lies later there are situations where the best way to save time and to save yourself is to tell a white lie.

A few years ago my sister asked confronted me regarding a conversation I had with a friend. I lied and told her we were discussing a school trip, when in reality my friend was gossiping about my sister. I avoided telling her about it because I didn't want a petty conversation to hurt her already low self esteem. In my opinion, lies told to protect others are harmful as long as they are not regarding serious issues.

There may also be situations where you can omit certain details rather than lie about them. Sometimes when people ask you questions which you don't want to answer, it is easier to avoid certain details but still answer the question. This way everyones happy. I was going out with my friends once, my mother asked me where we were going, I told her to a friend's house. This was partially true, we were going to her house but we were also going out for lunch. I avoided telling my mother this little detail because I was afraid she wouldn't let me go. It was a little white lie which gave us both what we wanted.

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything", Mark Twain.
Everyone has experiences where a little white lie got out of hand because too many lies had been told to cover it up. I think one should avoid telling successive lies, if the matter gets out of hand its better to come clean rather than letting it continue.

I believe, one should think before saying anything. Telling the truth is usually the best option but if the truth is more hurtful than a lie, it might be better to avoid harsh honesty.

Undergraduate / "The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort" [4]

Prompt:
"People who like to think of themselves as tough-minded and realistic tend to take it for granted that human nature is "selfish" and that life is a struggle in which only the fittest may survive. According to this view, the basic law by which people must live is the law of the jungle. The "fittest" are those people who can bring to the struggle superior force, superior cunning, and superior ruthlessness."

Adapted from S.I. Hayakawa, Language in Thought and Action

Do people have to be highly competitive in order to succeed? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Essay:
"The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort."
Some people believe that competition is a good source of motivation. The threat of competition is what keeps you moving towards your goal. However, I believe that although competition helps a person stay focused, it is not the only factor contributing to success. Sometimes being highly competitive can take your mind off the original aim you set out with.

Once my cousin opened up a business that catered to the needs of the handicapped. It had always been his dream to help improve the lives of those who can't help themselves. He sold clothes and traveling equipment especially made for those with disabilities. His work was very much appreciated but it attracted competitors into the market due to the profits he was earning. To compete with the new firms my cousin introduced new pricing strategies and reduced quality control to make up for the lost profits. However, he soon realized that this competition had made him lose focus on his actual dream. Caught up in all the 'being better than the rest', made him lose focus and he ended up making his customers suffer, who were the real reason behind his business.

Competition can help us achieve more if we stay focused on our goal, if we use competition as a tool to success rather than our aim. During exams my friend and I test ourselves to see who gets a better grade, this helps us practice and learn from each other, where we make a mistake. The desire to do better than our friend is what keeps us trying harder but our main focus is our exam.

There are many tools to success; motivation, talent and hard work being a few of them. We cannot say that we will succeed only through competition. If someone applies for a job he is not trained to do, no amount of competition, motivation or hard work will get him the job. In certain situations such as scientific research, you cannot use competition to motivate you. In such circumstances you may need teamwork rather than people to compete with to achieve success in a field.

"Success doesn't come to you, you go to it"

Writing Feedback / "Motivation will almost always beat mere talent." [3]

Topic:
"Motivation will almost always beat mere talent."
Do we need both motivation and talent to be an expert in a field? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard". Tim Notke.
Yes, I believe that we will always need motivation and talent to succeed in a field.
Talent is what makes us capable to succeed but motivation is the driving force. Motivation is what helps us get up every morning to work hard towards our goal.

When I was young my teachers used to tell me "You have the potential, you just don't work for it". I tried to put effort into my studies but I always gave up and said, "If I have the potential then why can't I do it." When I was in my senior year at high school, I had my dream university as a motivator and I experienced first hand how motivation can boost your chances of success in your goals.

Martin Luther King is another example of someone who had a lot of motivation but average talent. The condition of African Americans in America was his motivation, it was what drove him to work towards the betterment of his fellows. Not everyone with a talent for public speaking can achieve what he did. It takes motivation to move towards what you believe because motivation is the voice in your head which says, 'You can do it, its possible.'

I believe that someone who is talented is more likely to give up than someone who is motivated. If you are motivated and you work hard in your field then anyone can reach their full potential.