Gates Millennium Scholarship
Word Count: 232
Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have excelled. To what factors do you attribute your success? (1000 words)
Actions speak louder than words. However, for me now, it's opposite. Through my English classes, words have given me the opportunity to grow. I wasn't always this fond of English because of its difficulty but that was a reason for my growth. My freshman year, the constant stress of writing annoyed me. Writing a paper was ž staring at the prompt trying to figure out what to talk about and ź writing only to redo it again and again. The constant mediocre papers frustrated me as I couldn't figure out how to grow as a writer. I learned that year how to be engaged and listen to my teacher and use them for guidance. Sophomore year, however, I changed. I learned what to get out of English classes to progress: practice. Every paper I learned from my mistakes and experimented by straying from my basic format. Though I still spent hours staring at a prompt, I became confident with my writing abilities. Junior year, with English being my only weighted class first semester, I felt pressured to excel in it. With the intimidation of my first essay prompt, I knew it was going to be a long year. The class was challenging so I adapted to the class with each successive essay. I combined my newly acquired skills of being engaged and practiced applying my skill and therefore grew as a writer.
My freshman year, the constant stress of writing annoyed me - I was constantly annoyed to write during my freshmen year
Sophomore year, however, I changed. I learned what to get out of English classes to progress: practice. - However, in sophomore year I practiced more further developing my writing skills.
Hi Kerry, I revised and polished your response, coming up with 213 words. The topic you chose to present was interesting and the way you showed your constant progress and development as a writer was truly interesting to read. I just had to fix a few parts and restate some things to make it sound more academic in nature. Overall, it was a pretty well written draft :-)
Actions speak louder than words. However, for me now, it's the opposite. My English classes helped me learn that words can actually speak louder than action at times. I wasn't always this fond of English because of its difficulty but that was a reason for my growth. My freshman year, the constant stress of writing annoyed me. Writing a paper meant spending ž of my time staring at the prompt , trying to figure out what to talk about and ź of the time writing only to constantly revise it.
The constantly mediocre papers I wrote frustrated me as I couldn't figure out how to grow as a writer. It took some time but I eventually learned that I needed to listen better in English class and then properly apply my lessons to my written work. I learned what to do in my English classes to progress: practice.
Every paper, I found myself learning from my mistakes and adjusting my writing style to prevent the errors from repeating. Though I still spent hours staring at a prompt, I became confident with my writing abilities. I combined my newly acquired skills of becoming engaged with my prompt topic and practiced applying my skill , all of which allowed me to grow as a writer.
Feel free to either use this essay or revise it to a point that you would comfortable using it :-) I'll assist you whenever you need it.
@vangiespen Thank you so much!
Gates Millennium Scholarship
Word Count: 346
Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have excelled. To what factors do you attribute your success? (1000 words)
Freshman English and History seemed impossible; with standard-based grading, there was an immense amount of pressure as the highest grade possible meant you've exceeded the teacher's expectations. I knew my interests in the subjects weren't enough so I approached my work with an eagerness to learn. I frequently asked my teachers questions once faced with a challenge. While other students ignored the minor assignments as they didn't count, I used them as practice for major ones. Additionally, I supplemented my notes and readings with outside information to thoroughly understand the concepts. Knowing that it would relate to other classes and my future career, I focused on becoming a self-disciplined student.
This pattern continued until junior year. As American Studies English was my only weighted course first semester, I wanted to prove myself by growing as a writer. It took some time but I eventually learned that I needed to properly apply my skills of to my written work. Before writing, I used my teachers as guidance for planning. I also used classwork as practice for assessing readings. Every paper I found myself learning from my mistakes and adjusting my writing style to prevent recurring errors. Though I still spent hours staring at a prompt, I became confident with my writing.
I was afraid of my future actions after enrolling in regular American Studies History; accustomed to rigor, I felt that an easy A class would make me idle. In result, I focused on productivity. I collaborated with classmates to put key terms and concepts in simpler terms. I also aided other students with their classwork. Additionally, after class, I extended class discussions with my teacher. By the end of first semester, I found myself being an intuitive student in terms of responsibility.
In retrospect, I realized that making personal growth a goal in my English and History classes aids in success. I've developed qualities of an excellent student by possessing a determined attitude, acquiring better study habits, and reflecting on myself. Although impressing my teachers was a catalyst, I also gained motivation to enhance my abilities.
