The prompt is: Please answer this essay question (400 to 600 words).
Overcoming an Academic Challenge: Describe a recent academic challenge you have faced.Explain how you overcame it.
This is the rough draft so any positive or negative criticism will be greatly appreciated :)!!
I patiently waited for my AP Biology teacher to congratulate me on a test score worthy of being hanged up on my refrigerator. When he finally approached me, I smiled confidently while glancing at my Scantron. My smile rapidly deflated as I saw the unfathomable: an intimidating red 65% scrawled as MY grade. "Driftwood!" he yelled, his disappointment evident on his bearded face. "You're all driftwood!" All students who had obtained horrid test grades, me included, sank back into our seats. Mr.MacGlashan accusing someone of being driftwood was like the US president accusing someone of being unpatriotic-it was the epitome of an insult. I wasn't accustomed to being reprimanded for obtaining unacceptable grades; I was accustomed to being on the other side of the spectrum, pitying those who hadn't achieved the "magnificence" I'd achieved. Of course, I was never openly smug about it, but my subconscious inevitably was. After all, I'm only human. After this test, however, I was forced to humbly come to terms with my failure. As I analyzed the possible motives for my low grade, one motive begin to blatantly stick out. I realized that in a desperate effort to keep up with the college application frenzy, I had unintentionally disregarded my school work. In fact, the 30 minutes I'd spent browsing my biology book the night before the test was the only time I'd studied at all! I vowed with utter conviction to never permit my grades to slip in favor of less immediate motives; I would have to find a way to manage school and college applications simultaneously.
Later, Mr. MacGlashan announced that our "plasma membranes" test would be in a mere two days. After school, I briskly walked to his classroom to review the upcoming test material. In the classroom, a student began raving about her biology study guide embedded with useful facts from each chapter of our textbook, claiming it was the sole reason she had obtained a 92% on the test. The guide was a prize from Mr. MacGlashan for correctly answering one of his random trivia questions. Mr. MacGlashan, listening to the student, suddenly jumped in to the conversation. He looked me in the eye. "I have one more guide; if you obtain the best test grade in the class it's all yours." I swallowed. Academics were my forte, but it's common knowledge that men excel in science more than women. Unfortunately, I had two scientifically gifted male classmates that could potentially hinder my chances of obtaining what I most fervently desired: the guide. "That's not fair, you should exclude Max and David from the competition, it's impossible to beat them!" the student protested. Her unwillingness to trust in my intellectual capabilities caused my competitive streak to revive. "I accept the challenge." I stated.
I spent the following nights absorbing as much information about phospholipid bilayers and ion pumps as my brain would permit. I sacrificed sleep in favor of coffee and textbooks. My dreams consisted of integral membrane proteins interacting with lipids. When the test day finally arrived, pre-testing jitters threatened to "sicken" me and retain me from school. However, I disregarded my brewing "sickness" and instead uttered a powerful prayer before commencing on my fate-deciding test. It was a difficult exam; I had to scrupulously ponder every question. I could almost feel the beads of sweat gathering on my forehead. When I finally finished, I had to suffer through the torment of watching Mr.MacGlashan grade the exams. After an eternity, he looked up, straight at me. The guide was in his hands. "Take it Arianna. You deserve it." Success.
As I analyzed the possible motives for my low grade, one motive began to blatantly stand out.
Academics were my forte, but it's common knowledge that men excel in science more than women.---OUCH! This might offend some people, particularly women! It's kind of like saying Chinese people are best at math, or Irish people all drink alcohol!
When the test day finally arrived, pre-test jitters threatened to "sicken" me and keep me from school.
Excellent!! Good luck with school and have fun!
:)
