5. Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?(*) (200-250 words)
I dont like my essay, i didnt have a lot of challenges during my school life that are relevant to MIT and my university application. Please tell me what you think, Thanks a lot
In grade 8, I moved from the Egyptian education system to the British system. There was a huge difference between both systems. Other than the usual problems of being the "new kid", the curriculum was also different, which made the transition a lot harder.
In the national system, the grade that I got in the end was entirely dependent on what I did on my final exam; No coursework or projects were included into my grade. The exams were fairly straight forward and mainly depended on memory with some understanding of the material. However, in the British system, I was required to work at a steady level throughout the year as the coursework contributed to my final grade. The new system also put emphasis on understanding and elaborating on the topics covered.
In order to achieve the top grades, I worked hard throughout the year, changing some of my habits and becoming more committed to my studies, I made sure that I understood all the topics that I was given and I usually read more about the topics I found interesting, therefore having a much broader understanding of the topics I was studying. I liked the wider variety of topics in the British system, and I enjoyed the science projects and experiments which I rarely did in the old system. Within the first three months of moving, I had already adapted to the new system and in the mid-year report, I got the top grades in most of the subjects.
Word Count: 250
Its quite good a few suggestions I may have would be
was entirely dependent on how I did on my final exam.
No coursework or projects were affected my grade.
In general I think you should add little more details into it to make it more personal.
Hope it helps
Thanks a lot .. i want to add more detail, but the problem is with the world limit. I am guessing it's part of MIT's evaluation of us (i see ur applying to MIT too). I think they want to see how much emotion we can convey using a limited number of words (Maybe its linked to engineering (achieving the best result with limited resources)) .. Thanks for your comments and good luck with your applications
It's pretty good. Though I would recommend that you write about something not related to academics.
Just a thought.
talk more about england, but i like how it showed that you're an indivdual
Thanks a lot. Aakash, do you have any specific ideas ??
It doesn't really have a "spark", maybe write more about how you overcame the change and how you adapted.
In grade 8, I moved from the Egyptian education system to the British system. There was a huge difference between both systems. ---This uses too many words to say something simple:
In grade 8, I moved from the Egyptian education system to the British system and found myself completely disoriented. There was a huge difference between both systems... --All this detail is unnecessary. That is why the essay lacks power. Take out these nonessential details, and focus on the MEANING of this essay, the LESSON it teaches. :-)
