Question:
Describe a setback that you have faced.
How did you resolve it? How did the outcome affect you? If something similar happened in the future, how would you react?
ANSWER:
My father once told me that obstacles are experienced in our journey through life, but what matters is how we handle it. I never believed this until my only brother whom I have always shared all my secrets, dreams, and academic problems with, relocated from Nigeria to America. I felt devastated and lonely which negatively affected my social and academic life.
Right from my childhood, my life had always revolved around my only brother Jeff. Though he was two years older than me, we were good playmates. He taught me mathematics on a daily which helped to improve my score in exams. Immediately after high school, Jeff received a scholarship to study Law at Michigan state university. I had mixed feelings about it, first, I was happy for him but on the other hand, I was sad because I will miss him. When he finally relocated from Nigeria to America, I felt devastated. I had no one to share my secrets with or teach me mathematics, and my academic life dwindled. My mathematics grade went as low as from A to C. Honestly, I graduated from high school with a low GPA.
My story changed when I gained admission to high school. During my first week in school, I met this tall black guy by named John. We coincidentally took some classes together, like Physiology, English 100 and mathematics. John took his studies seriously by constantly doing his homework and paying attention in class. This got me close to him, and through constant interaction, we became good friends. At the end of our first semester, John scored A in almost all his courses. Sequel to that, I urged him to form a study that enabled us to learn from each other. I later found out that John has almost the same similarities as my brother. We became very close and he became my confidant. He taught me mathematics and the vacuum created by Jeff's relocation gradually got filled up by John's presence.
My friendship with John restored my confidence and happiness. Through his assistance, my mathematics grades improved significantly. I later became one of the best mathematics students in our class.
But if such a thing happens again, I will rather mingle with people, make good friends and seek for help where necessary than grumble in my solitude life.This essay works, but I think you should put yourself in the best light possible. What I'm getting from this essay is that you always need someone more academically successful to rely on, and that while you can get good grades with good studymates, you cannot function well on your own. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I want to see your own personal ability, not someone else's. Because it kind of seems like a recommendation for Jeff or John. Put the focus on yourself.
Jeff's relocation works as your setback, but finding John may not show your best points. Maybe you could write about how, despite Jeff's relocation and how devastated you felt, you knew that you couldn't just let your grades fall and let him down. That's why you decided to form a study group on your own, and invite people into it to study and get better together. Maybe John taught you mathematics while you taught him English. Instead of saying John filled the void that Jeff left, you could say that, as your academics became stronger and you begin tutoring more and more people in your study group, you not only filled Jeff's void yourself, but became the "Jeff" for several classmates.
For the last sentence I think you could say that you would take the initiative and seek out people or answers to your questions. Like I said, the essay is about you, so make yourself sound good.
I hope this helps, and Good Luck!
