Strategy? What strategy? by Amber

Strategy? What strategy? by Amber - December 2017 Scholarship Essay

Many students can relate to the feeling of dread that is felt when a teacher announces that they are assigning a project. It doesn't matter how trivial or demanding the project may be. Projects are just burdensome, and students don't enjoy them. However; through my many years of experience in the public education system, I have discovered that there are different ways to approach different projects. I've found that some projects can wait until the night before to be completed while others have to have a plan. Normally there is no singular strategy that I use in order to vanquish these dreadful projects, but my favorite plan of attack would have to be to divide an conquer. I really enjoy using this battle tactic when with my fellow classmates because it becomes even easier to split up the workload, but when by myself I typically take a project apart and do the hardest parts first. This typically includes the physical portion of the project that would take up a majority of my time, but its definitely worth the effort because I don't end up with a giant monster of a project left toward the finish line.
Other times, I simply tackle the project head-on. This works especially well when on a time-crunch or when experiencing extreme boredom. Sometimes I go days without any difficult assignments so tackling a seemingly difficult project alleviates my restlessness and makes me feel productive. However; some teachers really dislike this method, because it makes their classwork seem too easy. I and other students don't see this a problem, but according to our educators, we have to challenge ourselves in everything we do. As such, I've developed the perfect solution.
The final strategy that every good student should use when completing a project is nothing. There is no strategy that can work every single time. Not every project is the same, and neither is every teacher. A student may encounter a beast of a project that cannot be taken down by simple means. This means that they have to be adaptable and willing to change their method of attack in order to complete their objective. This is why it is necessary for students to have a playbook of strategies in order to finish every project that comes their way.