The Biodiversity of College by Cathilyn

The Biodiversity of College by Cathilyn - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

An academically challenging situation I encountered was taking my first college class. While my high school was one of the best schools in the area, I felt ill-prepared attending classes at Georgetown University an institution known for its competitive academics. The first day came and went and I was overwhelmed with both the content and the assignments. The first exam was scheduled a little over two weeks from the start of school. Despite rewatching each lecture and completing every practice exam, I nonetheless received a C+. Despite my initial difficulties, I eventually learned how to properly study, manage my time, and ask for help.
After my initial failure, I recognized that I needed to reevaluate my studying habits from high school and adapt to fit a lecture-style course. Typically in high school if I did not comprehend a subject matter, I would revisit it another day when the information I needed to know became pertinent to a project or upcoming exam. However, in reality, waiting to make a particular subject clear made understanding the material more arduous. In switching from my methods of procrastination, I began to promptly ask questions in a daunting lecture hall of 250 students. Additionally, I made sure to take abbreviated notes so as to compile more details into my descriptions so that my later self could understand the information to a greater extent.
Acquiring the skills to manage my time proficiently was another step I took when adjusting from life in high school to college. Being involved in an extracurricular activity on campus made managing my remaining time difficult. I began by making myself sticky notes to insure that I remembered the due dates of all of my assignments. I also made an effort to begin studying or working a week or two earlier than a paper or exams due date. By switching from my methods of procrastination in high school to being proactive, I allowed my self additional time to edit or ask questions. Furthermore, I found that the time cushion I had built into my assignments due date contributed to my solidification of the material.
Finally, I recognized that seeking out help was pertinent to my academic success and would be nearly impossible without it. My initial issue was buried in the fact that I would attempt to struggle through my academic troubles alone, which made understanding the material take twice as long. Additionally, I was uncertain in whether I correctly understood the topic. Due to my professor’s strict and difficult to attend office hours, I was convinced there were no other avenues for me to ask for support. However, after my exam I felt I needed to explore other options and found G.U.S.S., Georgetown University Students in Science, in which T.A.’s held nightly sessions for students with questions in biology. I regularly attended G.U.S.S. and found that topics that I was struggling with previously were easier to comprehend. G.U.S.S. gave me a space to interact with other students in need of assistance, allowed me to ask my peers for their explanations and permitted me to explain my understanding of particular topics solidifying my knowledge.
Adapting to a more strenuous academic environment was both challenging and fatiguing. While my initial exam was a difficult barrier to pass, it was crucial to my growth as a student in a competitive environment. Learning there are multiple alternative avenues available in order to reach the same result is an important piece of knowledge when facing a challenging goal. Attempting to try new tactics when the old ones were failing lead to my success and progressed my grade from a C+ to a final grade of A-. The skills that I have learned from my Foundations in Biology class can be applied to my future classes in ensuring that I carry out my ambitions.