Chemistry Calamity by Chloe

Chemistry Calamity by Chloe - August 2022 Scholarship Essay

Everyone wants to excel in something that they are bad at, especially if it shows that you know how to persevere. This year, I want to do that with chemistry; making A’s in organic chemistry and becoming a lab TA to teach other students is my biggest goal. But, picture me: high school graduate with a 4.0 and salutatorian of her class. Sounds like your typical snobby girl, right? I was full of myself, and I had not met a class yet that would be my match. That was, until I entered my chemistry course in my freshman year of college.

After meeting with my advisor that summer, I found out that my major required chemistry. It was no big deal, and she even suggested that I take the Honors section since I had good prerequisite grades. Now flashback to Miss genius who thought she was the smartest thing to walk this earth. I signed up with confidence, although there is one detail I have omitted until now: I did not take a single chemistry class in high school. They were not required, so the first time I saw electron configurations and atomic radii, I was already in my first honors chemistry class.

Needless to say, I struggled heavily. I spent countless hours studying in the library, losing my mind to frustrations over the homework. I cried and stressed about getting a C, and withdrew only a month before finals. It turns out to all be worth it! I retook that class with an A, and I am now finishing up my second chemistry class with all A’s. It does feel pretty sweet. I am hoping to become a teaching assistant for a chemistry lab this fall so that I can help other students who were in the same situation as me. I think it will be interesting, and I may learn new things alongside them.

In addition to this fun position, I will be beginning my organic chemistry sequence this fall. I am making sure that I have a changed mindset, because everyone talks pretty scarily about it, so I am not going to let those rumors cloud my optimism. I plan on designated study times, not as much procrastination as usual, and a lot of hard work.

When I think about my relationship with chemistry, I like to see it as an arc of redemption. I went from constant worrying and withdrawing, to confidence and applying to be an assistant in the chemistry department. It paid off to try again, and it is definitely my goal to make the relationship even stronger this upcoming year. Who knows, you may have just read an essay from a future chemist!