I CLEP'd to learn lasting study habits by Jessamine

I CLEP'd to learn lasting study habits by Jessamine - August 2014 Scholarship Essay

I wasn't trying very hard.

I knew I was supposed to study for Economics. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it, and I wasn't really grasping it. So, being a very clever human being, I decided to spend less time working on it. "After all," I reasoned, "I only have to get about 50% to pass the CLEP. I can do that." Nonetheless, macroeconomics was killing me. Then I calculated how many weeks I had before the test. I divided those by how many pages I had left, and figured out the number of pages I needed to read every day to finish on time. Fortunately, I had enough time that I could take a week off while my grandparents were visiting. Except that I didn't. I had messed up in my calculations somewhere.

I cheerfully took a week off to hang out with my relatives. Then I recounted the pages and time remaining. I promptly freaked out.

Then came Thanksgiving, with its stresses and long hours of kitchen work. I joyfully joined in the preparations, pushing Economics to the background. I could finish it later.

And then, suddenly, I realized, around December 10th, that I only had about a week left before my test (December 16th, 2013). No. Way.

And I wasn't anywhere near done.

I will say this - I finished the courses. I completed the reading. I even did a little studying.

But I decided that cramming was the only way to pass the tests. So I crammed microeconomics for two days straight. I didn't do anything else.
The day of the test arrived. I decided that I would grab my macroeconomics textbook on the way out and study in the car (fortunately, I didn't have to drive myself).

I walked out the door...and left the book on the couch.

In case it was a mystery to you - I didn't pass the test. I passed microeconomics, with a good score. It was the easier one. Macroeconomics...I failed by 5 points. I figured out that if I'd gotten 7 more questions correct, I would have gotten a passing score. But due to my laziness, I failed the test.

Since then, I've had 2 other major tests, and I'm studying for two more.
Every time I'm tempted to slack on my studying, I remember the CLEP test. If I'd studied a little harder, if I'd been more careful in my studying, if I'd taken notes - any of these things would have pushed me over that crest and I would have passed the test. Instead, I let my pleasure and my other interests - combined with my lack of interest in the subject - get in the way of a good score. I refused to put Economics first, and I failed.

The two tests that I've taken since those CLEPs were not subjects I had any interest in (AP Art History, and AP English Language and Composition). I got a 4 and a 5, respectively, on those tests. I've learned to put school first, even if you don't love it. Even if it's hard.