Take a Chance by Kaitlyn

Take a Chance by Kaitlyn - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

Have you ever wanted something so bad but thought you had no control over the outcome? I found myself in this situation while applying for colleges.Trying to make the grade for schools can be terrifying if everything has typically come easy for you. I have always been a decent student, not having to study too much and still receiving a B or better. Then came this monster test everyone kept talking about called the ACT. It is a college entrance exam and the questions seemed to be very different from any that I had ever had.
One thing about the ACT is that it seems to be geared to students that have been in the public schools with all the 'teaching to the test' strategies that home-schooled or private school kids do not receive. I struggled with the test my first few times I took it. I was trying to figure out the 'how' to take the test by pounding through everything I had studied. I found out that it isn't what you know so much as are you answering the questions the 'way' they wanted.
Being a non-conformist by nature,it threw me off to feel I was playing some type of game and that I wasn't being tested on my knowledge so much as my ability to give their expected answer. Well, after three tries I finally was able to meet the benchmarks on all topics. The perseverance it took and not get stuck by thinking I wasn't smart is what helped me through this situation.