Chemistry, My Unknown Passion by Kori

Chemistry, My Unknown Passion by Kori - March 2014 Scholarship Essay

One of my greatest academic achievements is receiving a score of “5” on the AP Chemistry exam in May 2013. This is the best score one can receive on the AP test and gives me the best chance to earn college credit for general chemistry.

When I started the AP chemistry course in the fall of 2012, I knew I was good at chemistry, but I wondered if I was good enough to thrive in a college-level chemistry course. The class took most of my homework time, as nightly reading, lab reports, and test preps were the only thing I worried about for two hours per day. I walked out of the classroom after taking my first test completely exhausted, and wondering if I was even going to pass the course, let alone pass the AP test. The fall final is when something clicked in my brain, and my final score was twenty points higher than my test average. Thankfully, this continued through the second semester, and I by the time of the AP test, I felt confident in my skills thanks to my wonderful teacher and acquired study skills.

In July, I was very surprised when I saw that I received a “5” on the test. That meant all of my blood (from broken beakers), sweat (from running to the science building so I could turn in my homework on time) and tears (weekly occurrences due to labs and test corrections) finally paid off.

The impact this achievement has had on me is remarkable. I have completely changed my college and career path because of my success. Before I took the AP test, I knew I had a high interest in chemistry, but I was not assured that it was what I was meant to do in life. I wanted to be a mechanical engineer, a politician, or a lawyer. My high success in the class has steered me toward my career goal as a pharmacology researcher or pharmacist. I want to major in chemistry for my undergraduate studies and move on to study pharmacology and toxicology in graduate school. I am convinced now that I am meant to be a scientist and I now know I have the skills to be the best I can be. Those skills include a high understanding of chemistry, but also the understanding of laboratory, research, and study skills. I acquired all of those skills while taking my AP chemistry class, and plan to refine them through my studies in college.