Progress In Preparation by Lauren

Progress In Preparation by Lauren - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my years as an underclassmen in high school I considered the ACT to be an exaggerated standardized test that did not require any preparation. I was a good student who made A’s and B’s, and I expected to receive a score that reflected my grades in school. Students who had taken it would explain how much studying they had to do in advance, but my arrogance took over and I convinced myself that I would perform well without any preparation. I underestimated the test, and the first time I took it during my junior year I scored an unfortunate composite score of 22 out of 36.
After realizing how outright dumb I was for underestimating the test, I decided that I needed to give myself an attitude check to make sure I understood how important the ACT is. I reminded myself that this test determines what doors will be opened for me and what scholarships I can receive from achieving a high score. I then decided to enroll myself in a prep class and spare extra time for studying. For two weeks I attended evening classes and spent my Saturday mornings studying for the upcoming test. I felt much more confident and took the test again, scoring a composite of 26. Even though I expected myself to do better, I was satisfied with this score because I knew I had actually studied for it.
Since I had jumped four points to receive a 26, I decided to further challenge myself and take another prep course. I attended classes for two weeks and three weekends, and spent more of my free time studying. I found myself under a heavy amount of pressure, but I kept reminding myself of the potential outcome. Instead of hanging out with my friends or going out, I spent an entire month either in a classroom or my study room, preparing for the next test. As the test date drew closer, I spent every free moment studying my ACT prep books. I told myself that scoring lower than or the same as the last test was not an option and that this time I was undoubtedly going to score higher. When I took the test for the third time I scored a composite of 28, jumping two points higher than the last test.
At this point I was content with my score but not satisfied yet. I had an excellent trend of progress, and I wanted to keep it going. Every time I took the test I felt as if I was competing with myself, and every time I wanted to win. I was determined to score even higher on the next test, so I began studying even more than ever before. After taking two expensive prep courses I chose to study on my own for the next test. I had seven official ACT prep books and my thinking cap ready to prepare for what I hoped to be my last test. I studied for another month, finished every page in each book, and felt fully prepared to take my fourth test. When I took this test, I jumped two points and scored a composite of 30. That time I felt fully satisfied with my test performance.
The phrase “hard works pays off” is a cliché that I do not prefer to use often, but it is perfectly applicable to my progression in taking the ACT. The results of the time and work I put in studying prove that a person will be rewarded for working hard. I am proud of myself for being an example of this cliché. I sacrificed a great deal of time to reach my score, and perhaps I will do even better on the next test.