Thank You PROMES by Nicholas

Thank You PROMES by Nicholas - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

I recently transferred into a four-year university from my local community college and I have to say that the transition was huge. I knew that I would have to strive for a higher level of learning and studying once I made the transition but at first it was hectic. Before I could even blink, the beginning fun of the semester was already over. We were blowing through chapters and sections in all of my classes, having weekly quizzes that required a lot of time, and receiving the details of our upcoming projects. Thankfully, there was this one class that introduced me to new ways of studying and note-taking for my classes, and I give my thanks to the professor and students who continued to encourage me each time I spoke to them. That class was ENGR 1100 and the professor’s name was Mr. Matthews.

Mr. Matthews was in charge of the 2:30-4:00 class as well as the manager for PROMES (program for mastery of engineering studies). PROMES, pronounced as “promise”, was an organization that provided advice for first and second year engineering students. Initially I felt that I was wasting my time whenever I had to sit in the classroom for the next hour or so. The topics were about doing well your first semester, building your resume, speaking to your professors; just things that I thought were irrelevant at the time when all I wanted to do was study. It wasn't until sometime in September when we were required to attend a seminar about note taking skills that my eyes were truly opened. The seminar lasted two days and consisted of people telling their success stories and how PROMES helped them. On the last day, we had a speaker come in and tell us about the “guaranteed 4.0 plan” which was a unique way of taking notes in our classes. At a time when I was questioning my note taking skills, Mr. Matthews provided me with a new way of taking notes during class or while reading a textbook.

Over time, I learned to appreciate all of the advice that I received from class, I went from telling people to avoid taking the class to telling them it would be a great experience. I would say that Mr. Matthews was more of a fatherly figure than a professor. Often I would stop by his office to seek advice about school, relationships with my peers, and life. I can honestly say that I have increased my chances of success by signing up for ENGR 1100 and I have the grades to prove it. So if there was any professor that positively affected my outlook on education then it would have to go to Mr. Matthews.