Professors Make a Difference by Nicole

Professors Make a Difference by Nicole - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

I was extremely nervous to begin my very first semester of college. A whole year had passed in between my graduation from high school and my decision to pursue my undergraduate degree. Additionally, I didn't do as well as I should have in high school, and my parents weren't exactly sure that college was the right path for me. As all these doubts swirled around in my head, I made a conscious decision that I was going to do my very best in these next four years.

I was required to take a beginner writing course my first semester, as I didn't score high enough on my placement exam to test into the English course required for my degree. This made me even more nervous, as I went into this class thinking I wasn't a great writer. When my professor introduced herself, she mentioned that this was her first semester as a professor and that she had just earned her Master's degree in English the semester prior. The professor had us read excerpts and then write papers based on what we read, as most professors do. When I got my first paper back, I earned a C-. I was devastated. I thought to myself: What am I doing wrong? Why am I doing so well in my other classes and not this one? I must just be a terrible writer.

I was determined to do better on the next three papers. I exhausted every resource available to me. I met with this professor countless times, I went to the Writers Room to have my papers looked over before submitting them and I even did outside research to try and get my English papers up to par with what my professor was expecting. To no avail, I kept getting C's on my papers. Again, I thought to myself: How am I easily getting A's in all my other classes, but I can't seem to do well in English?

Toward the end of the semester I expressed doubt as to whether I should move on to the more advanced English class in the Spring, as I felt like I didn't really understand how to write a good paper and that I would do worse in the more advanced class. My professor told me that if I got a C in her class, I'll be fine to move on to the next English class. This scared me; I didn't want to get another C. It's just not like me to get C's. If I can't do well writing for a basic English class, how am I going to be successful at writing papers in all my other classes? At the end of the semester the professor told us that the university would not be bringing her back to teach for the Spring semester.

When it came time to start English in the Spring, I was determined to get an A. I had a different professor this time around and she was absolutely incredible. Instead of teaching us through our mistakes on already graded papers, this professor taught us how to write a good paper. She broke it down step-by-step and explained to us exactly what she wanted before we turned in our first paper. She even gave us the option to have it reviewed before we turned it in for credit. I followed her advice and direction as best I could. When I got my first paper back, I got an A! I finally felt like I could be successful in academia.

The following three years I used the skills that my amazing English professor provided me with and I worked as hard ass I possibly could. All my professors were extremely impressed with my writing skills. Today, the C that I received in that very first English class is the only C on my transcript. I earned A's in all my other undergraduate classes and I'll be graduating with a 3.9 GPA this Spring. Additionally, because of my increased confidence in my academic abilities, I will be attending my dream law school in the Fall!