Don't Forget to Read the Questions! by Ryan

Don't Forget to Read the Questions! by Ryan - August 2014 Scholarship Essay

I’ve always prided myself on how well I do in school; I can sometimes stay awake during an entire lecture, and I can remember to start studying at least 5 minutes before an exam. Qualities of a true winner. Although I joke around about my study habits, I learned the hard way to be attentive during exams. All my life I’ve been told the key to success on tests is to study hard and get a good night’s sleep. Well until sophomore year of college, I used to believe it.

Back when I was a sophomore, I took one of hardest classes offered at the University of Arizona, organic chemistry. For the first couple exams, organic chemistry was a piece of cake (an edible compound composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen). Since I did so well on the first tests, I thought the final would also be easy. Still, I went to class, took notes, and studied the night before. I was gonna ace this test.

So I walk in like I own the place, take a seat next to the prettiest girl in class, and as I quickly finish the final, I put on my sunglasses David Caruso-style and say, “This led pencil must be heavy...because that test is crushed.”

Of course I exaggerate my confidence, but seeing my final grade definitely taught me a lesson. When we got the exams back a few days later, I was expecting to see a 100% but ended up with a 60%. In denial, I flip through the test, looking for what I could have gotten wrong. Of all the questions I had seen, I had answered them correctly. So I ask the teacher, “how did I get a 60% if all the questions are correct?” Without saying anything, she flips over the test. All the questions on the back page were blank. I forgot to look at the back page! Because of this, I ended up with a C in the class rather than an A.

Making such a simple but crucial mistake taught me a valuable lesson in being overconfident and speeding through a test. After that, I learned to thoroughly read every question and to go over all my answers before I turn in a test. Getting a C in a difficult class is not the end of the world but I learned how to be a better student in the process. Sometimes you have to face some embarrassment in order to learn a hard lesson.