Define Success by Samantha

Define Success by Samantha - December 2017 Scholarship Essay

To most, achieving "success" on a school project is to simply attain a high grade and walk away. Now, I definitely can understand that. If you are going to participate, you might as well do the best you possibly can. However, there are many ways to define success, even when it comes to something as seemingly small as a school project. Nothing is ever just getting the grade and walking away, now is it?
As a senior in high school, I have participated in a good many of school projects. Some were simple and easily finished within the length of a class period. Others were more grueling, with the largest project I encountered taking a semester to prepare. That large project is just what I will be discussing today. Allow me to set the scene. It was during my AP US history class, junior year. I had a team of people who I knew relatively well, even my best friend was in our group. We were to cover World War II and the following years. Simple enough, right? Wrong. So, wrong. Throughout the planning process, the communication between the group was so lacking! One person would push one idea, while another would fight against it. Some people tried to lead, while others, like myself, were left in the dark. It was not until I communicated the dysfunction of the group did we start to work together. Eventually, we did receive very high marks for that project, but my largest takeaway turned out to be completely unrelated to US history.
That chaotic project experience taught me the right way to conduct school projects, which brings me back to the title of this essay. What is a successful project? Success can include good grades, excellent speaking skills, great leadership, but the core of success lies in strong communication amongst a group. It is not until everyone's opinion is accounted for that the potential of the project can be fully reached as a project should function as a combination of everyone's ideas and input. Success lies not in the grade point average, but rather the consideration and communication of all people in the group.