Graduate School by Samantha

Graduate School by Samantha - August 2014 Scholarship Essay

There are a handful of academic failures and shortcomings that I have learned from, but one in particular stands out because it has made me a stronger person. The first year I decided to pursue a graduate education, I applied to two programs and was not accepted into either one.

Looking back at my applications, I was able to identify two areas in which I failed to be the best candidate among my peers: the essay portion and my resume. While I did not write essays that fell below the expected requirements, they did not exceed expectations. In addition, I did not ask anyone to revise or critique them which resulted in mediocre writing samples.

I made a similar mistake with my resume. Although I did seek out guidance and constructive criticism on its content and format, I asked one person to revise it. In hind sight, I should have asked more people, such as co-workers and my employer, to critique it since they have experience reviewing resumes in the hiring process. They know the difference between a mediocre and outstanding resume, and mine was the former.

These two shortfalls are reasons why I was not accepted into the graduate programs. Looking back I know I could have done a much better job at fine tuning both areas of the application process by putting in more time and effort, but I failed to do so. I discovered this once I realized how competitive the graduate programs are and upon the arrival of my rejection letters.

This academic failure has made me a stronger person because I have become more determined in pursuing my goals by being meticulous and thorough in my execution of meeting these goals. In every endeavor I pursue, I aim to strive for nothing but the best and no longer accept ‘mediocre’ as an option. This mindset has taken me far since I will be attending a graduate program this fall; one in which I applied to last year and was not accepted.