Strategy Through Struggle by Vincent

Vincentof Woodbury's entry into Varsity Tutor's December 2017 scholarship contest

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Vincent of Woodbury, MN
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Strategy Through Struggle by Vincent - December 2017 Scholarship Essay

I certainly didn’t ask for a mountain of homework over Christmas break. The last day of school before winter break was as I had hoped; movie-watching, games, parties, and other festivities, so when my physics teacher quietly announced an end-of-semester science project, I hardly took notice.
It wasn’t until the bus ride home when I took out the thick stack of handouts and realized what was in store for me. The words “Mousetrap Car Project” titled the packet, and the words immediately conjured up foreboding tales from grade above; “Watch out for the mousetrap car project,” “The mousetrap car? I hated that project…” I shuddered.
I didn’t want this school project to be another one of my caffeine-induced concoctions completed from start to finish the night before the due date. Faced with the challenge, I developed an effective strategy for completing the mousetrap car project I have utilized ever since, employing a two-pronged approach of “distraction mitigation” and effective organizational methods.
Eliminating distractions allowed me to focus on what mattered: my school work. Every night was a battle between the homework in front of me and distractions around. Whether it be a TV program in another room, an incoming text message on my phone, or my family asking me for help with chores, a 15-minute assignment would take me hours to complete. Succumbing to these or such distractions made me lose my train of thought, and the fragmented effort often produced low-quality work.
With this realization, I made two adjustments to mitigate distractions while I work. First, I eliminated environmental distractions by relocating the place I did schoolwork. Separated from the busy home scene, the quiet school library was the perfect place to work effectively. Second, I committed to simple, incremental study habit improvements such as shutting off my phone, and listening to music, further embedding me in a groove of concentration. These two changes cut down on distractions, and with my mind unwavering, I am able to complete projects in a timely fashion.
Before the mousetrap project, organization and schoolwork were not synonymous, but after developing an effective schoolwork strategy, organization became an integral component of completing my assignments. Any school project requires a responsibility for managing numerous documents and evidence. My old homework habits did not include any effort to organize this information, and thus, the overall efficiency of completing assignments suffered, as I would constantly have to ask myself, “Where did I put that?” or What was that source again?” and the already long and arduous task of compiling my thoughts and evidence became a headache-inducing impossibility.
With the mousetrap car looming over my head, I made simple, yet effective changes, developing a folder system for my papers and a written assignment plan. Developing a method for organizing my resources meant effective access to this important information, and assigning specific tasks for each day means no more late nights tackling an entire project.
“Finally, it’s completed!” I proudly gazed upon my newly finished mousetrap car, reflecting on hours of hard work and effort I had put forth. I didn’t invest in the project just for the good grade, but to develop a better system for tackling hard projects in the future. By cutting down on distractions and developing an organizational system, I completed the mousetrap car project with ease. I am now confident I can do any other major assignment thrown my way.

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