Grades

Please tell us something about yourself, your experiences, or activities that you believe would reflect positively on your ability to succeed at Penn State. This is your opportunity to tell us something about yourself that is not already reflected in your application or academic records. We suggest a limit of 500 words or fewer.
Most people have to go through the disappointment of poor grades at some point in time. I have had several such experiences too. However, my first experience of truly adverse grades did not occur until the second year of my GCE Ordinary Level classes.
During my run of good grades in previous classes, my preparation methodology had been to rely on last-minute studying. Therefore, when the time came for preparing for my first set of GCE Ordinary Level examinations which involved the subjects of Islamic Studies and Pakistan Studies, I decided to stick with the same tried and tested method.
What I failed to account for during my preparation was that these examinations were to be conducted in the auditorium of a school where thousands of other students would join me. This was the first time I was appearing for an examination outside the comfort and familiarity of a classroom and this, combined with the fact that I was surrounded by so many people, made me extremely nervous. Furthermore, I failed to time my preparation due to my irregular studying habits, and I also depended on the notes of others and failed to stick with one set of notes. My concepts were greatly jumbled up as a result. The Islamic Studies examination was held first, followed by a gap of a few days and then the Pakistan Studies one. When the Islamic Studies examination started, initially I was focused and was able to grasp the early questions. However, that feeling evaporated soon when I turned over the page, and found that a lot of questions were from the material that I could not revise due to a lack of time. I also ran out of time and could not complete my paper. A look at my peers only added to the panic, as I saw pens scribbling all around me. Really disappointed of what I had done, I went home and could not let go of the blunder I made in my first international exam. By comparison, the Pakistan Studies examination went well, but only because I had a few additional days to prepare for it. Overall though, I was fairly confident about my chances in both examinations.
However, in August when the results were released, I received a C in Islamic Studies and a B in Pakistan Studies, both subjects in which I had great interest. Never before had I performed so miserably in an examination and the news completely broke me down. My first reaction was denial; however, I soon realized that the problem was with my own approach towards preparation. This experience forced me to modify my study habits. I decided to become more organized and adopt a more balanced approach toward studying rather than rely on a last-ditch effort. The result of this approach was revealed the next year when I scored straight 3 A*s, 3 As and 3 Bs in the remaining GCE Ordinary Level subjects. I was ecstatic at the improvement from last year’s results and relieved as well.