Chapter 1: Please explain your decision to apply without test scores. 


Throughout my high school years, I believe taking exams always had a negative effect on not only my grades but who I am as a person. I can receive the highest grade out of all my peers, but once when I take a test everything seems to change. This put me at a disadvantage on opportunities like internships, summer programs, and applications for college. Nobody is aware if someone has test anxiety to where they can't think, or think the answer is right but they second guess themselves and then they get the answer wrong. People might not be diagnosed with it, but it can happen while being tested on something they could have been prepared for or they could not have prepared for. Think about it this way, you were informed you will be writing an essay about something, you study all of the best ways to obtain your evidence and manage your time to write a lengthy and healthy essay. Then the day of the test comes and you only have ninety minutes to answer some multiple-choice questions, read and respond to a passage, and write an essay. I know most students would not be able to complete all of it within that time limit. Some would complete it but the essay would not explain everything they wanted to. It would not be fair to the students who were prepared to answer the essay prompt to their full extent to be affected by time limits. I do believe that my teachers and recommenders can say that my test scores do not represent my best self throughout the school years they have taught me. Even my transcript can represent how I am as a student without much testing. During 9th grade, my grades were not so high as in the 80's and 90's range, but as time progressed and I am now currently a senior my grades had improved to all 80's and 90's. Showing who I was outside of testing was beneficial because it allowed me to think and analyze the information given to me.