The Fire Alarm by Andrew

The Fire Alarm by Andrew - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

What’s that sound? Is that… the fire alarm?? Right now??

‘Beep’. ‘Beep’. ‘Beep’.

I find myself in the middle of the AP Calculus test. I check the timer with 2 minutes left. Scrambling, I check my FRQs in the waning seconds.

‘Beep’. ‘Beep’. ‘Beep’. Are you serious!!

The fire alarm is going off. The proctors are confused and telling us to evacuate. But, I have 2 minutes left!!

I worked all year preparing for this test, and in the most crucial moment, the waning seconds on my test, I had to evacuate.

That's how my AP Calculus test went. How about you?

In my junior year, I took a rigorous course load in order to be prepared for college. I took 5 AP classes, and worked extremely hard throughout the year to stay on top of the work. College is very intense and fast paced, and in order to be in the best position to succeed, I was enrolled in 5 college level classes.

Throughout the year, I learned some important lifelong skills: don’t procrastinate, ask questions, and you can learn anything if you put in the right effort.

My junior year wasn’t easy, but I challenged myself and persevered, which allowed me to prove to myself that I can take down any challenge, even a fire alarm in the last two minutes of my AP calculus exam. By the way just in case you wondered, to make the story that much sweeter, I made a five on the exam.