Balancing My Brain Chemistry by Sarah

Balancing My Brain Chemistry by Sarah - July 2026 Scholarship Essay

During sophomore year, I took on the challenge of Honors Chemistry, and it altered my brain chemistry in ways I could never imagine. It was the first time I struggled in a class. No matter how long I stared at my notes, the mixtures of letters and numbers in stoichiometry and limiting reagents didn’t make sense. Feeling embarrassed, I was too scared to ask for help. However, after countless meetings with teachers and talks with those close to me, I realized learning effective communication was just as difficult as balancing reactions for me. It was what was holding me back, and I set out to change my fate of getting an F in the class.

Thus, I began to truly think and ask questions with accuracy and precision. I started identifying what I was struggling with specifically, not just vaguely saying, "I don't understand stoichiometry." It pushed me to narrow my focus and pay attention to not only details but also context. There are many rules and conditions when it comes to chemistry. Working with classmates and the teacher, I slowly improved by thinking about the context of the questions before setting up the problem to solve. Finally, as I continued to ask questions effectively and think critically, the reaction of my understanding was taking place. My overall grade improved and ended the semester with a B.

Learning to communicate and think with more awareness transformed more than my grades. Whether it’s assignments, group projects, or personal relationships, I started speaking up with more thought into situations and context. Oftentimes, I still get nervous when I see a chemical reaction or when confronted with a problem, but I’ve learned to persevere and find solutions by analyzing and thinking more in depth. I figure out the core issues (reactants), then the contributing factors (activation energy), and different solutions (enzymes or changing environmental conditions). Since then, the chemicals in me that allow me to think with nuance have been working more optimally. As I continue my academic journey, acquiring more knowledge, I hope to improve my critical thinking to be able to address even more obstacles that come my way.