Mary Q. Contrary

No Problem Too Large!

_____Have you ever had a hatchet go right through your face? Ever been sucked down into a pit of quicksand or chased by a hungry lion? Are you good under pressure or in emergencies like these? Well, if you ever find yourself “under the gun,” I am someone you would want on your side! My name is Mary Q. Contrary, and I am a crisis killer. Because of my ability to think quickly, learn from my mistakes, and adapt to unfamiliar situations, I am a good person to turn to when you need a problem solved.
_____I am a quick thinker. Last week when I came home from school, my dad was in the driveway surrounded by large chunks of broken cement which he had torn out so he could reach the sewer tank...which had been fractured and was dripping...well, you know what...into the ground. He had to patch the leak before the sewer burst, but thunderclouds were gathering in the sky, so his time was short. Dad had been working on this all day, and he looked tired and confused. “I don’t know how I’m going to finish this before the storm arrives,” he said, “and if it rains now, while this is all opened up, we’re gonna be in trouble.” I could see from the muck and goo that was oozing in over his work boots that there was no way Dad was going to finish before it started to rain. I looked back toward the garage and saw the two large squares of plexiglass that my brother was going to use to finish some weird art project. An idea came to me. “Hey, Dad,” I said, “why don’t we use those two squares of plastic to make a sort of roof over this hole? We could lean them together like a triangle at the top so water will run off instead of going down into the hole. Then you could finish when the sun comes out again.” My dad immediately pulled himself out of the hole and we dragged the plexiglass into place. A couple pieces of well-placed duct tape made our “roof” complete and the sewer pipe stayed dry until the following morning when my dad was able to finish the job. Because of my quick thinking, my dad was saved the trouble (and, ugh! the smell!) of having to wade around in the rising tide of glop to fix a leaky sewer. He actually learned something from me! I guess it runs in the family because I am a pretty good learner too.
_____Learning things in school is important, but it is an equally valuable life skill to learn from our mistakes. I do. This is especially obvious when I work on the computer. The first day in the computer lab this year was traumatic. I typed a long essay and was proud of myself for being finished before the end of the period. Before I could gloat too much, however, I erased it! When I went to save, some confusing instructions came up on the screen and I was faced with an option of “Yes” or “No” which I really didn’t understand. I clicked “No.” Poof! All my words disappeared! I almost screamed. I looked around the lab as some of the other kids began to finish up and I saw a lot of them having exactly the same problem. Many of us started over and finished as much as we could before the end of the period. I didn’t finish, but when that strange command came up again, I went and asked Mrs. Barnes (the lab supervisor) what to do. She showed me how to save my work and get out of the program without erasing everything. As I was leaving the lab, I saw some of the other kids losing their work for the second time because they were still making the same mistakes, and not asking for help. I was bummed because I lost my whole essay the first time, but at least I learned from the mistake. Because I learn from my mistakes, I can also adapt well to unfamiliar situations.
_____There have been many times that I needed to adapt quickly in my life. Because my dad is in the military, we have moved around a lot. I’ve been in twelve different schools in the last seven years! I’ve heard stories about how “Army brats” like me are often the outcasts of schools because they are never in one long enough to make any friends. That has never been my situation. I approach new people and involve myself as soon as I arrive. In fact, in most of my schools I have been a student officer or on the pep squad. Another example of how I adapt quickly is with my family. I have two sisters and two brothers. I am in the middle. That means that I have different family responsibilities, depending on who I’m with. When I’m home with my older brother and sister, I am like the baby of the family, and they treat me that way! They always give me little mindless odd jobs like washing the dishes or taking out the garbage. I never get to decide anything! But if I’m home with my younger brother and sister, I am in charge. They hate it when I call it baby-sitting, but that’s really what it is. Then I am the one that makes all the decisions. So, with my family, I switch roles frequently. Finally, I have to be adaptable when I collect money on my paper route. Some people pay by mail and make my life easier, so I always put their papers right in front of their doors. Others gladly pay when I ring their bell and remind them that it is the end of the month. Then there are those that want to argue! They complain about the price, claim that I have already collected, or just brush me off and tell me to come back later...when it will all start over again. I have to treat all of these people with equal respect, and that requires adaptability.
_____I am a problem solver. I think fast, learn from my mistakes, and adapt quickly to new situations. I am a happy person, and I think the reason for that is because I don’t let unsolved problems become emergencies, and I don’t let emergencies ruin my life. So, if you’ve got a problem you can’t solve, call me! Maybe I’ll have some ideas!



For a sample of what NOT to do in a personal statement, see Bubba's.

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