<p>Prompt: Is making a bad decision better than making no decision at all?
My essay:
A bad decision is better than no decision, because a bad decision offers a learning experience, while no decision is useless. It is only human to make mistakes. After failing to create a successful lightbulb after many tries Thomas Alva Edison said, "I have not failed, rather, I have learned what not to do."</p>
<p>Historically, much knowledge has been gained by making mistakes. In America's beginnings the foundation of government was in the Articles of Confederation. However, the American people soon realized that these articles were greatly flawed, after problems like Shay's rebellion arose and the government did little about it. However, much was learned from the decisions that resulted in the Articles of Confederation. A group of men scrutinized its flaws and went on to create the Constitution, a document that is still used today, with much more success. Likewise, much has been learned through mistakes in science throughout history. Take Newtonian physics for example. While Newton certainly contributed greatly to the field of physics, Einstein saw flaws in some on Newton's ideas. However, Einstein was able to see where Newton's ideas failed and correct them, adding to the breadth of knowledge of physics we have today.</p>
<p>Personally, I have seen how bad decisions have their benefits. I have participated in math competitions since middle school, which deal very difficult problems that require a good deal of creative thinking. Some of my teammates, completely flabbergasted just by the sight of such intricate problems, choose to give up. I, on the other hand, give them my best shot, often coming up with very complex solutions that took a great deal of my effort and time. I am still to this day amazed at how simple alternate solutions are, but regardless, I am proud of myself for finding the answer on my own. because I didn't give up and keep practicing I am getting better at finding those simple solutions myself.</p>
<p>As Alicia Smith said, "...inaction gets you nowhere. Even a bad decision can teach us something valuable." The fact of the matter is that no decision can not possibly advance one's knowledge, while there is much to learn from mistakes. By working on Newton's flaws, Einstein advanced knowledge of physics. By seeing the negative consequences of the Articles of Confederation, the founding fathers developed the more successful Constitution. And by learning from my mistakes, I became better at problem solving in math. This, a bad decision is better than none.</p>
<p>I'd appreciate if you stated your own SAT essay scores if you took the SAT yet.</p>