<p>Please take about 3 minutes reading my essay. I have gotten and 8 in the Oct 2008 SAT and am retaking the SAT this March 2009 (in 6 days). Realizing that I have got to increase this score, I'm doing 20 minute essay drill for the rest of this week. Hopefully, the score will go up to at least an 11.</p>
<p>Here is the essay prompt:</p>
<p>Most people underestimate their own abilities. They tend to remember their failures more vividly than their successes, and for this reason they have unrealistically low expectations about what they are capable of. Those individuals who distinguish themselves through great accomplishments are usually no more talented than the average person: they simply set higher standards for themselves, since they have higher expectations about what they can do.</p>
<p>Do highly accomplished people achieve more than others mainly because they expect more of themselves?</p>
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<p>In a world with over 6.6 billion people, the competition for jobs and resources are high. In the end, those who have the highest expectations and effort will be the ones that succeed. This can be be demonstrated in the remarkable story of Ben Carson, head of the neurology department at John Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, and one who has contributed greatly to the study of the brain.</p>
<p>At a young age, Carson had lived with his single mother and a brother. Having only a third grade education Carson's mother couldn't read or write and worked as a house maid. Meanwhile, Carson was following the same footsteps as his mother. He was no doubt always called the "class dummy" because there really was "no competition." Carson didn't do his homework, couldn't answer questions by the teacher, and watched television all day. It was only when his mother (who couldn't read his report card) realized Carson had been failing his class. She then made Carson read two books a week and also limited their television.</p>
<p>Ben realized the difficulties his mother faced, who often worked three jobs at once to pay the payments for the apartment. Because of this, he decided he didn't want to be in the same boat as his mom. Initially, Carson had rejected the idea of reading two books a week, yet by increasing his expectations, Carson even read three, four books a week. Soon, Carson climbed to the tip of his class, spent more time with teachers, and visited the library often. He even received a certificate of achievement in his freshman year. Therefore, it can be seen that by increasing his expectations, Carson moved from the bottom to the top of the class.</p>
<p>These expectations also lasted throughout Carson's life. The initial push made by Carson to increase his erudition led to great achievements. Carson became the first neurosurgeon to separate Siamese twins with conjoined heads, the first to do a hemispherectomy (removing one side of the brain), and many other contributions. All this wouldn't have been possible without the continual expectations exhibited by Carson.</p>
<p>After a careful analysis of Ben Carson's high expectations throughout his childhood and career, it can be seen that those who expect more of themselves do, indeed, accomplish more than those who don't. As in the case of Ben Carson, not only is high expectations a crucial component to success, but also the implementation to achieve those expectations.</p>