ESSAY4: What is the most difficult academic course you have taken，how did you overcome it ？(250 words)

Chemistry was once the toughest subject for me to deal with, for it is a very peculiar course. On the one hand, as a science, it takes rigorous logical reasoning. On the other, however, it does not have the same succinctness as mathematics and physics and the boring memorization of the laws of chemical reaction formula, periodic table of elements, etc. makes it typical of a subject liberal arts. In spite of that, the ways of studying it is very quantitative.

In the beginning, I could not adapt myself to this nature of chemistry. But I was not baffled by the temporary setback. On the contrary, I worked hard to find the characteristics of this subject. I was able to locate those characteristics and master its rules through active thinking and discussions with my teachers. For instance, I can effectively remember all kinds of chemical reactions if I sum them up by classification. And the analysis of the laws of periodic table of elements enabled me to learn them by heart. In this way, I improved my chemical grades rapidly.

This experience tells me that to study a subject, I must dig deep to its underlying rules and should not be content with a superficial knowledge of it. It also tells me that a thorough understanding of a subject is the basis of a good memorization.