A Very Rare Achievement

**WARNING**
If you don't want to read a mindless rant of self-congratulation, then skip on ahead. I would, if I were you. And I wrote it!

You've all read me bitching about my Modern Jewish History essay that was due last week. Basically, it is worth 40% of my grade, and I've never written a real university paper before (lab reports and literature essays aside), so I had no idea what the professor was expecting. Plus, I wrote 11 pages. Almost everyone else wrote 6 or 7. I was a little scared.

So yesterday, my prof was ready to hand them back, but started out by saying that she was pretty disappointed with how the class did. Apparently, 1/3 of the class either failed or came very close to failing, and there were a few papers that got grades in the 30%s. I was getting physically sick just listening to her, because I was sure that I was one of them. Absolutely positive.

And then I got it back...and I got 100%. I'm shocked. And slightly appalled. I don't usually like to brag about my successes...just because I almost never have them. But this was different, because it was the first history paper that I've ever written, and I am thinking of going into the History of Science as my career. In fact, before this midterm, I went to talk with her about academic life. And I was sure that when she saw what a bad grade I got, she'd go: "And this is the person who wants to get a PhD. in History? I laugh at her! Ha! Ha ha! Ha ha ha!" But this has been such a confidence booster for me, and shows that if I go into this field, I might actually succeed. And after being "lost" for so long, realizing that a life in pure Biological research would be horrible for me, and finally finding another thing to do with my life...it feels good, man.

So sorry for this long rant. I'm just happy. And so, so relieved. And for a first time paper-writer, I kicked those artsies asses!