GRE Sample Essay 3

A GRE Sample essay helps test takers understand the Analytical Writing section format in the exam. The ultimate goal is to familiarize candidates with GRE sample essays and increase confidence & improve performance during the actual test. 

We learn our most valuable lessons in life from struggling with our limitations rather than from enjoying our successes.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position

Response for GRE Essay Sample 3

What makes a winner stand apart in every sphere of life is a simple fact that the number of times the winner failed supersedes the number of trials of someone who lost. To understand the context of the above statement, we must first elaborate on the idea of “limitations”. The reason most people even dread to try for a difficult feat is their fear of not being good enough. It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that our limitations are mostly self-imposed. Only the fears that we dodge and are not willing to face, ripe on to become limitations. Nobody is born with it. As Paulo Coelho rightly said, “You only know yourself when you go beyond limits”.

Karoly Takacs, from the Hungarian Army, was the greatest shooter the world has ever witnessed. Right before the 1940 Olympics, when the whole world was looking up to him, a hand grenade exploded in his right hand and he was deemed unfit for the competition. In a situation like this, it is human to get bogged down by such an unfortunate incident. But what Takacs did was simply unthinkable. He started practicing with his left hand and the rest is all history.

The magic quotient that works while a person is struggling with his limitations is the will to rise above all circumstances. One never realizes his true potential unless he has walked the pathway through hell. As rightly pointed out, smooth seas never make good divers. To become a splendid diver, one has to understand the adverse currents and face them like they never existed.

As very conveniently said, “You are the outcome of your failed relationships and horrible bosses”. While enjoying the fruits of success, people often become ignorant of the valuable lessons of life. Most importantly, while you are aware of your limitations, you learn to work with the resources you have and make peace with it. As in Takacs’s case, while he was depressed after the horrible incident of losing a hand, it took time but finally, the acceptance came that the truth is never going to change and the sooner he accepted it, the more time he had for the next Olympic.

Lance Armstrong, the world champion in Cycling and a cancer survivor writes in his book “Cancer is the best thing that has happened to me”. As shocked as the readers are at first glance of it, his journey carries the weight of this statement. It was his survival instinct during the gruesome Chemotherapy that taught him perseverance. Sometimes, more than talent, it is perseverance that takes you to places. Lance’s story is one of the best examples of how far a person can go in pursuit of his dreams and how to make the most of his limitations. Rather than using your shortcomings as an excuse, dare to make them your biggest strength. Success will eventually follow. Let not success be your motivation. Rather, make the journey inspiring. 

Limitations are indeed what you make of them.

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GRE Essay Score

This article scores a 4 because: 

The article exhibits general grammatical correctness and good development of ideas. It provides a well-organized analysis of the argument and supports it with examples (surveys and percentages). It addresses the assumptions made in the argument insightfully. For more topics, visit: GRE Essay Topics with Answers

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