The Variations and Uniformities of Success by Abigail

The Variations and Uniformities of Success by Abigail - February 2021 Scholarship Essay

I believe that success can be defined by numerous things, but the overarching concept of success can be narrowed down to living responsibly, working hard, and meeting one’s goals. I, personally, decided to attend college as that was the best course of action to reach my lifelong goal of being a teacher, and later a school counselor. Therefore, going to college is a successful move in the right direction for me. For others, however, success may not be defined as college attendance, and that is perfectly acceptable. While I am choosing to pursue a college education in order to become a teacher, my brother is attending trade school and taking different classes in welding and electronics. This is the road to success for him just as college is the road to success for me. The definition of success varies from person to person, but general success is found in living responsibly, working hard, and reaching the goals set for oneself.
This definition of success applies to my college years just as it will apply to my years in my career field as well. As I pursue a degree in elementary education, I am also taking extra classes in order to obtain my collaborative certification so that I may teach special education after I graduate. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I plan to attend graduate school in order to later become an elementary school counselor. This is my end goal as far as college education goes. These goals are ones that I have put in place to ensure that I reach my desired destination, or as I like to put it, my calling. Once I have achieved these goals, there will be new ones in place for my life. These goals will be something along the lines of being a good citizen, a faithful Christ follower, a good teacher, and a good wife and mother as well.
To me, success in college means working hard and staying determined. With this mindset, one is sure to meet the goals they have set for themselves and everything else will fall into place. Good grades, unique opportunities, and ultimately college completion all require both hard work and determination. These acts of good grades and obtaining a degree, which most think of as success, also require what I previously recounted in my definition of success: responsibility. One must be responsible with their time, resources, and opportunities in order to not simply obtain a degree but do so successfully. This does not mean making straight A’s all throughout college, but it means working to the best of one’s ability in order to learn as much as they so that they will not only be the best candidate for their desired job, but so that they will do that job well. Yes, this typically this earns an excellent GPA, but a good GPA is not the only thing that measures one’s success. The knowledge they have acquired and worked hard to unlock in themselves is what one should be working towards in their classes, not simply a good grade. In all, living responsibly, working hard, and reaching one’s goals is how I define success both in college and out.