Time Management and Success Go Hand in Hand by Alexa

Time Management and Success Go Hand in Hand by Alexa - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

One of the most common pieces of advice I heard while being recruited as a student athlete was although the balance between school and athletics can be difficult, learning how to manage your time is essential for success in the classroom and on the field. Hearing this at the beginning of my junior year in 2020 made me realize I had a lot to learn. When COVID hit, all time management skills went out the window for me. I had little assignments and lots of time to do them. I would wait until last minute to complete assignments and it often was not my best work. I rushed through my virtual classes so I could hang out with friends, go outside, or do anything besides sitting in my room. This trait carried into the beginning of my junior year, as my school was following a hybrid schedule until March 2021. On my off days, I would join Google Meet for my AP Calculus class, rush through my history and spanish assignments and go to my lifeguarding job at the YMCA or go to cross country or lacrosse practice. Still, my assignments were lacking in quality and time spent, which did not prepare me for when we began going back to school everyday in March.
Once my school started sending us everyday, I became overwhelmed. I had just transitioned from my lighter load of classes from first semester to my heavy hitters in second semester. I began chemistry, english and media technology while I also continued taking AP Calculus. My lacrosse season was also in full swing as I was captain of a team competing to make it to play-offs. I also found out that my family would be moving from South Carolina to New York in the summer, and we would begin our transition from house to house in April. Time seemed to speed up as I had school and practice everyday, as well as having to help my family transition to our temporary house for the last 6 weeks of school. Everything in my life picked up the pace, and I was struggling to keep up.
I started to reevaluate my time management. I noticed how much I procrastinated, and found ways to rearrange my time. I began to use a work now, relax later mentality which shaped the way I studied and did homework. I would come home from lacrosse, shower and start doing my calculus homework which took form of a massive project towards the end of the year. I saw all of my grades increase, and I felt school become easier.
Once I learned to manage my time, I became more successful in academics.These strategies translated into the first quarter of my senior year, where I am taking more AP classes than ever, and achieved my highest GPA to date. Now that I have improved time management skills, I can build off of my academic success in 2021 and keep it going in 2022 and beyond.