Study, Study, Study! by Alexandra

Study, Study, Study! by Alexandra - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

As an 11th grader, I am at the most difficult part of my high school career. In the beginning of the year, the sub-par study habits I had been utilizing throughout my entire life just didn’t cut it for the rigorous academic classes I was taking. It has taken me this entire year to finally devise and follow through with a method of studying that actually works for me. Looking at my report card for junior year, my grades obviously reflect the struggle of changing my method of tackling academics. If I could give one piece of advice to younger students, it would without a doubt be to practice good studying habits while you’re still able to adapt.
My entire academic career has been a vicious cycle of not studying, procrastinating, and ultimately barely scraping by in the realm of grades. This was a product of being classified as a “gifted student” at a young age. Because of this title, I felt that even if I didn’t study, I would still be able to succeed. That was probably the biggest mistake I had ever made. Getting into this mindset that studying does not help with grades is something I wish I could go back and change. The lesson of my story is that students need to make good choices to set themselves up for success, rather than procrastinating and regretting it. Even if a student feels like they don’t need to study, looking over the lesson of the day for 15 or 30 minutes really makes a difference. If they don’t understand something from that day, they need to seek the help of their teachers or other students; teachers are always willing to help clarify a lesson or topic. Good study strategies go a long way; developing them at a young age is the best thing a student can do to ensure success in high school, college, and their life after academics.