Failure Leads to More Intelligent Students by Alyssa

Failure Leads to More Intelligent Students by Alyssa - August 2014 Scholarship Essay

I believe that failure is one of the most motivating experiences a student can have. During college, the idea is that each student will find out who they are and who they want to be. Some things they may excel at and others, they may not but that is part of the journey. Choosing to look at failures as lessons allow for a more positive environment. To have a successful college career, students must find strength in set backs.

One of the academic experiences that I have had that has made me stronger is my trials and tribulations with mathematics. I was never a strong math student, so going into college level courses in the subject was a terrifying step, I was lost. I was achieving high marks in every other course but college algebra put me on the fast track to destroying my GPA. I was frustrated by that possibility.

Every assignment I did came back with low marks and I was unsure how I could move beyond that. I had to pass this class to take other courses. I didn’t see how I could make this work. I put all of my effort into the course but ultimately, I did not have the knowledge to fall back on. I failed and that was hard to swallow.

I later had to revisit the course and was forced to take a new approach. I learned that it wasn’t about working harder but smarter. I did not believe that old saying was true but I certainly found it to be. I started working with a tutor to relate math to the thing I was most passionate about, music. It was empowering to know why I had failed in the past and that I had the power to change the things that I struggled with.

Everyone has a subject or two where they feel as if they cannot catch up. However, I think that failure is the only way that students can find the strength to push ahead. If I had made it through that course, it would have been by luck. I would not have learned much. However, because success did not come easily, I was forced to find a better way to educate myself. Failure has the ability to make students like myself both stronger and smarter.