Practice Makes Perfect by Amanda

Practice Makes Perfect by Amanda - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

Growing up in my house, my parents always stressed the importance of good grades. They said that studying hard leads to good grades which leads to getting into college which helps me to acquire a good job and ultimately provides me a paycheck that allows me to provide for myself and my family. My mom and dad would spend countless hours with me drilling word study words, studying electricity, or editing my essays. From the beginning, they have guided me through everything, offering their support and help whenever I needed it.
Freshman year was a tough year for me. I had a difficult time adjusting to high school, making new friends, and taking difficult classes such as math. In eighth grade, math was easy for me. In order to be challenged, my mom wanted me to move up a level in math during my ninth grade year. This new phase of my life required me to work extra hard to achieve my goals. I remember one unit very clearly. We were learning about adding and subtracting rational expressions. This required me to factor and find a common denominator in order to solve the problems. I knew the test would be one of the tougher ones, so I took extra precautions. A few days before the test I scheduled time with my teacher to go over the steps and review the parts that I was having trouble. I made it my main priority to pass this test. I even went above and beyond and made it my goal to get an A. During the next couple of days, I came home from school and studied until dinner. Then after dinner, I would finish other homework and then study for my math test until bedtime. Feeling prepared was important to me, so I could make my parents proud and satisfy myself.
The day of the test came. While I did feel a bit nervous, I was confident in all my preparation. Little by little, I moved my way through the exam. As I progressed, I was happy because I understood how to do the problems. I turned in my test feeling optimistic with my answers. After four long days, we finally got our tests back. I can't even begin to describe the feelings inside me before I got mine. Finally, the teacher called my name. I walked up to her desk and grabbed mine. I couldn't believe it! I got a 96% A! In that moment, I reflected on all the work that I had put in to reach this accomplishment. All of the hours that I spent after school with my teacher and studying on my own was worth it. I achieved my goal and that feeling is one of the best feelings in the world. To this day, I consider this one of my biggest accomplishments. It was evident to me that good things can happen if I put in effort and work. On that day, I was proud of myself and excited for what the future would hold.