Just Ask by Andrea

Just Ask by Andrea - August 2022 Scholarship Essay

College has been far from easy these last two years for me. With starting my first ever college semester on Zoom, it hindered my ability to feel like college was even real for me. It felt as though it was simply a continuation of my last 4 months of high school online. As I sat in my room for another 30 weeks, navigating how to learn college course work through pre-recorded videos and silent, awkward Zoom calls, college felt fake. I had no one to talk to as making a real connection with my peers and my professors felt impossible. When I had questions outside of the 50-minute zoom calls, google felt like my only instant help and was what I always turned to. It felt as though my first college year was spent googling everything, desperately trying to pass my classes, more than I was trying to learn the material.

Going into my second year, finally being on campus and attending in-person classes, college hit me like a bus going a billion miles an hour. I could no longer sit in class googling everything I didn’t know and although peers were around me and the professor was right in front of me, due to that year stuck in my room, I no longer knew how to ask questions. I was scared to ask for help even when it was offered to me.

In my fourth semester at Loyola, I took my first college history class. I had the most amazing professor and even more amazing teacher assistants that were so engaging with us, students. The teacher assistants always offered help and office hours if we needed further assistance. They always assured us that they were there for us whatever the case may be. I had been excelling in the class, even gaining recognition from my professor and teacher assistant for my well-written essays. Even then, when it came down to writing the final paper, as I struggled to even pick a prompt to answer, I could not find the courage to ask for help. I felt as though I would be letting my professor and the teacher assistant down if I didn’t excel on my own. My ego could not get over asking for help at that moment.

Now that months have passed since then, I still regret not asking for help. By not reaching out for assistance, a class that I could have gotten a high A in became a low B. As I've reflected on this moment over the summer, I’ve decided that instead of dwelling on it, I’ll use my regret to motivate a change in myself. My academic goal for this next semester and the rest of my education is to always ask for help. I will remind myself that my professors truly care about me and they are there to help me succeed. They want to see me achieve all my academic goals, just as much as I do.