Hard Work Pays Off by Anna

Hard Work Pays Off by Anna - August 2014 Scholarship Essay

One will complain about getting up to go to school in the morning, or the long nights of studying but what one fails to realize is how much of a gift education is to us. School can help define who we are as individuals and help lead us into our future lives. However, it takes great effort and hardship in order to gain satisfaction and confidence in ourselves. A story that exemplifies this is when I was a junior in high school taking AP microeconomics. I had never taken an advanced class before. I had always achieved A’s in every other class and they simply did not challenge me; so I wanted to challenge myself for the first time.

Previously in other classes, I had never had to read a text book and so when I took AP microeconomics, I figured it would be similar. However, after the first test, I realized how much content I was lacking. It was frustrating taking that first test. My eyes would scan the page looking for anything that looked familiar, but nothing did, and my heart would race as I was worried that my grade would be destroyed. I knew I had to start reading for the next chapter, but when I did I could not keep up with the pages being assigned and was a difficult read to comprehend. I took action of this scary realization and took a class through Huntington that showed me how to read faster and comprehend the material at a more advanced level. This helped me as a senior because I had three advanced classes and had to read all three books. Even though it took a while to figure out that I had to read the books, it made me a stronger student.

Secondly, I had never taken notes before because I never needed them. When I first started taking notes in the AP economic class, I was vulnerable on how to take proper notes. That was a problem for I needed to be able to look back on what happened in class. My test scores continued to drop because I could not take proper notes. However, I learned how and what I need to remember and that I don’t need to remember everything; when I started taking notes, I thought I had to remember and memorize everything. I used my new note taking skills in various other classes throughout the rest of my high school career and it made me a stronger note taker which helped me and will continue to help as I proceed through college.

Lastly, I had never had to study for more than ten minutes. However, when I was in AP microeconomics, I realized that I had to study if I wanted to pass the class. I was weak at studying and did not know what worked for me. I did not give myself proper time to study and would cram the night before the test, hoping that would be good enough but often times it was not. When I began to give myself more time and discovered how much I could benefit from flashcards, my test scores rose and I felt much better about the class. I realized how important studying truly is and made me a stronger student and test taker.

Reading, note taking, and studying brought me down greatly. I was worried about how I would ever pass the class and would often times bring me to my lowest point, breaking down crying. However, what I failed to realize at first was the lack of effort that I was giving to the class. I knew, much later, that the class was not going to be like any other class and that I would have to work for my good grade. Along with the hard times associated with this class came great success for me in the future. I was able to take on more advanced classes my senior year and really challenged myself. I believe that if I had not taken hard advanced classes in high school, I would really struggle in college.. AP Microeconomics gave me the confidence to take on college and pursue a degree that will take me eight years to complete, and I could not be more excited for what my future challenges may be.