The Great Comeback by Austin

The Great Comeback by Austin - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

I have had many trials as a student dedicated to my studies and sports, but I would have to say the accomplishment I am most proud of occurred at the end of my sophomore year in Advanced Algebra II.

Math has never been a strong suit of mine, unfortunately. I know that is most kids excuses, but I genuinely mean that when I say it because I am just not mathematically minded. During my second semester of Adv. Algebra II, I had worked just as hard as any student for my letter grade, and going into the final test before semester exams, I had an 89 percent in the class, which is a B. At Carterville High School, an A- is worth a 93 percent average, and an A is anything equal to or greater than a 94 percent. I had desperately striven for an A in the class, and the only thing holding me back was my test scores. I did the homework diligently, studied for every quiz, and did all the extra credit, but due to my mathematical mental block, testing was slightly beyond my ability. Obviously, I studied extra hard for the tests, but at the end of the day, I was prone to frequently have silly calculation errors that result in astronomically incorrect answers. But nevertheless, I would still study as hard as I could for my last test before exams in the hopes that it would bump my grade up into an area where I could potentially end the semester with an A.

So I studied as hard as I could for that test, and when the test came, I was more prepared than ever. I took the test, and as Mr. Clark handed back the tests, he handed me my paper and I had gotten a 94 percent! Barely an A, but an A nonetheless! Even though I got a decent grade, I did not think it was enough to get an A in the class, no matter how well I performed on the 250 point final. That was, I did not think I could get an A in the class until I had a personal talk with Mr. Clark.

I approached my teacher and asked what I would need to score on my final to end the semester with an A. He did the calculations and told me that I needed a 94 percent on my final to get an A- in the class. Thus, hope was sparked within. I went home every night after school and track practice and I studied. I studied every test, quiz, and sheet of notes that I had taken over the entire semester in preparation of this final.

Then finals day was upon us. Only a week after our last test was the day of exams, and I felt ready. I knew I had done all I could to prepare myself for the test and there was nothing else I could do. All I had to do now was sit down and take a test with as much accuracy as I could muster. The test was an hour and a half long of pure agony and pain. Staying focused on such a rigorous test in incredibly difficult for the energetic teen that I am. But I force myself to be as focused as I can. When I finished my final, I felt good about the effort that I had made over the entire semester, and all I could do was wait now until the grade was entered.

The next day, I received a text from a friend who had urgently told me that Mr. Clark had entered the finals grades and that our official semester grade was entered. I opened up a browser as fast as I could to see how I did, and typing in a password never seemed to take so long. When I finally got to the website, I found my Advanced Algebra II portfolio and opened up, and I was overcome by what I saw.

On that day, I scored a 98 percent on my Advanced Algebra II final, bringing my grade up by 4 percent, ending the class with an A, a 95 percent. I was so elated that I did not know how to handle myself. So I gave myself a high five and moved on to the next challenge, which was qualify for State in track, but that is another story for another time!

(Word count: 747)