Freshman Year Counts Too by Bonnie

Freshman Year Counts Too by Bonnie - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Before entering high school, students are always prepped for the workload of high school classes. Incoming freshmen are given advice from current students and alumni on how to survive high school. One of the most important tips the older students give is to put a lot of effort into your freshman year. It is a major transition to go from middle school to high school level classes and “stay afloat.” The workload increases, pressure is loaded onto the students, and time management becomes the key to success.
When I entered my freshman year, I took this advice very seriously and worked so hard to get those good grades and succeed in the higher level classes. I took on the difficulty of high school and it ended up paying off. I ended the year with an above average GPA and recommendation for the same honors classes the following year.
While I took this advice and put it into effect my first year in high school, a lot of my friends did not. They cruised through freshman year, ignoring new responsibilities and embracing the freedoms that accompanied high school. Most of them ended the year with average grades, but nothing spectacular.
By taking advantage of my freshman year and working for the good grade, I set myself up for a successful high school career. A GPA is cumulative, meaning it encompasses your grades from all four years of high school. By succeeding freshman year and starting out with a good GPA, all I had to do for the next three years was to maintain that GPA.
Some of my friends, on the other hand, started out with an average GPA, meaning that their job the next three years was to work hard to bring their GPA up. It is not very hard to lower or maintain a grade point average in high school; however, it is very difficult to raise the GPA, as it is an average.
By listening to this advice about taking freshman year seriously, it set me up with excellent grades to keep all through high school and accurately prepared me for tests I had to take later on, such as SAT’s or ACT’s. With these good grades, I was able to apply to colleges I wanted to and have good results with the outcomes of those applications. This advice prepared me for the rest of my life, not only in high school, but in college and my future career. Your freshman year is not a joke; take it as seriously as it will follow you into college.