Get Involved by Brynn

Get Involved by Brynn - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

“It’s your freshman year and you’re gonna be here for the next four years”, so get ready. As exciting as it may be to start at a new school and to make new friends, it’s also very important to develop study habits that will help you throughout the experience of high school and beyond. These study habits that you learn in high school, will be essential to success as you move onward with life. There are opportunities to learn far beyond your imaginations and there will be just as much work to help you learn. Staying on top of your workload is essential to avoiding a stressful high school experience. But don’t worry it’s not as stressful as I am making it sound because in the end, high school gives you one of the best experiences of your life.

You might have heard that the most important thing in high school is your GPA and grades. My first piece of advice is to ignore anyone who tells you that your GPA is the only thing that matters. Yes colleges look at your GPA but very rarely is that the only thing they take into account. They also care about your extracurricular activities and they want to know who you are as a person more than they want to know how well you can do on a test. That’s why, having the mindset that you want to strive to become a better version of yourself and grab every opportunity that comes at you instead of just worrying about your grades, is the victorious mindset. So if you aren’t a straight A student then don’t sweat it, just know that developing character, in my opinion, is the most important thing for college, and in life. Do the best that you can and your grades will reflect that. Along with this, don’t stress about the little things, you have more time to complete assignments than you think. Stressing about little things, will cause a spiral of stress that is very difficult to break out of and in the end. The best way about going about things is embracing the lessons you have to learn on the way, like receiving that one bad grade in history.

Another piece of advice that I think is very important to anyone going through high school is, becoming involved in clubs or sports to have structured time after school.. This provides you with a solid time structure after school which will keep you busy and then teach you that getting your homework done in a timely fashion is essential to have time to participate in the sports or clubs. You will also find that having a busy schedule motivates you to get work done in general. If you know that in order to participate in your extracurricular activities you have to finish your homework, then you will finish your homework. Along with this, you will learn to prioritize the things that you need to get done. Keep a planner to write down all of your assignments and when they are due. This will help you with time management which is an essential skill to have for school and as a working adult. If you can learn to avoid procrastinating you’ll be surprised that you have more time to do the things that you care about and want to do, because you won’t waste time waiting around to start your work. More amazing perks of being involved in clubs and sports are the friendships you can make and the memories you will build. Getting involved, opens doors to so many opportunities in which you might find a passion which you can pursue in college. So join clubs, groups and sports to keep yourself busy, make memories, and to develop good study habits.

All in all, high school can be as fun and exciting as you choose to make it. Don’t stress yourself out by over thinking things, and pay attention to more than just your grade. If you choose to be proactive in your learning, you will get the most out of this experience and you will realize that high school, is one of the best times of your life. Lastly, find a sport or club that you truly care about and get involved because you never know where your passions may lie. “So take a deep breath and walk through the doors,” and make the next four years as great as they can possibly be.