Don't Wait by Caelan

Don't Wait by Caelan - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Don’t wait. I wish I would have heard those two words my first day of freshman year. Knowing what I know now, that’s the best advice I have to offer. Do not wait.
These words should be applied to all of life’s endeavors. Scholastically, these words will save you time and time again. The report that is due in two weeks, don’t wait until the night before to get it done. Do it now, and relax while everyone else is stressing to meet the deadline. The test you know is coming up at the end of the chapter, don’t wait until you finish the chapter to start studying for it, by then it is too late. Study as you progress through the chapter, that way at the end all you have left to do is brush up on the tricky stuff. Do you need extra credit to bump up from the ninety two percent B you have in the science class you’re taking? Don’t wait until the day before the grades for the nine-weeks are due to ask your teacher for help. By then her hands will be tied.
However, there is more to high school than just trying meet all of your scholastic obligations. There are teams to try out for, clubs to get involved in, dances to go to, all of which you won’t be a part of if you dilly-dally.
If you want to make the basketball team in November, start working on your shot in the summer. If you want to be a part of ski club, but don’t have the money for it, get a job for the weekends and save up. You know there’s going to be a homecoming. Quit looking at the cute girl in geometry from across the classroom and go ask her to the dance. The longer you wait, no matter what it is, the smaller your window of opportunity becomes.
After four years of high school, and countless reflections on what I could have or should have done differently, the best advice I can give someone whose shoes I was once wearing is to get out there and do something. Don’t wait. Carpe diem.