Let it Go by Colten

Let it Go by Colten - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

I have a love-hate relationship with experience. Experience can be painful, or awkward, but it is always helpful. As for students, experience is even more helpful because we are young, and we need all the help we can get. From what I have learned, I would tell the younger students this piece of advice: don’t worry.
I’m uncertain of what year other students are the most nervous in, but I know I’ve been anxious during every single high school grade I’ve been through. I have worried about my grades, my faith, my reputation, my health, my money, and of course, girls. I look back at every single moment of fear and realize that it only made me learn to let go. All of it worked itself out in the end.
First, I would like to point out that grades are very, very important, but they are not cry-over-getting-a-B important. Believe it or not, you can bomb a test and come back swinging an A on your transcript. If you work hard, you can get any grade you want. It’s mostly a matter of effort, not brainpower. So don’t worry about that D on the World History test. It’s a drop in the ocean. Keep up the fight.
Second, college becomes a looming, foreboding thing as you get closer to graduation. It’s very easy to start thinking about how difficult it will be to pay for, the possibility of not seeing your friend when he moves, and what job you really want to study for. No doubt, this is a difficult experience, but it’s best to take a deep breath if it becomes overwhelming. Confide in people, talk to teachers, and ask for counsel from those who are wiser. After that, the path will become much clearer to you.
The third and final point I would say is to give your worries to a friend. It is so ridiculously simple. The best way I have ever found to relieve stress and anxiety is to tell it to my closest friends. It pulls the weight from your back, and they can help carry it with you or eliminate the burden completely. Those who are close to you and love you most know how to help you, so don’t seclude yourself and deal with the problem alone. Friends that are loyal to you are worth more than gold.
Those are the three most precious points about anxiety I would give to an upcoming student. School is difficult, with many experiences that we all must go through at some time, but to worry is to make it all worse. That’s why my advice is to let go; even though letting go can sometimes be the simplest, and yet most difficult thing that we all must do.