How I Learned So Much More by Dustin

How I Learned So Much More by Dustin - August 2016 Scholarship Essay

During my sophomore year, I was enrolled in Honors Algebra 2. At the beginning of the school year, my class had a quiz on one of the subjects that we learned. At the time, I felt that I was understanding the curriculum well, so I decided not to study. In addition, we were able to use our calculator on our quiz which only boosted my confidence. However, it was inevitable that I was to fail the quiz due to my lack of studying. My score on the quiz ensured that my grade in the class would be failing. Once seeing my grade, I knew that I could not afford another mess up. From then on, I studied for every quiz and test no matter how well I knew the material. At the end of the semester, I managed to get my grade up to an A. By failing my first quiz, I learned that it is always important to study, no matter how confident I am in my knowledge. While trying to get my grade up, I also learned that with perseverance and hard work, anything is possible. I had already learned so much in the first semester of my Algebra 2 class, but I still had another semester of learning.
Towards the end of the school year, I was introduced to a new and difficult subject. At first, I understood the curriculum and was having a fun time learning the new information. However, the math soon became difficult to understand as we were introduced to harder information. Although studying is important and helped a little, it was not enough for the situation I was in. The only answer to my problem was to go to my teacher and ask for help, which is precisely what I did. My teacher was not only excited to help me, but she respected me more knowing that I cared about my grade enough to ask for help.
I went into my Algebra 2 class knowing that I would learn lots of new information about math, but I had no idea that I would learn a vast amount of information that would stick with me for the rest of my life. I now know that studying, hard work, and perseverance always pays off. I also learned that it is always okay to ask for help. By asking for help, I will not only understand the information I was having trouble with, but I will also gain more respect from the people I am asking.