Pleasantly Surprised by Elizabeth

Pleasantly Surprised by Elizabeth - July 2013 Scholarship Essay

“Why did I take this class, I don’t have time for this!” This was my main thought concerning my AP European History class this year. Surprisingly, however, the best book I have ever read for a class was my European History textbook. This text was no easy read. Over eight hundred pages of pure informative text crammed between its covers. I was in no way excited to read all that material. When I began the class, however, I got lost within the pages and I re-ignited a love for history that I thought I had lost in my youth. Though I really didn’t have time to read three chapters in one week with my busy schedule at times, I loved reading that textbook. History and culture came alive for me as I read more and more. Kings and Queens of the seventeenth century became people in my mind, not just legends. I looked at the world through a new perspective once I could trace the evolution of culture and society. History has become one of my greatest passions. I now plan on majoring in history throughout college. It is funny how something I thought I would despise ended up tying into my future. The old saying to, “never judge a book by its cover,” definitely applies to my experience.