KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’D SHARE WITH YOUNGER STUDENTS? by Emily

KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’D SHARE WITH YOUNGER STUDENTS? by Emily - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

I would share the advice I wish others would have given me when I was younger: It is never too early to set goals! Setting realistic goals in all that you do is, in my opinion, the key to being a success. Please note that I said realistic goals!

You are never too young to challenge yourself to reach a realistic goal. It can be something like getting an A on a test which may only take an hour or two of study or being selected for an award or activity that can take years to realize. Once you know what you want to achieve, then go after it with all you have. Sounds easy, right? Not necessarily because it will take work, organization and, sometimes, more willpower than you think you have to succeed. But once you have reached a goal you set, the feeling is amazing. I know I keep saying a “realistic” goal because if you set a goal that is not realistic, you are just setting yourself up for failure. I know because in the beginning I failed once or twice. Did it hurt? Yes, it did! Did I want to quit setting goals? I really, really did! But when I sat down and analyzed why I failed, I realized it was because it was not a realistic goal.

The wonderful thing about having goals is that you can do it with any aspect of your life.

Now comes the time to actually set the goals. This can be as hard or as easy as you want to make it. You can start slowly or jump right in and set all of your goals. This is YOUR decision. If I were you, I would set your goals as high as you can while being realistic.

It might take you a little time to decide on goals because I know it did for me. My final decision was to spend my four high school years having fun but always remembering my goal was to get into the college of my choice. The four things I felt a college would look at were: scholarship, leadership, service and character.

For scholarship set your goal as high as you reasonably can. If you can take Honors and AP courses, you should. You want to be sure your school work is your first priority so learn to manage your time well so that you can also participate in school activities. Pick one or two clubs or activities and enjoy them.

I feel colleges look at your leadership also. I would advise you to pick an activity or club and work hard at doing all you can to show your leadership ability. There are many things you can do to be a leader, so pick the one that is right for you whether it is helping others, running for an office, or whatever you think is best for you.

Service is important not only for showing the college you can help your community but also to be able to look at your life and know you think of others beside yourself. Like school activities, this can be fun. Volunteer for any cause that interests you and see how great you feel after giving of yourself to others.

Character is hard to quantify. I think it encompasses so much that it is the most difficult thing to set a goal for. Of course, you want to always treat others as you would like to be treated. But please remember that you can learn from others. If you try and look at a situation from another person’s perspective, you just might learn a lesson from them. Last, but certainly not least, show every person you come into contact with the respect they deserve.

As I read over the advice I would share with younger students, I realize that much of it is common sense but a lot of it is advice I got from my older sister and my parents when I was younger. It is amazing how writing this essay showed me that I did get the advice but it took some maturity to use it! By the way, I was accepted by Bowling Green State University which was my first college choice.

Emily King
2460 Antioch Road
Perry, OH 44081
440-259-3557 (Home)
440-251-3244 (Cell)
Emilyyyking@yahoo.com