Looking Beyond the Grades by Emily

Looking Beyond the Grades by Emily - July 2023 Scholarship Essay

My biggest failure during my education happened in my senior year of high school. I got a C in my AP Calculus class. While this might not seem like a big deal to me because I had never gotten a C in my entire educational career.
Getting a C in the class helped me realize that it is okay not to be great at something. I had a hard time understanding the material in the Calculus class. Usually, I would figure it out after a while but that did not happen this time. It forced me to be okay with not understanding something in school. Also, I knew that I was trying my best in the class and that is all I could ask from myself. That lesson had been able to be brought into my real life by not setting unrealistic expectations for me and understanding that sometimes my best will not be enough in certain situations.
Another lesson I learned is that there is more to life than academics. During high school, I was not very social because I focused on my studies so much. So, getting a lower grade than I wanted in Calculus helped me realize that there is more to life than school and I put more focus on other aspects of my life Now in college, I try to balance academic time, social, and alone time and I have been successful so far.
All in all, I think getting a C in AP Calculus was an eye-opening moment in my life. It has caused me to look for more meaning in my life beyond school and learn that as long as I am putting forth the effort I will be okay with the outcome of the situation.