Peer's Influences by Emma

Peer's Influences by Emma - May 2015 Scholarship Essay

During my time in the Troy High School’s honors program, I learned the skills of perseverance and determination. I always had parents who were strict about what my grades should be, but it was not until I was in a classroom full of honors students that I actually began to care about my own grades, not just for my parents, but for myself and my future.

The honors program at Troy High School grouped the honors students together in the same classes, where we learned together. One of the hardest classes I was in was AP Calculus, which was offered to me during my senior year of High School. The first semester I was not doing well in the class and my mom actually wanted me to drop it, but I did not want to drop to a lower level calculus and be in a class of unmotivated kids, so I put in the extra work and asked the others in my class to study with me. My peer’s perseverance and determination set me in motion and the following summer I received the news that I earned a 5 on the AP exam.

When people find out I tested out of two calculus classes in college they go straight to the conclusion that I am some math genius, but I like to tell them that it was not easy for me to test that well on the exam. I had to put in a lot of effort into earning that score and even the A in the class. I am grateful for my peers who inspired me to have the perseverance and determination that they had throughout high school. My perseverance and determination is helping me succeed today.

My peers have a major influence in my attitude on different things, especially in academics. When I am working with motivated people, I am motivated myself. When I am working with people who get distracted, I also find myself wasting time. I learn skills from peers all the time and ultimately it is up to me to choose the right peers to learn from.