Studying with a purpose (resubmit in correct font size) by Eric

Studying with a purpose (resubmit in correct font size) by Eric - January 2014 Scholarship Essay

When it comes to academics, what makes or breaks a student are their study habits. Studying can be second nature thing for many students, but what determines the success of their efforts is how they study. I’ve learned that I’ve had the best studying sessions when I was “present” in the study session. What I mean by this is that my mind is on my work, without any outside distractions. In a world in which information is at the click of a button, it is very easy to be distracted by outside sources. With so many different social media sites, video games, and other distractions, it’s very easy to study half-heartedly. A effective study method is a student who applies himself when he studies, emails his teachers whenever he or she needs help, thinks cognitively, and stays away from distractions while studying.

When I applied myself and studied with a passion, I was able to get a better understanding of what I was learning, thus getting a better grade. An example of this was at the beginning of my junior year. I had suffered from 2 concussions from football and was struggling with keeping up academically. After I was fully recovered from my concussions, I had two options. Accept that I will never be able to make up my grade in Pre-Calculus and AP Environmental Science, or work to the best of my ability. I choose to apply myself and study hard. I studied for multiple hours a night, went to Saturday morning study sessions for both classes, and finish with a B in both classes after working my way up from a C in Pre-Calc and a D in AP Environmental Science. Applying yourself while studying is the same as studying with a purpose. I invested my time into studying in the hopeful expectance that I would reap what I sowed. By having a purpose while studying I am able to see beyond what I’m doing at the moment. I understand college will be very hard, but as I have worked hard in high school and have learned how to study, I will be able to follow this pattern through college. Even though studying can be very tedious sometimes, by showing fortitude and studying with a purpose, it is possible to achieve greatness.