High School Only Comes Once by Giuliana

High School Only Comes Once by Giuliana - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

My advice for freshmen has evolved every year. Freshman year, I told everyone who asked that they just had to work harder. Sophomore year, I told them that they shouldn't procrastinate on projects. Now, as a Junior, I realize that what matters most is enjoying yourself.

After following my old advice this year, I realized that I was a very unhappy person, and my grades suffered more than I thought was possible. As they got worse, I decided to stop trying as hard, to quit freaking out over less-than-perfect scores, and to not dwell on what had happened already. And suddenly, I had more friends, more time, and better mental health!

Those new friends were able to help me study and make learning boring material for a test actually seem fun. I could think of someone's joke on how mitochondria look like orange slices, and remember that the citric acid cycle occurs in those "orange slices." Suddenly, even though I was stressing and cramming for tests less, I was improving my grades!

By not taking as many classes and trying to be the one with the biggest course list, I was able to reduce the amount of work I needed to do, giving myself more time to study the subjects that were harder for me. I was even able to study what I wanted, instead of what would make me seem better than everyone else.

I still believe that not procrastinating and working hard are important, but there's plenty of time to stress after high school. Just relax, and don't worry over the little things. Start enjoying the year, and you'll always have something good to look back on.