High School Only Comes Once by Giuliana

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

My advice for Freshmen changes every year. At first, I thought everyone needed to just work really hard, and everything world be great. Then I realized that it was just the kids who procrastinated who got bad grades, so I ran around telling everyone "DON'T PROCRASTINATE!!!" But it wasn't until this year, when I became almost depressed, that I realized "I'm only in high school. It's almost over, and then I'm stuck in real life forever. I should be enjoying this!"

I'm sure you're probably thinking "yeah, sure, heard it before...from the SLACKERS!" But that's definitely not me. All my work is in on time, and it's because I've started enjoying it. News Flash: it's okay to like school!

At the beginning of Junior year, I took four classes: dance, AP English, AP Biology, and Honors Precalculus. I tried to keep up with my typical manic studying, but somehow, it wasn't working. My grades started dropping, and when I would up with a good solid D- in math...well let's just say it wasn't pretty. I found no enjoyment in any aspect of my life, and wound up in tears over the smallest problems. So, I dropped the class, took regular precalculus, and decided to go "hakuna matata" and not worry.

And suddenly, my 4.0 was back! I started to take more time to be myself, and I managed to get over 4 points. I was able to make more friends, who helped me study. Recalling someone's comment on how mitochondria looked like orange slices, and how the Citric Acid cycle occurred in mitochondria, suddenly made it so that I could recall information on my exams.

With the absence of my least favorite class, I was able to spend more time on my other courses, and even learn things my teachers didn't cover. I took a poetry class at the library, which made me even happier.
There once was a girl who was stressed,
She thought her whole life was just messed!
So she gave up a course
Took up riding a horse,
And her grades quickly became the best!
Alright, so I'm still working on the poetry.

I still believe that school is one part hard work, one part willingness, and one part non-procrastination, but also one part pure fun. There's plenty of time to be miserable once you're out in the real world. But if you're just a freshmen, take some time to actually enjoy high school. Once you're done, you can't ever go back.