Time is of the Essence by Hailey

Time is of the Essence by Hailey - September 2014 Scholarship Essay

Being a teen in this day in age is becoming more and more difficult as time progresses. A common joke shared amongst our generation is called “The Triangle Diagram.” The Triangle Diagram depicts good grades, enough sleep, and a social life jutting out from each angle of the triangle. The irony of this perfect triangle is that one can only pick two of the corners, because picking all three is seemingly impossible. This flaw in the diagram effectively portrays how difficult it is to manage time while being an active member in school and society. Although the triangle does a satisfactory job of describing the fight for more time many students face, it does not give these students enough credit. Sleep, school, and a social life are all crucial to the high school experience, but nowadays teens are faced with sports, clubs, activities, jobs, and worst of all; college applications and scholarships all crashing down in one suffocating wave. Although balancing this medley of gargantuan tasks is difficult, it is not impossible with proper time management. Time management is an important skill that will lead to success in college.

Time management is a skill I’ve learned the hard way throughout high school. As a freshman I was eager to make the varsity volleyball, basketball, and soccer teams. I also wanted to take difficult classes such as honors English, honors chemistry, and geometry to provide my transcripts with a high GPA, which would ultimately make me look successful in my college applications. I was also given the opportunity to make more friends than I had ever thought possible, and I joined many clubs and activities with my newfound friends. By the second week of freshman year I was already overly booked and overly stressed. I tried dividing up my time equally to each aspect of my life, making sure that each task I faced was completed perfectly. Equality for all did not work to my advantage and I was soon falling behind in school and due to lack of sleep I was even slacking in my sports. I could not bear watching the future I wanted slip just out of my reach, so I decided that by second semester of my freshman year it was time to make a change. I learned to prioritize my time in order of importance, ranking school and athletics before friends and clubs. Although prioritizing was difficult, it proved to be much more successful than trying to give equal time to everyone and everything. My anxiety and overwhelming stress levels began to drop and I started to realize how enjoyable high school could be.

As I now approach my senior year I am completely stress free due to the knack for time management I’ve developed over the years. As I began to focus more on what was really important in my life, such as academics and athletics, I was able to delegate my time accordingly. I have now obtained an athletic scholarship to the University of Central Missouri to play soccer, and have also been awarded some academic money. Due to time management I am now extremely excited for my future and what is in store for me at college. Learning to manage time efficiently is an important aspect all students must discover in order to be successful in college.

Time management will prove to be the most important skill to provide success in college. College is full of many more opportunities to join sports, clubs, activities, hobbies, jobs, and even extra classes. Along with all of these extracurriculars, the trifecta of sleep, school, and a social life is still the basis for the average college student’s life. Time management is not strictly confined to planning out school assignments and social events; it includes being aware of how long it takes to travel between classes, the amount of time one needs to spend with a tutor, as well as how late one can stay out with friends. The use of this sacred skill has proven to lead to success time and time again as more and more students graduate from college.

Time management is a crucial skill that exemplifies responsibility, self-discipline, and empathy for other’s precious time. Without the management of time many students would not find it possible to graduate while maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle throughout college. Due to the application of my knowledge on successfully maintaining a time efficient schedule I have been given the opportunity to truly enjoy my high school experience. I know that by utilizing time management I will also be successful in college. Time management is, by far, the most important skill that will lead to success in college.