Help, How Do I Ask For Help? by Jasmine

Help, How Do I Ask For Help? by Jasmine - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

When I think of New Year’s resolutions, what immediately comes to my mind is that resolutions are promises that people make to themselves and stick with for a good two months before calling it quits. Now, I am not saying that I have not done that, because I have, but something in me feels like this year will be different; not just because I am turning one year older, but that because now I am in college. College, like everyone says, is a completely new experience; it is my first time being away from home and going into a new and scary place not knowing anyone or where the heck I am going half of the time. Thankfully, as I am writing this, my first semester is done and over with! Having passed all my classes, some with more difficulty that others, I now have to start thinking about next semester. This is where my New Year’s resolution comes in; I will ask for help. I will actually go to tutoring hours, ask my professor questions, and set up appointments if I need extra help.
I am not going to lie, in high school I was on the Principle’s Honor Roll all four years and I barely studied at all; even with having accelerated classes, AP classes, and three IB courses. In school it never completely felt like a challenge for me to get good grades until I went off to college. That first semester was hard; I think the first semester is always that way. Each professor had a new, different, and mainly confusing method of teaching that everyone had to get used it. Because in high school since I never really needed help, I honestly felt like I did not know how to ask for help. I was always use to understanding concepts fairly easily with minimal explanation by a teacher, but now I get confused within the first ten minutes of class.
Throughout this first semester, however, I did learn a few tips on how to ask for help. During the first few weeks of class in that first semester, I actually thought about dropping a certain class because I was doing so badly, then I realized that my professor had office hours for a reason. For the first time ever, I met with a teacher and they told me what I needed to work on and what times other instructors hold office hours so that I could go for help, the only problem being that I only went to said office hours about once a week. Originally I thought that would help, but it was clearly seen that it did not.
As the semester progressed, I found myself falling further and further behind causing me to work harder and harder as all the other students, it seemed, worked effortlessly and got the most amazing grades. Although I did end up passing this class, this experience helped me gain clarity on what my New Year’s resolution would be; asking for help. As someone who has never needed to ask for help, it seems like a foreign concept, but a rewarding one. This New Year I hope to get over myself and realize that sometimes everyone needs help. I will try not to think of myself as a less intelligent person if I ask a question in class; I will make time in my daily schedule to go to office hours and get that clarity that I need; I will finally understand what in the world these professors are talking about; I will pass my classes with flying colors.
I think asking for help is something all students, not just college students, should do. Our teachers and professors have these jobs to help us learn, and when we ask them for help, they feel like we are dedicated and interested in learning; they do not think we are stupid. Sometimes we may feel that we are being a nuisance by asking questions, but we are here for an education, we might as well get everything we can out of it, right? When we fully understand a concept, we can excel in our studies and delve into subjects that could lead to something amazing.