The Strive for Excellence by Jenna

The Strive for Excellence by Jenna - June 2016 Scholarship Essay

High school students today are under an immense amount of pressure due to the competition that only seems to grow. As students are pushed to become well-rounded individuals who are able to balance academics, sports commitments, extracurricular activities, and a social life, the harsh reality of succumbing under this pressure can overwhelm some. However, during my junior year of high school I overcame the academic obstacle of balancing a rigorous course load, a demanding sports schedule, and other activities by learning the invaluable habits of time-management, discipline, and prioritization.
During my junior year of high school, I overcame the obstacle of being overloaded through effective time-management skills. I challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone by loading up my schedule with highly-demanding courses and activities. I enrolled in 5 Advanced Placement courses in addition to the curricula required at my school, competed as a singles player in the tennis team, and continued in my advanced studies as a pianist. In the fall semester, the reality of what I signed up for finally set in as I spent many long nights trying to catch up with the homework and the material taught in classes that I had missed due to tennis. Subsequently, the quantity and quality of my sleep was affected, which in turn had its effects on my mental focus, clarity, and alertness. I decided that I needed to make changes because what I was doing was highly ineffective in the long run of my high school career. Although it was difficult at first, I trained myself to keep an organized schedule with estimated time allotments for each assignment or project. In addition, I started completing shorter assignments during the morning break and lunch hour of school. As a result, the amount of work that I had to do at home was considerably reduced. I knew how much time I expected to spend on each assignment and could plan accordingly, eliminating unnecessary stress and anxiety. Thus, learning how to manage my time wisely was a significant factor in overcoming the academic obstacle of being overwhelmed.
Furthermore, practicing self-discipline proved to be a crucial component for overcoming this obstacle. Nowadays with the easy access of smartphones and social media outlets, it is challenging to avoid the distraction and procrastinate on schoolwork. As someone with prominent social media presence and involvement on several platforms, it was difficult to escape the temptation. Despite this, I had a stronger and deeper awareness of my principles and goals in mind to discipline myself to get rid of this distraction while I was working. I relocated myself to an environment more conducive to learning where I was without any technological devices and connection to the internet. In this way, I completely removed the means by which I could procrastinate, which required a great deal of self-discipline. Therefore, by learning how to discipline myself to manage distractions, I overcame procrastination and the subsequent stress of dealing with a rigorous academic course load.
In addition, the ability to prioritize my activities was central in overcoming the pressure that ensued from a packed agenda. As junior year is regarded the most important year that colleges give emphasis to on academic achievement, I was determined to perform well. However, my tenacity for excellence required sacrificing other activities and prioritizing tasks of utmost urgency before trivial ones. I placed my academic grades as the most important priority while I took a break from actively pursuing a social life and social media presence. Even within academia, I accomplished tasks in order of importance and value, which determined where I should focus my time and energy on. In sum, prioritizing my tasks allowed me to effectively and efficiently accomplish tasks that contribute to a greater personal goal, which also was substantial in the effort of successfully overcoming the academic difficulty of junior year.
Academic obstacles can be difficult to overcome without a carefully detailed course of action and specific skill sets. Developing the skills of time-management, discipline, and prioritization were instrumental in my success as a student who strives for academic excellence. Through my experience in overcoming the obstacle of being overloaded, I have gained skills that will prove to be of importance in the application of other areas of life. To conclude, through this challenge I had the opportunity to grow in character and as a person who has gained remarkably more than just good grades.