Hard Work is the Key to Success by Jessica

Hard Work is the Key to Success by Jessica - May 2021 Scholarship Essay

Growing up, I was the type of student who had no trouble learning new material. Everything seemed to come easily to me. Even though I nearly always completed my homework and other assignments, I almost never studied for tests but somehow always managed to do well. Honestly, I was probably that kid you hated in high school. I was athletic and got good grades while putting forth minimal effort. Unfortunately for me, the universe always has a way of balancing these things out.
When I got to college, I honestly thought that things would continue to be easy for me. Boy was I wrong. As everyone knows, being successful in college classes takes a lot of time and effort. After spending my high school career just coasting by and still getting good grades, I knew nothing about putting in a lot of time and effort in order to succeed. It was like a huge slap in the face for me. Skills that I should have learned in high school, like how to study for an exam or how to persevere through difficulties, were not skills that I possessed. I had to quickly figure out how I learn best and how to study. If I did not, I knew I was guaranteed to drown in my college classes and probably fail most of them. It took a lot of hard work, but I eventually figured out how to work to prepare myself not only for exams, but also how to be successful in the real world.
Nothing in life is given for free and you must earn everything you want. This life lesson can be applied to everything you do. I apply this to my job every day. As an educator, I am constantly working to find ways to better myself for the sake of my students. They are the reason that I am choosing to go back to school and get my master’s degree. I know that I will have to work hard to successfully complete this program, but they are worth it. I make sure to share my experiences with my students as well. I find that it is important that they know that I am human just like them and I struggle too. It is my hope that by sharing my story with them, they will understand that it is okay to struggle, but learning how to persevere is an important skill to master.
My biggest regret was not learning how to study when I was in high school. More than that, I wish I had learned how to work harder at applying myself when I was younger. Had I done that, my first experiences with college classes may have gone more smoothly. That said, I did learn an important life lesson from my struggles. It is important to put in the effort if you want to succeed. There is no way to avoid difficulty in life, but you can make sure that you are prepared to deal with any hardship that comes your way.