The Reinvented Geek by Jonathan

The Reinvented Geek by Jonathan - August 2014 Scholarship Essay

One academic experience when failure made me stronger…I would like to reference my entire high school academic experience as being the “one” experience that made me stronger. I went to a high school, that although it was public, nonetheless maintained one of the most prolific academic stat records and post-graduate success stories in the nation. Students there bled competition in either two categories: sports or academics. Being a first-generation American, my parents were on an “American Dream” high, meaning they expected me to excel in BOTH sports and academics. For the purpose of our discussion, I will employ only my academic failures that ultimately led me to the strength and confidence I now carry in college.

I was accepted into the International Baccalaureate (IB) program that was showcased at my high school. I never knew what this program entailed, heck, I couldn’t even spell “Baccalaureate,” but I did know that it was a challenge that I wanted to embark on. IB students are notoriously known for their over-attachment to grades, the terms “all-nighters” and “parties” mean studying for that IB English exam, and carrying the heavier back-pack filled with books and notebooks is a point of pride. I was not equipped for this. However, as my good friend Charles Darwin had said, an animal can choose to adapt and prosper or die off...or in this case downgrade to regular classes (obviously, this is not an option). I adapted, I learned the ways of the IB-er and become a grade-thirsty vampire that clawed out everyone else to get that “A.”

Yes, I became competitive, yes, I placed an over-emphasized importance on my grades then I probably should have, but I only realized this towards the end of my high school career. Having down-graded to a regular math class for one of my semesters, I began to reflect on how students in regular courses dealt with their academics. It was astonishing! No hair pulling, yelling, crying, or that dramatic post-failed-test depression. They just read their exam score results, looked at the questions they got wrong, reflected on them, and made it a personal goal of theirs to improve their score on the next exam. It was truly relieving. That is how students improve; when they realize that there is no time machine and can’t reverse time to change that answer choice from “A” to “B.” All they can do is discuss the results with their instructor and make a plan of action that lists out the steps to improve their progress in the class.

Taking my grades close to heart and always beating myself over for a few bad scores is not the way to improvement. It’s also bad for your health, stress kills and I definitely see the effects now. My “failure” is not traditional. It’s not the singular example that lead me to my newfound strength; it is the culmination of my high school experience that lead me to the conclusion that my approach to academics was a failure. Even if I had the occasional improvements in course grades it still was not helping the bigger picture; to find a way to improve without the over-accented guilt and trauma. I now feel stronger and confident with whatever my college career brings. I brought logic and an “FDA-approved” method to academic improvement, I reinvented the geek.