Eliminating “Tomorrow” by Kamryn

Eliminating “Tomorrow” by Kamryn - September 2026 Scholarship Essay

I’m about four inspirational Youtube videos and one hundred Quizlet flashcards deep into my fall semester, and I’m still trying to find my “perfect” study method.

As a veteran homeschooler, I’ve often had a flexible schedule. Miss an assignment? I could just do double tomorrow. Forget to study for a test? I’ll do that tomorrow too. Finding that “perfect” study method was never a priority. I was still able to grow academically and strengthen my skills without the harsh test deadlines or the infinite stacks of flashcards.

But in college classes, “tomorrow” quickly became “today” which even more quickly became “I have a test in three hours, and I barely studied. How did this happen?” I was no longer operating on my own schedule and had to retrain my brain to work around someone else’s. This meant I’d need to find a new study method. Preferably one that was quick and simple. Some perfect end-all-be-all solution that could somehow help me master thirty pages of biochemistry in less than thirty minutes.

The first lesson I had to learn was that that method did not exist. I spent more time trying to find it than I actually did studying. The hours I could’ve spent on flashcards or notes were instead devoted to a youtube deep dive that led to hollow advice, or my time was spent trying out different methods but never dedicating enough time to one to reap the benefits. After hours of searching and failed attempts to face the dreaded biochemistry chapter, it’s almost time for dinner and I decide I’ll just have to find the perfect method tomorrow, too.

When tomorrow finally comes, you best believe I came prepared. Stacks of notecards, assortment of colored pens, I even used paperclips. But each method required time. And after thirty minutes spent trying to get used to one, I’d check my syllabus due dates and figure “one more day can’t hurt,” before shutting down for the night. There was always tomorrow.

The second lesson I had to learn was that my problem never lied in finding the “perfect” method. I knew what worked. I had seen success in flashcards, in teaching the material out loud to my reflection in the mirror, to writing out everything I remembered from the chapter on a blank piece of paper. That’s three helpful methods and yet I was still stuck. That’s when I realized the problem wasn’t the method. The problem was the promise of tomorrow.

“Tomorrow” was my crutch. When studying got hard and motivation wore thin, the easier solution was to just “start fresh in the morning.” But tomorrow is not promised. Much less, the tomorrow I expect is not promised. In my head “tomorrow” is this blissful idea of newfound motivation and energy, but what happens when my alarm rings and I feel just as exhausted as the evening before? How many “tomorrows” will I go through before I realize I don’t live in them, I only get to make a change today.

So the third thing I had to learn was that in order to achieve the academic growth I was seeking, I didn’t need a study method shift–I needed a mindset shift. I had to start reframing “I could always do this tomorrow” to “what can I finish today?” By eliminating “tomorrow,” I could maximize each “today.” By making to-do lists and carefully examining my daily schedule I saw what time I could fill so that when the temptation to procrastinate lurks, I can remind myself what needs to get done and what I’m able to do.

Because I am capable. Even when it’s difficult. Even when focusing seems like the hardest assignment of all–I have what I need to get it done. I have the skills required to turn my dreams for “tomorrow” into actionable steps for today.