Algebra II Obstacle by Mackenzie

Algebra II Obstacle by Mackenzie - June 2016 Scholarship Essay

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Fortunately, my academic experience has been an extremely positive part of my life. However, I did face one major obstacle during my academic career. I was given the opportunity to take Algebra I in the 7th grade, which meant I would then go on to take Algebra II in the 8th grade. Algebra I went very well for me, but Algebra II was a different story. Math has always been a subject that I have been very comfortable in. In fact, I would even consider math to be my strongest subject. However, Algebra II caused me to struggle more than I ever had before.
I received my lowest grade to date in that particular Algebra II class. Granted, it was only an 85; however, when and 85 is compared to the high A’s I usually got in math related classes, it became a big deal to me. Another thing that made the situation even more frustrating is that I was trying my hardest to bring my grade up and it just was not working. I spent countless hours on homework problems that I absolutely could not figure out. I also seeked help from a family friend who happened to be an 8th grade math teacher at a different school, and even he could not help me through the classwork. Unfortunately, I was not the only person in the class who was struggling with the material.
It turned out that the majority of my class had been going through the same difficulties I had been as well. The school system must have recognized this because they gave every student in the class the option to retake Algebra II in our sophomore years of high school. My parents and I then had to ponder the idea of either retaking the class or move on to a higher level class. After careful consideration, I decided that I wanted to retake the class. I made that decision because I did not want to move on to harder classes such as pre-calculus and AP calculus with a shaky foundation. This actually turned out really well for me in the end. When I retook the class I actually understood the material and finished with a 98 in the class and also had strong background knowledge going into higher level math classes. In conclusion, I was faced with a tough academic obstacle in the 8th grade but was then able to overcome it and came out of it stronger than before.