A College Carry-On by Margaretha

A College Carry-On by Margaretha - September 2014 Scholarship Essay

When traveling from place to place via airplane, most globetrotters tend to utilize a carry-on bag. Carry-on bags have the utmost importance of necessities, including a cell phone, a jacket, your wallet and identification card, money, headphones, and even gum for when your ears pop in high altitude. Every little item enclosed in a carry-on will be used at one point. A college carry-on is figuratively the same thing. Everything to put in your mental college carry-on will be used at one point. The most important thing to have in your college carry on is perseverance. Perseverance is imperative because it will determine how hard you work, how easily you give up, and your mentality through it all.

Perseverance will define how hard a student works within the first few days of college. With multiple syllabi being passed out, readings being assigned, and essays to be written, a freshman will notice if the work load is too much for them or not. Perseverance will govern whether they break away from high school habits and rip the band aid off and get to work or start working on their freshmen fifteen. Perseverance is defined as being steadfast in work no matter the difficulty. With this skill, no matter the work load, a pupil will achieve due to a beneficial personality trait. Money in a carry-on is similar to perseverance in a college freshman. Money is received based on the amount of work put in. A college degree will be received based off of how much work a student puts in.

Perseverance in a college carry-on will often also determine how easily a student gives up. One day the pupil walks into the lecture hall to see a ginormous note on the board reading all of the assignments… due tomorrow. With perseverance the student will go home with time management skills and the ready set attitude to get the stuff done. Without perseverance, the student will go back to their place, crack open a bag off Wavy Lays chips and pop in a movie on their Apple lap top because mommy thought they’d do work in college. Giving up is common among college students, statistics show only 56 percent of students graduate within 6 years while only 29 percent who enter a two year program complete their degrees within three years. With the perseverance of a warrior instead a coward, a student’s college carry-on can be complete and the likelihood of them succeeding is much higher.

Lastly, perseverance will control the student’s mentality throughout the process. Perseverance will produce the desire to study, studying will yield higher test scores, and higher test scores will bring a positive outlook on the schooling process, thus allowing an optimistic mentality. Assignments, deadlines, essays, halfhearted teachers, and lack of friends can produce stress which can overcome a students want to thrive. With perseverance, a fruitful education can be achieved. With knowledge comes power, and with power comes happiness. When packing for college, don’t forget your perseverance in your carry-on.
Leaving home and going anywhere, school or a foreign country, can cause anxiety amongst many. With perseverance will leave way to make a change in the world. Gum, mints, headphones, and a neck cushion may seem beneficial for an airplane ride, but when making the leap of faith and following your dreams, don’t forget perseverance!