Please Make Mistakes by Maxwell

Please Make Mistakes by Maxwell - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

I believe that making mistakes and learning from them is the greatest piece of advice that I could give to younger students. Sometimes, even the greatest mistakes can shape you into greatness. With determination and perseverance throughout the process, the transformation from a negative situation to a positive one can and will be fulfilling on so many different levels.
When I attended public school in Ossining, New York, I was not being challenged. It was effortless to get all high marks in class without even knowing a lot of material. Combining academic prowess with athletic ability, my family and I decided to apply to private schools; to further my knowledge and expand my worldview. What I did not realize was that you must change the ways you go about learning. My first year in private school was tough, since I had to change the ways of obtaining information that had been instilled in my head for 10 years. The year was filled subpar grades, and many nights trying to comprehend homework assignments. Integrating that with being the new kid in school, you are susceptible to mistakes. And the mistake I made was a huge one.
I was having trouble managing time, and I made the decision to plagiarize one of my homework assignments in my biology class. I did not realize the consequences of my actions at the time, so I proceeded to do so with little guilt. I did not think that I would get caught, but I did. My teacher confronted me about it, and eventually I needed to have a meeting with our school's dean and disciplinary committee. I asked myself questions like, "What were my parents going to think?" and "How will this affect my future?" I had never been in this situation before. When I went to the disciplinary committee about the plagiarism case, I finally realized that my actions were dishonest and senile. I realized that change does not happen overnight, and to truly succeed in academics, you just have to be consistent, persistent, and hardworking.
I had been suspended for one day because of my actions.
Although it will show on my college application, I feel as if I would not be the person I am today without it. After getting suspended, I pledged to work hard in everything that I do. Ever since the suspension freshman year, I have been on the honor roll every semester. The dedication in academics drove me to push myself in other activities. In that year alone, I had worked hard in my sports and made and started on the varsity teams for both soccer and basketball. In my high school career, I received the Bradford Religion Award for excellence in religion, the Head's Watch Award for excellence in my school's community, received eight varsity letters, captained and made all league twice in both soccer and basketball, was named the athlete of the year twice, was the head of the school's community service program, and led my school's jazz band as the first trumpet. These accomplishments are not about me being narcissistic and just naming awards for my own humor. These are awards that were produced by a complete change in lifestyle, because of an awful mistake that I made. To totally re-adjust your way of thinking, you must have a goal. My goal was to simply atone for my blunder, and make my family proud.
The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates said that, "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but building the new." If I had dwelled on this mistake, then I would not have had success for the next three years. Because of this change, it has made me the developing person that I am today. Do not get me wrong, do your best, and avoid breaking rules. But I would encourage anyone to take risks and learn from the experiences you had while taking these risks. Because if you are never tested, then you will never be prepared for the battle called life.