My Revelation as a Resolution by Meagan

My Revelation as a Resolution by Meagan - December 2020 Scholarship Essay

Most students view college as a roadblock to success or rather something that they must endure if they desire employment later in life. In fact, students enjoy the saying “Cs get degrees,” to advocate for the bare minimum of work needed to complete college. However, I have gone to college to be enriched in education and I appreciate the learning process. There’s nothing more pleasurable than finally understanding something after an immense amount of dedication. My resolution is to completely comprehend all new material by exploring it more in depth which additionally advocates that I must be passionate, diligent, and ambitious.

It’s evident that a 4.0 is the gold star for college achievement, but I’d argue that the learning process is more vital since it clearly demonstrates a student’s determination and motivation. A 4.0 can be achieved through cheating which completely eliminates the goal of learning. Everyone has the ability to exploit google, but hardly any student can acknowledge the true value of education. My resolution isn’t to be the smartest student, but rather a student that has mastered the topic and has the ability to teach others. Regurgitating words or merely copying them down doesn’t allow for the actual comprehension of work. My recent experience in college has taught me that reading research articles, expressing my comprehension, and actually employing my knowledge results in schooling.

My methods of achieving this goal are to go beyond what the teacher requires and explore outside resources. The more that knowledge is recalled then the more it’s embedded in a person’s brain. Therefore, it’s essential that I revisit past knowledge and build off of it rather than forgetting it immediately after I’ve learned it. This semester I’ve enrolled in a mathematical class and I can acknowledge that I will face challenges. In the past I would pretend that I knew what was happening and hope for the best. The goal wasn’t to learn but preferably pass the class. I’ve realized that if I had mastered it in high school then I’d have a much easier time in college building off of it. My resolution would require me to now figure out why mathematicians do what they do which would assist me in understanding it further in depth. My future success would require me to watch videos of professionals doing it, be able to explain my reasoning behind my work, and actually practice it. If I desire enrichment and learning outside of the classroom then I need to be doing extra worksheets and exploring more complicated problems.

My mindset in the past was to retain something long enough so that I could get an A on the test and be finished with it. Then I would never touch the information again and subsequently lose it. For instance, in my freshman year of high school I was enrolled in a Spanish class. I loved to learn the language, but I despised the learning of conjugating the verbs in the past tense. I completed the year, and never thought of the past tense again until this year. This year I wanted to learn it, because I had the epiphany that comprehending all knowledge is useful. In class I was effortful in practicing it and I even started speaking to my fluent roommate to ensure that I was pronouncing everything correctly. Now I can think of most past tenses off of the top of my head which demonstrates that putting the effort in always works for the better. Learning outside of the classroom is just as needed as learning inside the classroom.

Another factor in my resolution is that I must tweak my way of thinking so that I’m more diligent and ambitious. A positive attitude and a strong work ethic is important for success and it can get people very far in life. I used to look at doing homework as something dreadful and tedious, but now I recognize that it’s a privilege. Not everyone has an opportunity to attend college, so I’m incredibly grateful that I’m able to. I have access to an immense library with all of the academic resources that I could possibly imagine. In fact, I had to read several research papers and dare I say that I found joy in them. For the first time in my life I got to examine society from a true scientific viewpoint and see textbook theories emerge in real life. I gained a lot of knowledge on those subjects, but I also change my personal viewpoints and my perspective on the world.

Determination needs to be my driving force in times of desperation and frustration. I can no longer quit trying to understand something if I don’t comprehend it the first few times. If I continue to put the work in then I will eventually get it, and I need to engrave that into my mindset. My motivation is college being an opportunity. I chose to go and I’m fortunate to be able to attend it, so I should be doing a great job. It’s essential that I remember my passion, enjoyment, and fulfillment from learning. It can be difficult and suffocating at times, but in the end the education is always worth it. Education is the key to furthering society, happiness, and everything good in the world.