Gateway To Experience by Miguel

Gateway To Experience by Miguel - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

For the most part, school is not well received by most school-aged kids. Limitless amounts of homework and tests, not to mention the end of the year stress that comes along with finding out if you pass or fail, can take its toll on the average student. In their minds, why should high school be any different? On the contrary, I believe its safe to say that high school is not the bottomless pit we seem to orchestrate in our minds.

For those out there entering high school that think it is just a continuation of K-8 or 9, they should no that there are no extremities to such an experience. High school can be rough, but it can be great as well. As a former K-12 student, I recall the difficulties of having had to stay up so many nights trying to finish projects and studying for tests that I thought would ultimately be a waste of time. However, my mindset then was not of the model student and needless to say I that I was not the class valedictorian. With that said, if there is one concrete recommendation that I would give for entering high school, it would be to have an enduring sense of discipline.

In regards to my previous point, discipline is the sole foundation for what keeps us not only grounded but also in essence keeps us going. To be able to endure during hard times and still have that will to push forward not only requires tremendous ambition but an overabundance of internal discipline that goes a long way. For example, I got involved with Tae Kwon Do and at the start of class, we would recite the oath and tenets of Tae Kwon Do. One of the key and final uttered tenets was to have an indomitable spirit. Now at 10 to 12 yrs. old, I did not know exactly what that meant, nonetheless even know if I had one. As I progressed further through that particular martial art, I found out that indomitable spirit was inside me all along. On top of that, of the other tenets, I exhibited great perseverance, courtesy, integrity, and most of all, self-control. Self-control is basically discipline, and being a person who is very punctual and organized, I saw that this tenet was very easy to accomplish. You may feel bogged down with assignments, exams, extra curricular commitments, and what to do after high school, but discipline should never dissipate.

A final point that should be made is that when we feel like high school never ends, we should believe that in a certain way. High school never ending is meant in a way in which those those who feel life is a continuation of teenage immaturity and not the fact that life is exactly like how it was in high school. High school can be fun and it can be boring; it will bring happy times and it will bring un-shabby times. Overall, the main goal is to see what you’re good at through your 4 year. If it happens to be the same thing you’ve been great at since you were younger, than that shall be the treasure you pursue at the center of the maze during your college years or other pathway. High school is the gateway to the terminal to the plane, and graduation will simple be the gateway to the real world that will soon enough come.