Step it Up by Riley

Step it Up by Riley - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

Currently, I am a nursing student at Plattsburgh State. Last semester I started off my first college experience with a statistics class. When I told people I was taking statistics they would remark, "good luck with that" or "first semester you and you want to sink yourself already with a hard math class?". Though, I did not listen to them and did not come into the class with the prenotion that I was going to fail like most did.
I walked into my statistics class the first day of classes and much to my surprise my teacher had a very strong accent and (for lack of better words) absolutely awful and ineligible hand writing. At this point, I thought to myself, "Maybe they were right, how will I ever pass this class?". The first quiz was handed back and I received an 85. It was not a terrible grade but I knew the class was only going to get harder and I needed to step up my game. I knew the school offered tutors in certain courses, thus I went to the learning center and scheduled my first tutoring appointment. Much to my surprise, I had an amazing tutor who really supported me and helped me to no ends in that class. By the end of the semester, I was going to my statistics tutor once a week and passing and excelling on every quiz and test I had in that class. I owe it all to my tutor and I ended up passing the midterm with a 98 and receiving an A on my final for statistics.
Therefore, I saw early that I would have a challenging semester academically and if I did not get extra help in the class, my grades would fall. I took it upon myself to get a tutor for the class that I knew was hard to begin with and even harder when I was not able to understand what the professor was saying or writing during lecture. If I did not realize right away or did not have the drive to get a tutor, I may have not even passed the class. I am so thankful that I made the right decision and overcame my academic challenge.