Everything's So Mathematical! by Ruby

Everything's So Mathematical! by Ruby - August 2016 Scholarship Essay

I won’t lie, my classes in high school never really appealed to me. To me, everything just seemed like a chore, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. Then in the of my junior year of high school, I was notified by my teacher that I should join AP Calculus. Me? Join AP Calculus? A class where I heard that one has a high chance of dying? Ok. I don’t know what really compelled me to join such a class, but I can say that I didn’t regret it.

During the summer I was motivated. I picked up a book on Calculus and just started studying. I thought it would be best considering for the fact that I was only exposed for Pre-Calculus for a short time and never touched Calculus. When I started my Senior year I felt ready; well anyone can guess that it was difficult for me. I was lucky enough to get a B for the first marking period, but in the middle of the second marking period I had my grade as low as F. I was distraught and I think I was actually depressed for a short time, but I wiped away my tears and studied twice as hard and even went to tutoring sessions. It was the best decision of my life. I was up to a B again! I still felt a bit worried when it was time for a test, but for the third marking period, I ended with an A in the class!

I was never that fond of my classes, but I had realized that I had suddenly liked Calculus…AP Calculus! My teacher actually told me that he expects a three from me, but later on, he told me he expected a five! I never felt so encouraged before. To be honest, I was paying less and less attention in my other classes. No, I wasn’t ignoring them or anything; I still did all the work, it’s just I was paying more attention to Calculus. I was doing things I never thought I can do. It just made me grow as a person. I felt immensely good about myself.

In then end, I felt sturdy. I eventually focused on all of my classes evenly and learned to use my time wisely. I even ended up in the top 100 in my school! In just a few weeks I’ll be in college. How scary is that? Well, it isn’t so scary for me. AP Calculus has taught me a few things that I never realized I could accomplish. I won’t be afraid of college and I’ll handle my classes accordingly. Time management is key. Hopefully, I’ll be good enough to reach the top 10! Besides it will be easier since I already got two classes out of the way; that’s right, I got a four on my AP Calculus exam! I won’t even be worried anymore during exams because like my AP Calculus teacher would always say, “Good luck, not that you need it ‘cause you know it.”