Academic Growth by Sara

Academic Growth by Sara - August 2016 Scholarship Essay

Thus far in my high school career I have learned more in my Physics C: Mechanics course than any other course. This class was, without an ounce of doubt, the hardest I have ever been enrolled in. It was challenging and frustrating, but ultimately it helped cultivate me into a more academically mature student. As a student of this class I was taught superior study methods and habits, critical problem solving skills, and better ways to deal with failure; all of these tools helped me grow as a student.

Prior to this course I was always told to study in a traditional manner: Study when you don't have any distractions, memorize the equations first, do it exactly how you were taught, etc.. Mr. Tony Cornforth, my Physics instructor, understood that this was not the best way to utilize our time or further our understanding. He encouraged us to study at least three times a day, but in increments of 15 or so minutes whenever we got a chance; on the bus, right when we wake up, before bed, any time we could spare a few minutes. I got more study time in this way and it helped me learn how to better deal with distractions. Memorizing equations was also something else he did differently. Yes, he did stress that we should have “instant recall” of all our equations, but practicing new problems was more important. During the course I learned that it does not matter if you know how you’re supposed to do something if you just are not able, which is why we studied by doing 50-60 problem practice packets before every test. Lastly, possibly what was most crucial to my growth, he allowed us to solve problems however we saw fit. So long as we could explain our reasoning, any approach was permitted. This encouraged me to keep attempting a question even if I couldn’t recall how we were taught. That, in turn, helped when the test came around. I had a personal way of solving the problem! I carried this new way of studying over to other classes, and suddenly grew academically in all of my classes!

Now, because we were allowed to attempt problems our own way, we needed to know how to go about it. First and foremost it was always best to think back to how it was done in class but, as previously covered, that doesn’t work 100% of the time. So when we came to a standstill in a problem we needed to think about why what was happening, was happening. If we understood why it was happening we could, as a result, what was supposed to happen next: In Physics this can be, and usually is, pivotal to the problem. When this method of approach didn’t work he would tell us to, “Just do something.” What might not sound like fantastic advice, was actually extremely handy. I could be just going into a problem with no idea what was going on, at a complete loss, plugging in random numbers at that point, and all of a sudden it would jog a memory or start to resemble something he showed us in class. His “Just Do Something” method was probably what allowed me to do so well in the class. This too, along with just about everything I learned in his class, has carried over to all my studies

Like in every class there were times when I couldn’t figure something out, however in Physics, this occurred more often than I was used to. Up until I took this course I really had no way to deal with failure. Throughout the year-long course I became an expert on dealing with failure, because I had to deal with it so often. Getting a question right on the first try happened rarely. As the time went on I realized this was a good thing. Every time I failed, I learned what not to do. Every time I failed, I learned how to do it a little bit better. Now any time I fail, in class or out, I see it as the opportunity that it is. Physics helped me grow not only as a student but as a person.

Whether it was as a person or as a student Physics C: Mechanics helped me grow every step of the way. I study better, I think more critically, I even handle failure better than I did before this course. I have yet to take another class that I could learn this much from. Looking back, all the hard work and struggle more than paid off. I could not be more satisfied with what I took away from the course.