The Power of Resilience by Sierra

The Power of Resilience by Sierra - September 2014 Scholarship Essay

The skill I believe is most important to college success is the ability to bounce back; resilience. Though it’s not a physical skill, it’s something that can be practiced and learned and improved, so, in my opinion, it can justifiably be considered a skill. College is full of challenges, and not all of them are easily conquered. A person’s resilience allows them to see these obstacles in a different light, recognize how that error could have been avoided, and use that insight to be more successful next time.

Making mistakes, minor and massive, is all part of the learning experience! It’s important to realize that everyone messes up in one way or another all the time. Once in a while, there are even things that happen that were unavoidable, but we must deal with the consequences, like a death or traumatic event. However, it’s very important to not let those setbacks derail you. I know a lot of people who have met obstacles in their lives and let the feeling of failure completely take over. It affects not only your current mood, but also you actions and your future. Resilience is a necessity if you plan on conquering the roadblocks you’ll surely meet in college.

In college, there are a million things that can happen in ways we hadn’t planned on. It could be that you slept through your morning classes on accident. Maybe you forgot to study for a test you have today and end up flunking it. Or, perhaps you wrote a paper in philosophy that you were sure was right on as far as what your professor was asking for, but you somehow received a low grade because your professor actually thought you were a little off the mark. Messing up or thinking you have things figured out and realizing that you don’t can be embarrassing, but if you look carefully, there are lessons to be learned. Missed a class? It’s not reason to feel stupid or ashamed and decide not to go; that’s going to backfire. Failing your exam will teach you that you need to find a method of studying that works better for you. If a professor didn’t like exactly what you had to say this time, you will have a better idea of what they’re looking for in your next paper. When students let themselves feel defeated by the challenges they face in college, it’s really easy for them to dig themselves into a hole that it’s extremely difficult to pull themselves out of. But, even if you’re looking up at the world from the bottom of the pit that you dug, that has not sealed your fate, and you are not doomed to failure. There may be some negative consequences involved, like taking a bad grade or falling behind a little. The experience isn’t a purely positive one, which is where a lot of students get stuck in the “failure” mindset. However, when one uses their resilience and triumphs over the obstacle instead of surrendering to it, they most definitely learn from that experience. Resilience allows us to see the positive aspects of our mistakes and to learn from them.

Seeing the lessons to be learned leads us to the next step, which is applying that newfound knowledge. By making mistakes and not letting them deter you from trying again, we are able to make another, more educated attempt. When you accept defeat, you waste a valuable opportunity to move forward with more insight than you’d had before. One “oops” is not the end of the world! Learning by experience teaches us the most valuable lessons of our lives. How often are we ever going to use the quadratic equation, really? Learning how to handle difficulties and handle them in the ways you’ve seen as most effective is much more important; that applies to all aspects of life.

Practicing and improving one’s resilience, I believe, is the most helpful thing you can do in order to be successful in college. It’s great to have good study habits, know how to write a paper, and be skilled in the art of Pulling an All-Nighter. However, no matter how awesome things can be, there are bound to be bumps in the road, and being able to handle those sets you up for success not only in college but in life as well.