You Miss The Shots You Don't Take by Steven

You Miss The Shots You Don't Take by Steven - March 2019 Scholarship Essay

It is true what they say: you miss 100% of the shots you do not take. Thus, as a college student, if I were to give any advice to high school students, especially freshmen, it would be to take the Advanced Placement (AP) exams if they plan to head on to college. If they are eligible for a reduced fee for the AP exams, I would insist even more so.

I did not take any back in high school, and I heavily regret it. At the time, I would be told if I were to pass an exam, I would get 3 units or so towards college (120 units). I did not know exactly what that meant other than I would be able to work a little less in college. Turns out, I would work a lot less.

To put it into perspective, going to SJSU, one 3-unit class would essentially cost around $800 to $900 ($270 per unit), and every class is a semester long (unless you take it during Winter or Summer session). So passing an AP exam you are basically pocketing at least $800 and can take a different class to graduate a little sooner. I could have taken four AP exams, meaning I could have skipped a whole semester of classes - at least 12 units - as well as save at least $3200. I don't know about you, but that sounds much more intriguing than "3 units" or even "12" for that matter.