Overcoming Academic Obstacles by Susan

Overcoming Academic Obstacles by Susan - June 2016 Scholarship Essay

One of the most difficult academic obstacles I've faced was studying for finals my first semester of sophomore year in college. My classes were much more difficult that semester than they had been my freshmen year, so I knew I was going to have to start preparing and studying much earlier. During this time, I was also working at the local YMCA a few mornings and afternoons during the week.
I began studying for my first few finals and made sure that I knew the material really well so that I was ready for the tests. After those few finals were over, I still had two more (one of them being my most difficult), and I was exhausted from all the work I had put into studying. That night, I had to work at the YMCA, and after I got done working, I studied for a few more hours before going to bed. I then had to work in the morning from 6:45-8:00. My first final began at 10 am and my last one was directly right after. I barely had any time to study that morning, and it was my most difficult test. I ended up doing average on the test, but I wished I could have done better.
From this experience, I learned that time management is really important when it comes to preparing for exams. Looking back, I should have started studying for my hardest exams first because that's what took up most of my time. I shouldn't have studied for the hardest test last, just because it was my last final on my schedule. When I took finals my second semester of sophomore year, I managed my time much more wisely, and it paid off, because I received much better grades.