AP as a freshman by sydney

AP as a freshman by sydney - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

High school is characterized by change, specifically in academics. As middle schoolers, kids are told that high school is a whole different ball game. Freshmen gradually adjust to their new workload and learn the ropes. As a freshman, I took my very first AP class and I am extremely proud of myself for doing so.

No one expected me to take hard classes as a freshman, which motivated me even more. I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of excelling in higher pressure environments. My first week of school, I spent at least two hours every night reading and copying notes from the AP NSL textbook and the workload did not lighten up as I progressed. As my friends bragged about how much free time they had after school, I sat at home doing schoolwork for hours at a time. But my hard work payed off, during my first in-class writing, my teacher told me that I was the only one in the class who had received a 100%. I was extatic. Time went on and a love hate relationship formed between the class and I. I dreaded the work some nights, but class time flew by because I was so interested by every topic. Soon spring came around and the thought of taking an AP test was enough to make my palms sweat. I studied a little bit everyday and took my test without incident. When the results came out a few months later, I was shocked to discover that I earned a 5 out of 5. Even though I am a junior now, I'm still so proud of that accomplishment. The class taught me discipline and persistence. It taught me that while work may not always be fun, hard work does pay off. And most importantly it taught me that challenging myself to be the best I can be pays off.