Informal Accomplishments by Taylor

Informal Accomplishments by Taylor - June 2024 Scholarship Essay

Academic success in my life has been defined by the short successes I have had outside the classroom. While I have a good memory and am good at taking tests, academic success is also made possible by informal education. I was in and out of classrooms when I was younger, so I have more experience in informal learning than most, along with my hobbies, which have helped me learn better than I ever could in the classroom.
When I was younger, I was in and out of classrooms, causing me to have more exposure to informal education than most kids my age. At the age of six, my family made a permanent trip to Texas for four years. During two of those years, I went to public school, but for the other two, I was homeschooled. I was not in a traditional school setting, allowing me to explore my interests. I was still learning the same as the other kids, just not in the same way. Being out of the classroom helped me learn how the real world works. For example, I learned how money works and how to deal with people different from me by grocery shopping with my mom. I also learned how to help others by lending a hand when parents needed their kids babysat or helping out with lunch/ dinner. This led to me being successful in school by giving me a go-getter attitude. It also helped me by lending me an observing eye, which helped me catch things most people miss, including small details. This helps in the classroom because, by catching those small details, I will be able to pull them out of my brain for a test.
By having many different hobbies, I have contributed much to my academic success. My favorite thing to do outside of school is read. Since I was young, I have loved to read, and I continued to do so into my teenage years. This helps my academic success because I can remember material better than others. By reading so many books and remembering what happened in them, I helped myself by creating a good memory. This helps in my academic success by achieving higher test scores and upping my GPA. Along with reading, I also enjoy sports, which I have done competitively since I was a child. In sports, there are many life lessons that can be learned, one of which is motivation. Motivation helped me continue through the rough spots in my sport and helped me come out stronger. It also helps me get through my schoolwork and continue to have good grades. Along with motivation, there is good work. While there are hours that go into practicing for sports, there are also hours that go into studying for school. Hard work helps keep my grades up and keeps me on track for the coming years. Both of these key attributes help me have academic success inside the classroom and in the grade book.
Informal education has played a very heavy role in my academic success. Being in and out of classrooms when I was younger helped shape my academic success into what it is today, as well as my hobbies that I have. Both of these attributes have contributed to my accomplishments in the classroom and I am very thankful for them. Informal education will continue to affect where I go in life and how much I succeed in academics.