Discovering What Mattered Most in Education by Xavier

Discovering What Mattered Most in Education by Xavier - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

Coming out of high school, grades had always been the main objective in my education. For me, grades showed how smart you were and how much potential you had to be successful. Of course some things in high school were challenging, but I always managed to pull through and meet the mark. I had really good grades in high school and I was confident that my academic prowess would transfer over when i began college.
However, I had a reality shock when the same high academic achievement did not carry over. During my first year at UC Irvine, I went from an A student in high school to a struggling C student. Not only was all the new material and increase in workload much more intensive than I had anticipated, I was also very frustrated that I was not getting the same grades that I was used to. This was especially rough for me because it seemed as if everyone else around me was still managing and doing fine, while I was struggling to survive. I really cared about getting the ‘A’ but my work did not reflect.
A few weeks left in the Spring Quarter of school and my computer science professor began mentioning how grade cutoffs were quickly approaching. This is when he said something that really stuck out to me. He assured the class that not everyone would be passing, and would be required to retake the course. However, he then proclaimed that although it might be disappointing, it might be for the best, because in the end, the grade is no what is important, the higher understanding of the course material is what is. And with a strong degree of comprehension and understanding, the desired grade would eventually follow through. This really impacted me because I realized that up until that point, I had worried so much about grades that I wasn’t putting much effort into ensuring that I actually understood what I was learning. I had lost sight of the very purpose of getting a college education. Yes, grades are a big factor, but what’s really important is acquiring the skills and knowledge to be successful in future endeavors. While I did pass all of my classes, my first year, I couldn’t say that I was very knowledgeable about the things I learned. However, I did leave my first year with a newfound confidence on how I would tackle college.
My second year in college went much smoother. No longer seeking shortcuts or an easy way to a good grade. I shifted my focus to really understanding the material, enough so that I could effectively explain it to someone else. While I didn’t just transform into the perfect student and did still find my courses challenging, I did notice I was more determined and my overall performance had greatly improved from the previous year. I became enthusiastic about what I was learning and my appreciation for my major had increased. My grades had also began increasing as a result of the paradigm shift. While I initially dreaded going to the class that helped me shift my educational motivations, I am grateful for my growth as an academic scholar that resulted from its hardships.