My most difficult academic experience and how I overcame it by dana

My most difficult academic experience and how I overcame it by dana - December 2024 Scholarship Essay

One of the most difficult challenges I have endured in my academic career was during my first semester in the LVN program. Juggling family duties with the full-time demands of a graduate program felt impossible for me as a mom to two kids. I was overwhelmed with the amount of reading I needed to get through, completing so many clinical rotations, constantly feeling like I had to study around the clock and do well on every quiz/exam all while still being a mom maintaining my house etc. I got to a point where I felt like maybe this whole school thing might be too much and that I may not make it. But it taught me lessons in self-discipline, persistence and when to ask for help. The biggest problem was balancing my academic and family life. I was working long clinical shifts at the hospital, doing assignments and preparing for exams trying to make sure I could take care of my kids. I was completely exhausted, mentally and physically, while I tried to do it all. I felt like I was failing at school and would not become a Nurse.

So, instead of allowing myself drown in the unwanted feelings I stepped out and realized there was another way to react to what had occurred on that day. I needed it reduce it easy and broke my list down into tasks. I put together a daily plan in which specific hours of my day were dedicated to studying, attending clinical shifts and spending quality time with kids. I also leaned on my teachers, classmates and everything. They were very forgiving and gave advice in how to better split the work up. I learned about the value in seeking help when you need it, and recognise that by asking for support does not mean I am failing, but rather being strong because I want to do well. Along with educational resources, I leaned heavily on my experience as a mother to manage my time. Take your mission critical priorities and reduce as much noise, while still getting the hard work done. Every opportunity to study during downtime (my children sleeping, between classes), and the Non-credit courses. I managed my time effectively, stayed organized, and pushed through my assignments on top of excelling at all of my clinical rotations. During my journey, I learned that facing adversities are a normal component of the academic pathway but even more so in such an arduous program like nursing. This experience taught me what during high school period I could have learnt why and in detail; effects of gaining academic knowledge more make my strength at being benchmarked, difficult to be overcame without just scoring; the importance of adaptation, this is about our will to change along with the change. Through the help of fellow students and professors, strong time management skills and my sheer stubbornness to give up on my dream as a Nurse I made it through those challenging semesters.

By overcoming this challenge in the end have made me stronger and determined student. This has strengthened my understanding that opening up ourselves to others, we can work together; no matter life gets tough unless we are ready to seek for help and stand firm with whatever comes in way of both achieving my academics and career path.