Lesson Learned by Jacey

Lesson Learned by Jacey - December 2024 Scholarship Essay

My first year at Indiana University was an awakening for me. I got in my way with maintaining the required GPA of 3.0. My GPA dropped to a 2.7. Never in my entire high school career had my GPA gone lower than 3.4. I was devastated, and now I was a first-year college student, performing less than acceptable. As a freshman, I didn’t know what to expect, and it would be a massive adjustment from high school. In high school, studying was never a priority because everything came so quickly to me, so learning the proper techniques to study was never developed properly. Being a volleyball player since the age of 9 for my school and travel team, my time was always filled with school, practice, games, and tournaments. This meant my time was well managed and structured. Starting at Indiana University, I gave up volleyball. Having free time, I thought, would give me all the time I needed to study and perform well in class. I thought this would be positive. What I found out was that a full schedule is necessary for me. My performance is much better when I’m involved in more activities. Downtime is not my friend. I was in my first year of college, trying to handle this issue myself, struggling to ask people for help, and was a little timid about joining study groups. However, I have realized the importance of seeking help and being part of study groups. I attended office hours and exam reviews when offered, but as much as I worked on the content being taught, I always felt like I was two steps behind. The final transcript of my freshman year does not represent the student or person that I am. Going into my second year, I aim to join clubs, and I’m considering returning to volleyball. I can’t be idle with my time. I am fully committed to improving my academic performance.

To get ahead of this and start my sophomore year with a higher GPA, I took Chemistry 101 during the summer session. It is a challenging course for me while working full-time at our local hospital as a student healthcare worker for the radiology department, but this is the type of schedule I need. I found myself again and enjoying my hectic and full schedule. I maintained a B in my Chemistry class, which was a testament to what I needed to do to get back to the student I knew. This fall will be very different for me. Step one will be to have minimal time gaps between classes. Aligning myself with study groups early on in the year by being more vocal before it’s too late, making sure to introduce myself to my professors so that I can build a relationship with them, and lastly, I have already secured a job on campus with the recreational center so that I have a more structured schedule throughout the year.

I’m going into this year better prepared and aware of what is expected and needed to succeed. I'm not making excuses because I think it was good that it happened. It has taught me much about myself and how I operate as a student and an individual. This scholarship is critical to me, and I don’t want you to feel I will take it for granted. I didn’t know how to be a college student, but now I do.