Overcoming My Own Mental Blocks by Kiley

Overcoming My Own Mental Blocks by Kiley - December 2024 Scholarship Essay

As a senior in high school, I work hard to keep my grades up. I pay attention in class, so I know how to do the homework. I ask questions so that I understand what is being taught to me. I didn't always learn like this though. Freshman year really took a toll on my overall GPA. I was convinced that algebra I and physical science were the hardest classes known to man. I told myself that I couldn't do it, so I didn't try. The only thing I remember studying for was a quiz for the first 40 elements on the periodic table. After that I thought that since the class was hard, I shouldn't be able to do well in it. When my parents told me that my grades would matter, I thought they were just saying that to get me to study. I didn't realize how it would affect me later. Then came finals at the end of the year. I needed to take all of my finals and had a lot of studying to do. I thought that there was no way to study for a math test. Especially trying to study equations we learned months prior. Then trying to remember everything that happened in physical science. I was so worried about not passing my classes that it was all I could think about. I was very lucky that my teachers curved my grade to just passing. After that experience, I knew I needed to make a change for the better.
My sophomore year I came prepared to work to get my grades up. My hardest classes that year were biology and geometry. I found that I could understand biology better than physical science. I enjoyed learning about it and liked studying for the class. Geometry on the other hand was tough. I was had a steady C in that class, but I knew I could do better, I started going to a tutor in the mornings for some extra help. It ended up working for me and I knew I could pass the class. At the end of the year, I had steady Bs. By my junior year it was smooth sailing. I was taking anatomy and absolutely loved it. I understood algebra II and found what worked for me when studying for tests. So far this year I am liking my classes, and I'm not worried about failing.
I learned that I needed to embrace the challenge instead of being scared of it. Finding ways to help myself instead of feeling sorry about it. I flipped my mindset from thinking that teachers were tricking me, to knowing that they wanted me to succeed. I had to get over thoughts of not being able to do anything and change them into what I could do. It didn't matter how much I wanted to succeed if I didn't do anything about it. I can now say that I have success because of how I pushed myself to be better. Having that experience changed how I look and challenges and is going to prepare me for a future.