Algebra 2-Trig: My Analysis

As a junior, I had three AP classes: AP United States History, AP Language and Composition, and AP Chemistry. I thought taking them was going to be a breeze. As the AP tests approached at the end of the year, AP test preparation accelerated to levels where the question was not whether or not we had homework, but instead e how much time the homework would take to complete. My struggle came with preparing for the AP Chemistry test that coupled complex chemistry topics with difficult algebra. I took practice test after practice test, read test prep book after test prep book, and asked for help constantly on any perplexing concepts and any convoluted math problems. The time came and went slowly, yet very quickly.

Being a freshman in college, I set impractical and unrealistic goals for myself. Throughout the year, I had to overcome various obstacles to strive in meeting the goals I had set out for myself. One of my goals during the first year of college was to earn a 4.0 GPA. I thought this would be an easy feat as I was able to academically grow throughout my academic career—excelling from being roughly a 2.6 GPA student to roughly a 4.0 GPA student. One of the biggest obstacles I had to face was taking exams. In high school, I did not need to prepare for exams as much as I do in college. I underestimated my midterms and finals as I did not know that I had to study at least a week ahead of time in order to obtain suitable grades. In high school, I was able to study one or two nights beforehand and still manage to achieve high grades.

For the past three years of my high school career, and now my fourth, I have made it an obligation to continually expand my horizons in regards to math; when I cannot fully grasp an idea or concept, rather than giving up, I relentlessly pursue the idea until it is understood. During freshman year, math did not come easily to me. I was forced to go in early some days because, simply, I did not comprehend the concepts. However, taking initiative with my school work, and constantly working through problems that were difficult can be deemed one of the best decisions I have made. Although my final grade may not have been an

My first year of college I was devastated because I didn’t pass my math class due to procrastination. Not because the class

As I look back on my prepubescent years, I remember failing a difficult math test in the fourth grade. I was extremely disheartened. It was one of the hardest tests of the year, but I was determined to pass with flying colors. I had put my utmost effort into solving each of the problems, and I had even studied for days in advance.

In the other hand, I was failing math because unlike all the other students, I am not the fastest learner. I would always get confused with the structure and format of the question. For instance, fractions, decimals, and word problems would confuse me . I wasn’t very good with solving any of that so I knew I had to start attending tutoring. I had very good help from the students at Loma Linda University. They taught me an easier way to solve any problem, and that caused my test scores to increase. I can pass that class with no problem now. That

My difficult courses has taught me to always give my best effort no matter how hard the task at hand is. I have taken three advanced placement classes and four honors classes. Taking on these courses I sacrifice leisure time to study. I study between two to three hours a night for these classes so I can do my best. This is exemplified with me getting all A’s in my classes last semester. The monumental lesson I learned from my course load is to

Throughout many of the arduous AP courses I took in high school I was pushed to my limits, but I accomplished my goals through hard work. One example of this would be my AP United States History class. This class was one of the most difficult courses I had taken, mostly due to the sheer amount of information being presented and needed to be memorized. Even though the basics of U.S. history had been taught to me in one way shape or form every school year, there was brand new information on people and important dates. At first I struggled with the work load and text, but I eventually made it through and succeeded by diving

I've learned to become more attentive and conscientious of my weaknesses. I use my strength of persistence and diligence to resolve problems I find to be arduous. Two years ago, I was not meticulous, but now I've learned that every detail counts. It is not only about working hard, but it's also about working smart. It's about acknowledging my weaknesses and toiling until they are no longer my weaknesses. Math homework was never at the top of my priority list, but after identifying that as an obstacle in my success, I immediately altered the way I approached it. Math homework routinely became the first task I set out to finish when I arrived home. If there were extra assignments, I always finished them. Receiving a test that's covered with red marks, meant that I needed to understand what I did wrong. I started reaching out to my teachers and peers for their help and support. We created catchy chants for topics like Domain and Range. Overall, I would not have passed if I looked at my failure as a defeat rather than a delay and my goal as an outcome rather than a learning

of effort would continue to get me by. I quickly found that my lack of study habits

I managed to fail a few of my test due to failing to study the day before. My teacher where outraged and kept me for tutoring to try and bring my grades up. That was a tough time for me back then since I was always bullied at school. I was so ashamed in myself that set a goal to get commended in one of my 5th grade STAAR test. I began to focus more on subjects I was most confused in such as math. I came to every day tutoring was held, and I managed to arrive early in the morning to work on homework that was due late. Weeks and weeks of doing homework and sleep deprivation only managed to get me to a 70-82 in the weekly tests given during the time. I soon began

After my first test in the class had not gone as well as I had hoped, I asked the teacher for help, and he helped as well as he could, but my brain just could not comprehend everything he tried to explain to me. I continued to struggle through the semester, and that resulted in a non-passing grade. After this failed attempt at the class, I decided to take time away from algebra. In doing this, I realized that my first attempt at college algebra was a failure because of my mental illness. I had not realized it at the time, but I was depressed at the time I was taking the class, and this is what had caused me to be unable to understand the material

I spent the summer and the majority of the next semester polishing my skills and learning new methods through online classes and an extensive supply of problems. Math constantly gave me something to do, even in the busy frenzy that was Sophomore year. Many times, I frantically rushed through homework, or foolishly procrastinated it in order to spend a few hours holed up in my room on a Saturday with pencils, papers, and practice problems. Though sometimes stressful, I found joy in the long hours spent in my room working difficult problems. The multistep process of problem solving intrigued me; the beauty

Only the beginning of junior year, I was afraid to continue the class. I was afraid I was going to flunk out. The class carried on as I sat there day after day with the thought of failing on my mind. However, that only made me even more determined to get a higher grade on the next test. I could not let a bad grade eat me up and demolish my desire to succeed. Later when the second test was passed back, I looked at it, flashed a smile, and flipped through it, noticing only a few minor mistakes. Returning to the front page, I stared at that 92% until the end of class.

Growing up, achieving near perfect grades in school quickly became my utmost priority. I excelled in nearly every subject, particularly math, all throughout elementary, middle, and most of high school; however, this year, my senior year, I had experienced what I’ve always considered to be my absolute worst nightmare: receiving a low test grade in a math class.