I Believe In Perseverance

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.

Failure is something I have to accept. I have failed a lot in the past, and I have allowed those failures to effect me in the present. As a young boy in grade school, I would always work hard to obtain good grades. After my first semester

Failure is something that all people encounter in their lives. In some situations failure can break a person or make a person, meaning a person can fail at something and just simply give up. Others will fail and that failure can give them the inspiration to try harder to one day achieve their goal. I'm the type of person to fail and work harder until I am content. As my championship baseball coach would say "What’s our motto? Never give up!"

I wanted to achieve this 3. I kept asking my teacher if it was possible. He said it was and that maybe I could even get a 5. I used this as more motivation. I worked even harder as the test date grew closer and closer. The day before the test, I reviewed everything I could. I walked into the test with some confidence because my teacher and my friends believed in me. However, after the test, I didn’t feel like I achieved the score I wanted to. I felt like I had let everyone down. That feeling lasted until I checked my scores in July. I woke up early to check my scores when I saw one of the biggest surprises of my life. I had not only achieved, but I exceeded my goal- I ended up getting a 5. All of the struggles and failure I went through led me to this moment. Everything was now worth it. This failure I experienced allowed me to accomplish something I never thought was possible. The struggle and failures I endured throughout AP World History were all worth it in the end. This situation made me realize that failure isn’t a bad thing. Failure doesn’t define me, but it does provide motivation for me to work harder and do my best to not put myself in that situation

I believe that when you persevere you can accomplish countless things. When someone says perseverance, I believe that people automatically think about working hard and getting rewards after. While working hard is a big part in it, there is more to it. I am going to share a couple of stories that will hopefully change your mind about perseverance.

When it comes time for high school students to enroll in classes, many of them decide against taking an Advanced Placement class as a result of false assumptions. Why do false assumptions about AP courses exist when the concept was to help students further their education? While it is true that many students take advantage of these courses, the idea of taking an AP course originated as a beneficial route for students. Arguments that were previously stated in articles can easily be rebutted by analyzing the benefits of taking an Advanced Placement course. High school students may benefit by taking AP courses by developing college-level skills, saving money and time, and impressing college admission officers.

I was raised in Nacogdoches, Texas, which is known for its small-town atmosphere and Stephen F. Austin State University. Due to being a small town, Nacogdoches lacked advanced placement courses; therefore, most my time was spent in non-challenging course work. When I attended SFA as a dual-credit student I experienced a minor shock, SFA was a step up from Nacogdoches High School; however, I quickly adapted and worked harder to maintain the pace of my peers. When I finally got accepted to Texas A&M University I again faced the same academic obstacle, and experienced major setbacks and failures. After my first semester of college I received a 2.7 gpa and received my first C in a class. Feelings of defeat and confusion overcame me—my goals of attending medical school appeared to diminish before my eyes. I questioned my work ethic and intelligence. Despite the feelings of failure, I never let myself fall into despair, and I moved forward. Every semester following my first semester at A&M I improved over time; however, the in the Spring 2016 I finally overcame my academic hurdle and made my best grades to date. It has taken time to develop qualitative techniques to retain information for difficult science

When I passed my AP World History test. During my freshman year I was put into an AP class. I didn’t know what AP was, I didn’t know what to expect. I was able to handle my honors classes because it was material back in middle school. However, AP World History was strenuous and took major effort. There were multiple times where I had uncertainty of whether or not I was capable to keep going. I really felt out of place because it was a difficult class with essays, chapters to read and exams every week. Nonetheless, I never gave in, I convinced myself that the reason why my school put in roughly 90 kids, including myself, out of at least 1000, is because they saw potential in us and knew that we would be able to handle the stress of a college

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

Truth be told, their only requirement is for me to have a 3.5 GPA or higher by the end of each semester. I am proud to say that I have never neglected to meet this requirement. In addition, my folks are pleased all the AP classes I have taken and how I continue to challenge myself. Suddenly, junior year came so did the ACT. The first time I took the test, I scored a 21. After that, I began to see myself as a 21. In other words, I saw myself as not good enough. The national average on the ACT is 20, so in reality I did just fine. The problem is: I kept comparing myself to the Claire Davis-es of the world. After reading The Overachievers, I realized that other students receiving a high score, does not make mine any lower. I may not have the SAT, but this book still related to me and my test taking abilities. This book reminded me that we are people. We are unique and perfect in our own ways. We are not

Given the AP class list at Charlestown High School, and my constant relocating between states during high school, I was only able to take one AP class- AP Language & composition. After coming back to Charlestown High, halfway into September of 2016, I was put into AP Lang and was required to complete all of the summer work in one week. Despite all of the readings and annotations, I was able to complete the requirements, along with a 1500 word essay before the deadline and received the highest grade. Regardless of the challenges that I face outside, and inside of school I’ve always been able to strive for academic excellence and push myself to partake in the creation of new knowledge. Throughout my time in high school when given work that I could not fully comprehend in class, I would spend hours after school teaching myself what I could not understand before. By pushing myself to learn more outside of school I always ended up being ahead of my class in the long run. If given the chance to be a part of the Program I feel that I will have a strong community to learn from, teach and help in order to better myself and others no matter the coursework. No matter the case I always have the motivation to strive for excellence in everything that I do whether

In the beginning of my junior year, I had signed up for one of the most intimidating classes in my high school, AP chemistry. While I took chemistry honors, I heard rumors about the AP course and seen homework packets that overwhelmed me to the point of removing the class from next year’s schedule. However, out of impulsiveness, I decided it was time for a challenge and put the course back on my schedule. When I received my summer assignment for the course, I felt confused and regretful about the decision I had made. My commitment to not fail the class the first week back from break forced me to focus on the time-consuming homework. From my struggle, I managed to finish the packet on time. The school year began, and one of the first lessons

The past few years since I have began High School I have realized how important school really is for my future. My freshman year was the year I slacked because I really just had no care but as an 11th grader and an incoming 12th grader for the 2018-2019 school year, I have realized it was a very big mistake because it is now affecting my GPA which I know could be higher. I am hoping that by taking this class it could increase my GPA although by the time I will be taking this class my college applications will have already been submitted. Taking an AP course will be the biggest step I have taken in my high school career. I may not have been ready for this step up in my education during the 2017-2018 school year but I believe I am fully prepared

'Tis the season for college applications, and as a senior in high school this bring a lot of stress to me and I am not the only one. "Teens across the U.S. are standing by their mailboxes, waiting anxiously for the envelopes that will seal their academic fate. It's college admissions season and for many students a lot hinges on how well they performed in standardized testing"(Sheffer). As I have gone throughout my high school career I have achieved a 4.0 GPA. However, despite my hard work, my GPA will be looked at but the main focus of the decision process will be based on my ACT scores, and because I received a 25 this is very stressful to me. Although a 25 is not horrible, it will jeopardize some of the chances I would have getting into a

At the beginning of junior year, I had a difficult time with AP Biology. Even though I completed all the practice assignments, I did not do well on the first few lab write-ups and tests. The class was so hard for me that I contemplated dropping. I convinced myself to stay in the class and worked extensively with my teacher outside of class. I tried different studying techniques and methods and found the most effective one for me: pre-reading the textbook sections before my teacher introduced the concept. As this was the first course truly had difficulties with, I recognized that failures in life are inevitable. I embrace a new mindset now that incorporates these challenges into my personal growth. I now use each new obstacle as stepping stones