Luck Is A Matter Of Preparation Meeting Opportunity Essay

I studied for weeks, trying to prepare for the ACT. The day finally came for me to take the ACT, my hands shook while I took the test, when I finished I was unsure of how I did. Weeks later I received an email telling me that my scores were ready. I hoped and prayed that I would receive a good score because I knew this score would be important to my future. I logged on to the ACT website, I had received a twenty-two. My score was good enough to be accepted into college, but not good enough to be accepted to a top school or receive many scholarships. If someone does not do well on the ACT, they probably won’t be accepted or receive scholarships. This test is probably one of the most stressful tests some people have ever taken. The ACT measures knowledge, however, it is not the sole factor for success in college. Therefore, it should not be the primary factor that allows students to be accepted to college and receive scholarships.

William G. Tierney, Zoë B. Corwin, Julia E. Colyar, (2005), Preparing for colleges, pp 200-264

On December 2, 2016, in the opinion editorial, “How to Get In,” Susan Estrich, best-selling author and liberal columnist for the Creators, argues that hard work, not college acceptances, determine people’s future successes, challenging the notion that people’s opportunities and potentials are defined by the colleges they enter. Refuting the misconception that “getting into the right college is a meal ticket for life,” Estrich argues that GPA’s and LSAT’s may decide the difference between rejection and acceptance, but ultimately, tenacious hard work throughout life counts “for more than anything else,” before concluding that the “secret to a good application” is honesty and that, although she understands admissions can be partisan and erroneous through personal experience, in the end, she “did just fine”- an echoing sentiment to all prospective college applicants. Estrich

In 2011, Jen Wang was finishing up her freshman year at Connecticut College. As a young girl growing up in New Jersey, Jen took her first SAT when she was in the sixth grade, long before other students her age would even start to think about college. Jen said that test preparations for standardized tests, like the SAT, took up most of her free time that could have been used to do other things (Billy). The SAT’s early intent was to open doors of higher education to students without traditional credentials, but now this test is held at high esteem, the biggest indicator of college success (Mulugetta). Although standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT are used to “level the playing field” for students across the country, these tests add little

Sue Biermert explained to our junior class that night that life is about taking risks and facing problem after problem. It was obviously not getting any easier by applying to colleges. However, this is what we all had to do in order to feel like our parents in thirty years, because our culture has forced us to be part of the system of going to some sort of university. She admitted that many of us would feel rejected, literally and emotionally, in a year from our top choice. Though, one never knows until you take that leap of faith as she quoted a popular Michael Jordan poster in our Chicago-suburban high school that reads: “I miss 100% of all the shots I don’t take.” Biermert reiterated to us that we were there that night to be part of the process, therefore we must be willing to tackle the admissions problem head on and do the best we can.

It was June 11th, 2015 and the softball team was headed to Radford for the state tournament. The nerves of everyone was running wild as we all sat on the bus listening to music in our headphones. While everyone sat in silence I could see the on everyone’s face that they were trying to strategize, including myself, on how we are going to win these last two games. The previous year the softball team won the state title. This created a high bar for this team to reach. As we sat on the bus we started talking to each other about how we can remain calm and drive ourselves to do the best that we possibly can. Coach Gaines reminded us, “play every play and at bat like it is the last time you will ever play softball”. As I hear these words echoing over

Throughout my life, I have been apart of America’s pastime--baseball. My career started in the dog days of the ‘03 season and I have not stopped playing since. Looking back, I can see the horrid field where I first started playing, and if I shift gears and look forward, I can see the shimmering astro turf I will be playing on in college. The steps taken to learn the skills, positions, and history it takes to play the game of baseball have been stored in the very core of my being, but I was launched into this learning process. I never got to play teeball like most young players do, so I did not learn the game in the same manner as most ball players have before me. The speedy progression would discourage most from ever playing again, but I fed on the opportunity and thrived. Time and time again, the game of baseball has tried to knock me out with an array of assailants, but it has not succeeded to this point, for I have gotten back up each time stronger than before. One could say baseball was the mold that made me into who I am today.

This page is dedicated to the different projects that have better helped me become prepared for college and life after high school. Each entry within this page has a common theme: college. This is a collection of my college acceptance letters, scholarship awards, and my journey of becoming more prepared for college. I trace back my experience with college level tests, and what went into choosing the college that I most desired. This page is also dedicated to showing the steps that I have taken to prove that I am college bound.

I contemplate the American dream; what does it really mean? How is it becoming increasingly redefined? What is the role of education in the attainment process? Most of all, I reflect on my duty to others as a citizen of the United States of America who is adept in educational leadership. I hold myself accountable to helping families create an educational legacy of triumph, achieve the highest levels of personal accomplishment and engage in continuous measures of raising the academic bar. There are comprehensive issues that I would challenge in order to give students resilience bent towards

The intended audience for this book are athletes, but anyone can read this book because his philosophies can be used in our daily lives. The book spreads forty lessons in four parts: Part I - Welcome to the Inner Game Part II - Living the Dream Part III - Mind-Set for Success

"Luck" is a short story by the brilliant American novelist Mark Twain. In this story, readers learn about the life of Scoresby, a military hero, through the depiction of a clergyman who was once an instructor in a military academy. This was actually a story within another story. As a matter of fact, an unnamed narrator retells the story he once heard from the clergyman. This story is told in the first person point of view. In the first person point of view, the narrator participates in the

When Oprah Winfrey made the statement "Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity." I believe she was trying to get across that there are those in life that look at luck as being simply good turn of events in life that just comes out of nowhere. But without being prepared to accept such good turns in life the opportunities that face us will not come to fruition.

What makes champions in sport? At the end of the day, it is the moment when one stands at the top of the podium, holding up their well-deserved medals and trophies that all elite athletes strive for. Thus, experts have studied this question extensively to see which programs, or by what means, are elite athletes developed to achieve this goal. One of the many aspects to athlete development is the controversial topic of deliberate practice versus deliberate play. Deliberate practice can be defined as “any training activity (a) undertaken with the specific purpose of increasing performance, (b) requiring cognitive and/or physical effort, and (c) relevant to promoting positive skill development” (Cote et al., 2007, p. 185) On the

There are several qualities to have to be successful in college. These qualities can range from attending class to going above and beyond what’s expected. Success comes from the journey taken or the path chosen. Success also comes from being prepared. As a student, I must step up to the challenge and find the path to success along the way. Several ways I define success is to uphold academic integrity, have the ability to prioritize, and to motivate myself to stay on top of what needs to be accomplished.

By working with girls with varying levels of athleticism and knowledge, I was taught how to be a team player who builds off everyone’s skills. I also learned how to continue fighting even when you are losing the battle. I learned many lessons from games. I think the most important lesson I learned is you should never give up. Never giving up is important in sports as you can always come back and win. In light of all my reasons I chose to play a full-time summer sport, travel softball, instead of going on family vacations.