Reflection Essay

When I first got accepted into Stuyvesant High School, I heard countless of rumors stating: “Oh the workload is terrible”, “The competition is so fierce” or “Out of schoolwork, extracurriculars, or sleep: you can only pick two.” I found it hard to let it faze me, since I graduated from one of the most prestigious middle schools. However, the rumors transformed into reality when I stepped into Mr. Nieves’ Freshman Composition Class. The workload at the beginning of the year was brutal, coupled with assignments from other core classes that seem unaware of the workload of other teachers. Reading assignments were a regular, and there were journal entries and occasional quizzes to keep us in line. What made it bearable was the friends I made in that class; everyone had their own opinion about the topic we were talking about, and listening to other perspectives really broadened my horizon and enriched my learning experience in Stuy. Another thing that this class has taught me is the importance of time management, a skill that I will carry on for the rest of my high school career and life. When I choose to sign up for Mr. Nieves’ AP American Literature class in my Junior Year, I was hoping to relive the discussion-based lesson plans and meet more outstanding peers. I was not disappointed, to say the least, reflecting through all the experiences at the end of the course. The lesson plans he laid out for us were an interesting mix between small lectures and class output, and what I

It is still so surreal to reflect back on my first semester as an incoming college student in the ENC1101 course, analyzing at my progression as a reader and writer in literacy. Since the first day of class I set in stone my goals for this class: receive a 4.0 GPA, develop my connecting theories skills in writing, and become more aware of objectives for each Unit throughout the course. All of these goals became achievements that not only make others proud but most importantly give me self pride. In order to earn the grades and achieve these goals, I went after every opportunity that I was given as an incoming college student, such as office hours and extra credit. By taking this course I have gained confidence with the utilization of literacy, and made an addition to my group of impactful literacy sponsors. Once students are finished with high school they assume that there is nothing else to learn beyond the stereotypical five paragraph essay, but they are so wrong. I was able to obtain so much knowledge about numerous course concepts from Writing about Writing, articles, and my professor. These concepts will carry on with me throughout a bright future of writing courses, job interviews, and any other skills that require literacy. The four outcomes listed below will help illuminate how I improved as a writer, by being a driven college student and going out of the way to earn my achievements in this course. In the first outcome I improved comprehending scholar texts,

Throughout high school, I have challenged myself both in the classroom and out in my community. By taking the honors classes, while participating in as many extracurricular activities as I can, I have learned the importance of balance and commitment. My school offered many dual-enrollment courses with conjunction to the local community college as well as Seton Hall University. These classes prepared me for the rigorous workload of college classes, while giving me the opportunity to earn college credits as a high school student. In addition to the dual-enrollment program, I have taken several AP classes that too transfer to college credits. I always challenged myself to take the upper-level courses because I want to be as prepared as I possibly

When I returned back to Tuscaloosa around the beginning of January, I sensed a noticeable change in the pace of my courses. For my second semester, my schedule consisted of two 102 classes as well as a 300-level course in my major. Although I assumed these courses to simply be like a sequel to the 101 classes, I was utterly mistaken in that regard. As a pre-medical student, I knew that several of my classes would be so called “weeder courses,” that is, those made to be unnecessarily difficult. Even as challenging as these courses were, I knew that I had to keep a positive and forward-thinking mind in order to survive them. I realized that life would certainly pose great challenges, and it is up to my own will power to overcome them and be better for it. Furthermore, I began to understand that some things in life are unfair, and my ability to cope with them are what build character. If I wish to become a physician, I must learn that life does not always go the way one expects it to, and that failure is merely a part of the

I was determined more than ever to finish out my fifth semester strong at McLennan Community College and transfer to my dream school. I was enrolled in a few advanced courses and another math course, however, I was not going to give up. Overcoming chemistry and trigonometry in the previous semesters, being able to graduate from McLennan Community College, and wanting to transfer to Texas Woman’s University, was more than enough motivation for me to want to succeed in every class that semester. I studied hard and gave my all to ensure that I would be able to do just that; and on December 10th, 2016, I graduated from McLennan Community College with an Associate’s of Science Degree in General Studies. I am currently taking an additional semester at McLennan Community College so that my sister may finish her own college degree and will be transferring to Texas Woman’s University in the fall of 2017. Though my journey at McLennan Community College is almost done, my educational journey is far from over. After the completion of this semester, I plan on attending Texas Woman’s University and obtaining a degree in Family Studies with a Pre-Occupational Therapy focus. From there, I plan on applying to a Master’s of Occupational Therapy program and hope to eventually become an occupational therapist. My educational journey thus far has been a long and winding road; however, there is more still to come. The first chapter is nearly over, and I can’t wait to start my second chapter as a Texas Woman’s University

Having previously viewed Accepted before this course, it has been a favorite of mine because of the way college was portrayed in the film. I was anxious to move from the constant watch of my parents to a care-free environment where I was free to do as I please, not having to answer to anyone. The actions of Bartleby and his peers at South Harmon excited me for a time of partying and living life to it’s fullest potential. I expected the same from my experience, but soon realized that it was unrealistic if I wanted my grades to be exceptional. College is about having the time of your life, but in the right ways with the proper balance. Too much studying or too much partying can both lead to negative consequences on the body. Through experimentation, I am working to find the proper balance that works for me. Like the students in the beginning of Ms. Watson’s class, I expected the courses to be straightforward and that I could grasp them on my own. I aspired to maintain a grade point average similar to what I graduated high school with and also wanted to identify what I am passionate about. My courses this fall have proven to be quite difficult and have challenged me to realize my true learning potential. I have discovered that, if I

The idea of a high school freshman taking a college class at such a young age is not a concept that most people are familiar with. Therefore, when I was presented with this amazing opportunity, I knew I had to take advantage of it. The Wonderful Agriculture Career Prep gave me the chance to take dual enrollment to obtain my A.S degree in Plant Science while completing my high school requirements as well. My high school experience was quite challenging. Not only did I have high school classes and sports, but I also took college courses. From the beginning, this program has served as a preparation in my path to pursue higher education. The program has taught me how about time management, made obvious by the fact that I am now capable of balancing

Getting to this point in my academic career has been a balancing act. I spent most of my time as a part time student earning my Associates while working full time. Getting the most out of my education was always my primary goal and it meant working hard and managing my time well. I graduated with Faculty Honors and am currently progressing towards graduating Cum Laude at Western. I was able to not only take a heavy course load, but manage it well and remained flexible and grounded in the reality of what I could handle. Determined to expand my knowledge I wanted to not only to take a variety of courses during early undergraduate work, but as I

Both the struggle to adapt to a new learning environment and graduating from a small private Christian high school, which taught me great values, but regrettably did not offer AP chemistry or physics classes, resulted in me not being adequately prepared at the time to excel in these courses, regardless of the amount of time and effort that I spent studying. Furthermore, by changing learning methods and studying intensely, not only did I significantly improve my GPA, but also in time excelled in upper-level science courses like organic chemistry, microbiology, parasitology, biotechnology and biochemistry. To further improve my GPA, after college graduation I decided to take courses in sociology, psychology and retake courses in physics and chemistry. My drastic improvement in school, which started in my sophomore year, allowed me to have an average GPA of 3.75 for the remaining six semesters. Currently, I am planning on taking more courses in the spring not only to continue to improve my GPA, but also to keep

Transitioning to Emory University as a first-generation student from a low socioeconomic background accustomed to being surround by peers from similar backgrounds and of the same race was a whirlwind. I remember constantly questioning whether or not I had made the right decision by coming to an elite university and wondering if I would ever be able to call Emory my home. The academic transition was no easier. I had never encountered such challenging classwork and learned rather quickly that I would have to work twice as hard in order to keep up. Like many other first semester freshmen, I enrolled in General Chemistry in order to get a start on completing the list of pre-medical requirements. After an extremely challenging semester, full

Through the summer, I was hesitant to think about the classes that were going to begin in the fall. I was unsure about what classes I would like and feel most comfortable in. The hardest part was the limited time I had in order to work on the summer assignments. Between work and the classes I was taking through the community college, I was left with little time to work on the assignments. As summer slowly progressed, I realized I had been avoiding the choice I needed to make. It was either struggle to finish the summer assignments with only a short

The author describes how to get ahead, starting in high school, with advanced placement classes, as well as dual enrollment. These sessions may count towards a college degree, so long that the preferred institution accepts these credits. Lapovsky also recommends taking a heavier course load of at least 20 credit hours in each semester. The writer further suggests skipping summer vacation to continue classes during that time. The greatest benefit for a student who is able to graduate in less than four years

Even though all my classes were some of the easier courses/introductory courses, I still struggled with them, especially math, but I realized that my classes will just continue to get harder and harder. I also know that my academic performance was influenced by my longing for home, but I knew that I couldn’t get behind because of that. From this first quarter, I learned how to manage my time better and to stay organized with a planner. I even developed a study plan and tried to finish all of my homework before it was due. While I did not get the grade I wanted in my math class, I realized I would have to drastically change my study habits to ensure that I would get the grades I wanted. For the winter quarter, I am enrolled in Math 20C, CSE 8B, CSE 20, CAT 2, and FILM 87―19 units. I am looking forward to taking all these classes, but I know my workload has doubled. Despite that, I’m looking forward to becoming more active in different organizations like CSES (Computer Science and Engineering Society) and making more

I love the challenge of taking these types of classes and also balancing my busy schedule on top of it. In high school I took the maximum amount of credits allowed and was involved in sports, choirs, volunteer groups and had a job. This year I enrolled in 15 credit semesters and have two jobs on the side. My high school focuses on readying their students for college. All of my teachers and counselors encouraged me to challenge myself and stay involved in the school or community. I have taken this advice to college with me. I pushed myself to get my undergraduate courses done in two years. I prepared myself for graduate school by looking for a job that relates to pharmacy. That way I could be better prepared for the classes that are to come instead of relying on just the general courses I have taken so

Being my first year in college, I was quite out of place when it came down to making my classes. I did what everyone has done some point in their academic careers, which is making the mistake of taking too many classes at a single time. While, at first having two labs was bearable, but when it finally came down to midterms, I was drowning in homework, studying and trying to have an outside life. I