I missed a lot of school in my elementary years…and my middle school
years…and not quite as much during my
high school years, with the exception of my senior year. It took me a long time
to figure out that if I wanted good grades on my report card I’d have to put
forth the effort to obtain them.
As it turned out, I didn’t have to work too hard in high school to achieve respectable grades—I graduated
third in my class. It was once I got to college, though, that I began to feel
the pressure to truly go above and beyond in my studies. My grade-point average
dropped each term, and I began to feel a sense of despair. It became clear that
“taking the high road” would mean taking what seemed like a step backward—attending community college for a
while.
After about five terms in this much-milder-paced environment, I was ready
to return to “the big leagues.” I found myself much more prepared and ready to
challenge my abilities. I dove into projects and deadlines with gusto—and I
even got an A in a modern history course (Twentieth Century Studies)!
Every person’s path to achievement is different. For me, university was a
wake-up call. It wasn’t that I wasn’t “cut out” for it—it was that I hadn’t
been fully prepared for it. As a
return student, I had a new appreciation for course content, a stronger set of
study strategies, and a fresh drive and momentum. I finally appreciated the value of a well-earned
A. Or B, for that matter—but I pushed for as many A’s as I could get.
In my initial setback I learned some important lessons. Reaching a higher
standard is worth a little humility. Responsibility and ingenuity—when applied well
on a relatively small scale—could be more easily implemented and developed on a
much larger scale. And…perspective gives you wings.
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