For People Who Have Never had to Study
Throughout my elementary, middle, and underclassmen high school experiences, I never once studied. I was one of those kids who could just listen to the topic and understand it without having to look back over my notes or go to after school tutoring. I always made honor roll and principals list, earned awards every semester for my academic achievements and never once opened a textbook.
Throughout tenth grade my teachers would tell me that eleventh grade year would be the hardest year of my high school career; but me being me, I completely ignored my teacher’s warnings and went into my junior year the same way I did every other year of my life. To my surprise (not anyone else’s) junior year was more difficult than I anticipated.
It was my first year taking algebra and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when class started, I didn’t understand the first topic which was factoring. I thought it went like any other class, wherein a week we would move off to the next topic and never learn about this one again. Yes, my teacher offered tutorial and yes, she gave us ample opportunity to answer questions, but as someone who never needed to do those things before, I wouldn’t allow myself to admit I needed help. So instead, I failed every quiz and homework assignment thinking that I would bounce back with the next topic in the curriculum. By the next week, I had a 73 in the class but I was ready to bring my grade up with the next topic, but low and behold the next topic was “ Factoring Equations” being that I never learned how to factor, I had no idea where to even start factoring equations. What do I do? The same thing I did last week, sit there and wait for the next topic. By the time we moved on from this I had a 70 and things weren’t getting easier. As it turns out, this class was based on building. What I mean by that is, everything you learn one week, will be used in the next topic and so forth. So, since I didn’t master the first topic, every topic after that I was not able to master. Now its October, I have a failing grade and the chances of me earning a passing grade were very slim, all because I couldn’t ask for help. One day my teacher pulled me aside after class and asked me why I had never been to her tutorials after school. While it was a simple question, I had to ask myself, “why haven’t I been to tutorial? Why am I allowing myself to struggle like this?” I told her truthfully that I didn’t know but that I would be at every single tutorial after that, and sure enough, I was. No matter what I had to do that day or what kind of mood I was in, I was at tutorial building a relationship with my teacher and trying to learn months’ worth of material in weeks. By the time December rolled around and finals time was upon us, I had a 68 and to pass I needed to get at least an 89 on my final. While I was nervous, I remembered how far I had come and I went in with the mindset that whatever I got, I earned. Long story short, I passed but even during the spring semester, I made sure I was at tutorial every week.
Now, I’m starting college and there is no choice, I MUST study but I will never take the plentiful resources I have here for granted and I will do whatever it takes to be successful in this journey. I write this for all my peers who have never had to study, I know it’s hard to admit when you need help, I know its hard to break a habit but learning to study in a way that benefits you is the best thing that will ever happen to you, just take it from me.
