Failure is one thing I can not live without, I do not fear failure, I welcome it. To me failure means that I have found something challenging that I have not yet mastered. In order to succeed you must experience failure first. There are numerous occasions where I have experienced failure but instead of giving up, I learned from feedback and prospered. "If you have no critics you'll likely have no success." This quote is from Malcom X, a famous human rights activist. Malcom's quote is inspirational to me because, I believe it is with criticism that I prosper. Failure is what drives me to do better, but I thrive on criticism because it tells me what I need to improve and work on. Whenever I do not master a subject or a skill, I get this extra drive to do better and perfect it, until I ultimately accomplish it.
Last year, I decided to take AP chemistry, one of the more rigorous courses my school offers. Since I did well in regular chemistry the year before I thought it would be straightforward, but I was wrong. AP chemistry was a like going from algebra one to calculus. Normally, I am used to getting A's and the sporadic B on a test, but when I got the third test in AP chemistry back it was a slap in the face. I got a D, the anger and humiliation I felt in that moment was immense. I was furious with myself for getting such an awful grade. All I could think was what would my parents say about this?
I took home my test and explained it to my parents, surprisingly my mom was not upset at all. She told me that if I wanted the better grade I would have to work harder that instead of just doing the assigned work I would have to go the extra mile. So that is when I started reading the text book, making outlines, and watching AP chemistry lectures online. Every test I got back, I would go back and correct the answers making sure I knew how to do it, so next time I would not have an excuse to miss it.
The most important thing I learned from AP chemistry was that, it is times when it seems easier to buckle under pressure when I need to drive myself to do and achieve better. It is times of hardship that I push myself that extra bit, because the worthwhile feeling of when I finally see my hard work and dedication pay off, is one of the greatest feelings I have come to know.
word limit is 500 at 453. Any comments and suggestions is appreciated!
Last year, I decided to take AP chemistry, one of the more rigorous courses my school offers. Since I did well in regular chemistry the year before I thought it would be straightforward, but I was wrong. AP chemistry was a like going from algebra one to calculus. Normally, I am used to getting A's and the sporadic B on a test, but when I got the third test in AP chemistry back it was a slap in the face. I got a D, the anger and humiliation I felt in that moment was immense. I was furious with myself for getting such an awful grade. All I could think was what would my parents say about this?
I took home my test and explained it to my parents, surprisingly my mom was not upset at all. She told me that if I wanted the better grade I would have to work harder that instead of just doing the assigned work I would have to go the extra mile. So that is when I started reading the text book, making outlines, and watching AP chemistry lectures online. Every test I got back, I would go back and correct the answers making sure I knew how to do it, so next time I would not have an excuse to miss it.
The most important thing I learned from AP chemistry was that, it is times when it seems easier to buckle under pressure when I need to drive myself to do and achieve better. It is times of hardship that I push myself that extra bit, because the worthwhile feeling of when I finally see my hard work and dedication pay off, is one of the greatest feelings I have come to know.
word limit is 500 at 453. Any comments and suggestions is appreciated!
