Quote relating to AP Physics C short essay

Using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a jumping off point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Please write the quotation at the beginning of your essay.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
-Winston Churchill

It was the first time I truly failed a test. I got a 60 on the Rotational motion chapter test, and I began to feel like I didn't belong in AP Physics with Calculus. Maybe it was angular momentum or rotational inertia that I didn't fully understand, but I knew I couldn't handle another letdown. I tried to compensate my D by reminding myself that it was the most difficult course I could've taken, I was the only junior and the only girl in the class, and I had yet to take Calculus. Suddenly my 60 no longer seemed all that bad; but as the course began getting harder I couldn't depend on excuses for my lack of success.

Every night I'd spend hours studying, completing homework, or typing up lab reports for that single class. I expected it to be demanding but had no idea it would take as much dedication. However, as arduous as physics with calculus was, the possibility of dropping the class was unthinkable. It was my most valued personality trait that aided me through the course with triumph: perseverance. I continued even as I knew I must devote a surplus amount of time to learn calculus alone; and I continued even though I didn't receive the best results immediately.

AP Physics with Calculus was not the only occasion in which I realized how far perseverance and determination can take me, but it was an evident example of having the "courage to continue".

This is just my rough draft and I realize that there must be a lot of editing to be done, so be as critical and as harsh as you can be...cause I am not the best writer and I need all the help I can get

also on a sidenote is 250 wrds too short when asked for about 500 wrds? and does the essay relate well with the quote??

Is that quote really from an essay or book? The prompt was kind of specific about it needing to be something you've read in the past three years.

I understand that you want to perhaps explain offhand why you didn't do so well initially, but it does seem a little bit like you're trying to make excuses.

I would instead focus on the extra work you did to keep up with the class, and perhaps contrast better scores at the end of the year with your initial failure? Explain for us how far perseverance ended up taking you. Colleges do like to see progress.

However... if you still weren't doing so well, maybe another topic might be a better choice. This is the Princeton essay, right? You definitely want to put yourself in the best light you can, considering the other candidates in their pool.

And yes, I would write more. When they ask for 500 words, I think it's safe if your word count is between 400 and 500. Expand more on specific examples that show your determination, and also evaluate yourself more at the end. Good luck!