Fun Fact about Greg: It is his life goal to watch a Major League Baseball game in every stadium
Senioritis? Nope, but a Different Approach to Learning
December 15, 2005
I used to find myself using college admissions as motivation to get my schoolwork done. Whenever I had an assignment that I didn't have any enthusiasm for, I'd just convince myself that doing well on it would benefit me on April 1st of my senior year.
Now that I am almost halfway into my last year of high school—a year where my grades do not matter anywhere near as much as they have in the past—I haven't been able to use the fear of not getting into one of my top college choices as a stimulus. But, not once this year have I complained about having to complete an assignment.
Maybe the fact that my courses interest me much more this year than they ever have in the past is what drives me, but I also think that something has emerged from inside of me that used to be blocked by the overwhelming pressure of trying to get the highest possible grades I could to impress college admissions officers. During my junior year especially, worrying about grades would make my stomach churn daily.
I no longer feel any stress before a big test or when writing a research paper because I know that as long as I put forth my best effort I don't need to worry about what letter grade I will receive. When studying for a test, I don't agonize over what the questions will be but rather I read to gain knowledge about what is interesting to me. I don't care anymore about writing in a style that I think my teacher will favor because, frankly, I became sick of conforming for the purpose of aiming for a higher grade.
Looking back now, I wish I would have approached my first three years of high school with a different attitude. When I was a freshman, I was too pompous in my beliefs about my own ability to take my studies seriously. I spent my sophomore and junior years trying to get grades to make up for what I had lost in the ninth grade, but that task burned me out by the time I finished finals last spring.
This year I am facing my hardest course load yet, but so far I have been rolling through it in a more comfortable fashion than I did over any of the last three years. Ironically, if I had taken the same approach since I started high school of caring about my education rather than my grades, I would probably have earned better marks and have a better chance of getting into one of my top-choice schools.
As I head off to college next fall, though, I will take with me this new attitude towards education so I can enjoy my four years of college the way I am enjoying my senior year of high school.