It's human nature to compare ourselves to others and we do it the most during our high school years. I tend to find myself trying to be the first to turn in an assignment or get a better test grade than that one girl in my math class. It's the small things that make me a bit anxious about school in general. But that's not me and after reading a couple of articles that Ms. Fletcher has showed us I have come to the realization that that isn't really anyone else either.
The article "Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail" caught my attention as soon as I read the title. My first thoughts were "No, that's not how it works," and "Aren't you supposed to try to show colleges how successful and perfect you are." Well that's not really what I thought but it's how I felt. I mean we have been taught that the most well rounded student with good grades are the ones who get to college not the ones that fail. It caught me off guard for a second.
In the fourth paragraph Angel B. Perez states that "perfection doesn't exist." Even though all my life I have felt like perfection does exist, I am beginning to become more comfortable with myself because I don't have to try so hard to be something I'm not.. Perez says that colleges aren't looking for perfection and that just warms my heart because it's less stress on me. I am more than confident now going into the next few weeks. I am ready to narrow down my choices for a few universities and Cal States and work as hard as I can to the college that's right for me. "An error in high school should not define the rest of your life," The way you deal with that failure is what truly defines you.
Does anyone else feel this way? Are you a little more stressed now?
I actually agree with you to a certain extent. Yes we all are nervous about college so we tend to force ourselves to be "perfect". I believe that everyone has that one person they mentally compete with. I actually feel that competition allows for you to do better on test. It's motivation! I too was shocked with the title of the first article. I only thought colleges wanted to see the better side of an individual. Through this article by Angel Perez, I learned that it is okay to fail. I think that colleges want to know about your struggles and how you made better of the situation you endured. How are we supposed to learn if we haven't had anything to learn from? I am less stressed because I feel that as long as I am myself and write about what I feel and how I became the person I am today, the right college will choose me to be a part of their school. I also learned from this article that grades are only partially what colleges are looking for. All my life I was taught to stay focused on my grades and I didn’t want to do anything else that would distract me from my work. Juggling in high school is tough. For example all the clubs you may be involved in, sports, as well as having a social life too. Oh, and of course your grades. But I have come to realize that colleges factor all of the things you’re involved in and then decide if you’re the type of student they want. I feel so much better knowing that I can reveal the true me to admission officers and they accept me for who I am. Sheesh! It would be too challenging to write about someone I wasn't anyways.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more Danae. Before reading this article all I could think about was "How do I make myself seem appealing to all of these colleges that I am applying to?" Afterwards I was like "Well dang, all I have to do is tell the truth and be myself." From experience I've noticed how interesting I truly am. Colorguard contributed to a major part of my high school career and it's easier for me to talk about how I handled that and AP and honors classes. I didn't always succeed but I have learned valuable lessons from my mistakes and I think that is what Perez was trying to emphasize. I have more faith going into applying for colleges and showing them what Desiree is all about!
DeleteI agree with you Desiree. When I first started reading "Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail", my jaw basically dropped. I was kind of dumb-founded when I began to skim through it. It showed and explained to me that you don’t need to strive for perfection, because there is no such thing as it. After I finished reading the last line, I was relieved from a whole bunch of stress. I dont need to strive for perfection anymore. I know that if I do my best and try my hardest, I will be able to get into a college; even if my GPA isn’t a 4.5. Even if you do get a 63% on a test, that does not define the person that you are. You just learn from your mistakes, and move forward and grow from that. I think that is the main resolution they are trying get across is that you don’t need to strive for perfection. Just strive to be the best you, you can be.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way you did when I read the title. Also, while reading the title I thought about the times when I had failed in school and I thought that going to college was beginning not to be an option for me. Then I read the passage and I realized that failing doesn't always have to be viewed as a negative. As stated before, perfection doesn't exist, so no one should waste his time trying to show off all of the good things that occurred in high school. I think it would be good if you list your flaws that occurred in high school and show what you have learned from it. Now, after reading the passage I have learned to use my mistakes from my others years in high school to help me with my senior year and to help me with my years in college. No one should let their high school failures stop them from going to college whether it’s a community college or a four year university. Instead, he should use it as motivation to keep moving forward.
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