Where I Can Find My True Self

Working hard at night

A young boy, staying up late to understand the material he is learning in his class. This is the same scenario of what I was in and it helped me bounce back from my failure. I had to endure the same hardships that he is. People like him are the ones that become successful. They have their priorities straight. That cannot be taught it is either in you or not.








Determination, Strive For Greatness





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The Sense of Failure

"When they [NASA] were soliciting applications for astronauts, they rejected people with pure histories of success and instead selected people who had had significant failures and bounced back from them" (Dweck 29).

Imagine that Poly has a selection philosophy similar to NASA's. You are applying to Poly as an incoming ninth grader and have been asked to write a short reflection of 250-300 words on a significant academic or school failure and how you bounced back.

The most significant academic failure that I have faced was in eighth grade where I received an 82% on a chemistry test. I was in a state of distraught. Before that point, I always had either A's or a B+ here and there. 

When I first got that test back and I saw my grade, I felt that I did not just let myself down, but I knew that I also let my family down, too. I knew that this term report card was the only report card that the high schools would see. When I saw that my grade dropped, I knew I had to do something to improve it.

I had a plan bounce back from this occurrence and it was by studying for my next test two weeks in advance. To add, I would test myself on all of the information in the chapter as many times as possible so I can be familiar with all of it. I would also sacrifice my free periods at school, my lunches, and my snacks just so I can study for the chemistry test, as well. Also, there would be at least two nights a week where I would not go to sleep until midnight because I was reviewing the material. 

From all of this studying, when it came down to the day of the test, for me, it felt fairly simple and I felt confident about what grade I would get. The following week, I got the test back and I got a 100% on it. My body was filled with joy and relief. Therefore, it goes to show hard work and sacrifice always lead to success.