College Application Essay, Research Paper

Perseverance

There goes Wile E. Coyote again, initiating the first phase of his plan. The rockets attached to his feet make him reach speeds fast enough to catch the Roadrunner. Oops! He accidentally put them on backwards. To his dismay, when he activates them, he shoots backwards into a cliff as the Roadrunner speeds off in the other direction. Even though he is in extreme pain, he gets up and starts formulating his next plan. He has the amazing ability to never give up, which I feel is a quality I share. Whether in the classroom or on the playing field, perseverance makes the difference between simply being average or excelling.

Newt Gingrich, former Republican Speaker of the House, once said: ?Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.? These words strike at the heart of how I think. To get better at something, I need to practice until I am literaly sick of it, and then keep practicing. When I was in fifth grade, I joined the school band. Like many of the other kids, my playing skills were not very good. At first I practiced single notes, then scales, and finally actual songs. Eventually I became the best fifth grade saxophone player in the school. Then my family moved to Mahomet. After hearing how well the other students were playing, I knew that my practice time was going to have to increase if I wanted to be first chair. I practiced, and practiced, and practiced some more. In the end, the reward of being selected first chair was worth the effort.

The grades I received for the first semester of my junior year were not satisfactory to my parents or to me. Together we derived a study plan and a schedule. I am already seeing the benefits of this new approach. Before I started studying for chemistry, I did not understand a thing. I would just sat in class and tried to figure out how to do the equations, formulas, or trying to understand how to do the expierments. During this time I would dread going to class each day, in fear of not being able to do the problems. The exact opposite is happening now; chemistry is my favorite class of the day. People actually come to me during study hall and ask for help. Persevering with my study habits will help me now and during my years in college.

I have also practiced perseverance in sports. Since my freshman year in high school I have missed only two soccer games, and I never sat out a practice because I of injury. The summer before my junior year, I woke up every morning at six o?clock and went running with one of the elite runners in the state. Regardless of what time I went to bed, I got up and ran. In the same year, I wrestled for the first time in one of the hardest practice rooms in the state. That year I missed only one practice because of injury. Wrestling through pain is one of the hardest challenges I have ever faced, but I am a better person for it.

My ability to persevere is a quality that I use in the classroom as well as on the playing field. I do not wish to settle for being average. I will Perseverance me to excellence in college and in life.