Reflective Essay: Why I Take An AP Class

Although it may not seem like a big deal in hindsight, the first time I failed a test taught me one of the biggest lessons I ever learned: the value of knowing that you are always enough, no matter the situation.

As a freshman in high school, I was used to getting good grades with little effort. So taking an AP class seemed like an easy opportunity to buff up my transcript. Little did I know that that would be one of the hardest classes I would take. On one of the first tests we took I scored a forty percent. In the grade book filled with straight A's, the F

I had in that class sharply contrasted with my other passing grades.

Obviously I was upset with myself; I normally passed with flying colors, not even needing to crack open a book,

and

Even now, I use this mantra daily, even translating it outside of school. When I ask for fewer hours at my job during busy weeks, I remind myself that the hours I do work that week are enough. Sometimes I have to skip a few activities to catch up on my sleep, and I’m able to tell myself that the activities I did go to that week were enough. I repeat this quote to myself multiple times a day, and even made a poster with it to hang on my wall.

Although I was able to pass the class, and the passing grade on my AP test meant I got my grade boosted to an

‘A’ automatically, the failure I felt in the first couple of months was unlike anything I had experienced at that point.

If I had not been desperate to find a better way to study, I wouldn’t have discovered that music soundtrack, and I might never have discovered Sierra Boggess and her powerful quotes. Even though I wasn’t happy at the time with my abysmal test and quiz scores, I’m glad I was able to learn this lesson that I am already enough, as it has changed my entire outlook on life so much. Now the next time I’m disappointed with a test score, or angry with myself for messing something up, I will be able to remind myself that I am always