Challenging Transition: From Middle School to High School

High school is a time in life when teenagers learn a lot about themselves. Personally I learned that I have to work hard to get what I want and that I could do anything that I set my mind to. For me coming to Rockhurst High School was initially a struggle. Although I was had straight A's before high school, I soon realized that high school could not be compared to middle school. The school district I came from was nonaccredited at the time and did not prepare me to be well equipped in high school. I knew that coming from one of the worst public school districts in Kansas City to going to one of the top private high school schools in Missouri, would not be easy and I was up for the challenge. Starting out freshman year I noticed that my grades were not what I had hoped for them to be and became very worried. Instead of taking the easy way out and transferring to an easier school I decided to challenge myself and stay at Rockhurst. At the end of my freshman year I

I did not fail my classes but my grades were a failure for me because I held myself up to high standards. My desire to do better motivated me to take any steps I could in order to improve my grades. Everyday after school I attended the student learning center until I fully understood what I needed to know for each class. In addition to this, I dedicated at least two hours a day to homework and studying. By doing this I learned how to study effectively. Effective studying skills are skills that I have continued to use throughout high school and will use throughout college. Before I started working towards better work ethics my priorities were not in order and from then on I made sure that my academics came first. These work ethics allowed me to grow and I was eventually able to teach myself without relying on the student learning center and as a result I saw achieved