1000-1200 Words. Memoir Needs to be written check attachment

  I sat at my desk for nearly 20 minutes in disbelief. My head rested on my clinched fist as I glared at the blinding computer screen. I began to tap my foot nervously and soon after my desk started to shake in sync. Despite the foam-fitting chair and the relaxing voice of Bob Marley blaring from my speakers, I wasn’t all right. I scrolled down the screen and read “Academic Status: Disqualified”. Upset and frustrated I threw my notebook and papers off my desk nearly taking out my laptop.

            In high school I was a good student. I attended class every day, got A’s and B’s in all my classes and graduated top 15% of the graduating class. After all, those were the reasons why I was admitted to SDSU in the first place. My work ethic in high school took me farther than I could ever dream. Then it hit me, I realized that I never studied as hard as I did in high school.  During my freshman year I lived the typical dorm life in an overpriced room with two twin sized beds and two desks crammed with books and supplies. I had no parental supervision, so late night outings with new acquaintances were habitual. And of course partying, partying and more partying. I studied very little and rarely attended class and frequently found myself asking my classmates, “Hey man can I copy your notes? When is our next exam?” They simply would respond reluctantly, “The notes are online and our exam is next week.” They were annoyed by my constant begging as they tried to avoid me in the hallways. This was a recipe for failure and from that moment I knew I had to change my habits if I wanted to get back into SDSU.

            The next year I attended community college. The experience there was completely different than a university. The classes were much smaller, lectures were longer, and the professors were really helpful. It felt like high school all over again. My first day there really stuck in my head. Specifically, it was what my calculus professor said that really stuck. He was tall, slender, and spoke in a register as low as James Earl Jones. Gazing across the room, he looked at each and every one of us with a calm expression and said, “I know what you’re thinking.” He then slowly walked across the room and said, “Calculus is a difficult class. However, you do not need to be smart to pass this class. To pass this class all you need to do is one thing.” He took a long pause and said, “If you study smart, not hard, you will pass this class.” It was that simple.

            Not adhering to his advice I stuck to the traditional method of studying. It consisted of hours of studying and repetitive problem solving. At times I was stuck not knowing if I was doing the assignment correctly and by the end of week I was mentally fatigued. My head throbbed like a pounding drum and I was drained. At that moment I pictured my professor’s expression had he seen me in this condition; a slight smirk that said “I told you so.” This was too much, so I attempted to study smarter rather than harder. I changed my study habits by only studying before and after class. This included doing homework and reviewing older and newer concepts covered in class. This allowed me to retain the material of the class easily. To my surprise, it worked!!  As a result, I made the Dean’s list after my first semester. I’ve never felt this much gratification in so long that it felt eerily familiar and surprisingly unknown.

            The following semesters, I took on tougher classes that tested my newfound study habits and discipline. To ensure I was successful I woke up in the morning to greet the sun and the delightful serenading of three little birds on my doorstep; late night partying was out of the question. I went missing socially as the semester progressed. My worried friends texted me, “Dude where you been?”, “Are you alive?” “Yo man, there’s a party this weekend. Hit me up if you’re down.” All of which were either ignored or responded with a reply of “Sorry man I can’t. I got a quiz/homework next week.” I was focused, determined, and I blatantly ignored anything that didn’t pertain to school. For once I had to be selfish for my own good whether I liked it or not. It immediately paid off.

            I sat there once again waiting for the verdict of my admission status back to SDSU. This feeling was all too familiar, Bob Marley singing, my foot nervously tapping, but my foam-fitting chair comforted me this time. I stared at the glaring computer screen, took a deep breath and scrolled up. My heart started to race, as I navigated through the screen. Then I read “Admission Status: Admitted.” Instantly, excitement rushed from head to toe. I jumped out of my chair like water on hot oil. I nearly cried. All of my hard work finally paid off. Indeed, everything was “gonna be alright.”