Wake Up!
Here’s where things started to get interesting.
For the majority of the fall and winter, I was mainly focused on developing my STEM skills. February slid by and March suddenly appeared. What was next?
AP Season.
and…
a lot of growth.
I wasn’t preparing much for the class or the exam before February; I read an article or memorized some vocabulary words here and there.
However, I woke up in March. APs weren’t that far away, but I wanted to do well on them. That drove me to strive for better literacy skills, the larger, long-term goal that I’m still working towards to this day.
Thus, I took my first practice multiple-choice section towards the end of the month. I scored a little over half right – I ran out of time to finish.
At that point, I was shocked. There were so many unknown words in multiple-choice practice passages. The main point and purpose were unclear, and I got helplessly mired in the details. The “gist” was hard to get.
I only had two months left. What could I do?
I prayed to God to help me with my literacy. I started to devote more time to improve my reading comprehension and vocabulary. I had little time left, but my other option was to do nothing. Time spent intensely preparing is better than time spent intensely complaining.
I prepared, and the two months leading up to the exam on May 14th was a big uphill battle. The preparation process was difficult, but I preferred to see an improvement in my abilities rather than stagnating and seeing a score I didn’t like. I remember I spent at least three hours not only preparing for the AP exam, but also reading articles/magazines and memorizing vocabulary words.
I was shocked another time when for one of my essays, I scored below a seventy. It was the lowest score I got in the year. This was during April, one month before the exam. Even though this was just one small, petty score that Ms. D was so kind to remove, I felt demotivated. Was this working?
Thankfully, I met with my teacher during lunch afterwards and we had a long discussion about English. “You’re working very hard, so remember to take care of yourself and don’t take it too seriously”, she told me. (not quoting exactly)
I earnestly heeded her advice, and kept working, with my mental health at the back of my mind. More shocks came, but every time I lost motivation or self-confidence, I kept going.
It was by no means easy or relaxing, but it paid off. My vocabulary enhanced dramatically; I’m now able to recognize words like “epiphany” and “culmination” in Scientific American passages. My reading comprehension also increased; I got the main idea a lot easier and I understood how the details contribute to the author’s rhetoric.
The AP exam came. I finished the multiple-choice questions with two minutes left. I finished all three essays in time (except for the conclusion of the rhetorical analysis essay – no biggie). I didn’t imagine I could do that a month before. Believe it or not, I enjoyed the test; the passages, questions, essay prompts. The test was over as fast as it started.
This past Monday, I received my AP scores.
I did it!
It’s summertime…
but I’m still doing it. Reading. Vocabulary. Writing (blogging).
And this time, I want to be consistent. I’m going to make reading a daily habit; something that will help me in life, not just for a class or a score.