Julia Song, Period 8, 11/9/21

 Modern Mythology 2022

Julia Song                                     Period 8, 11/9/21

When I think of a goal that I have for myself, I immediately know my answer: to do well on my retake of an AP Physics exam on one-dimensional and two-dimensional motion. It does not feel good to fail a test, and I can recall how it felt to open the folded test paper with an F on it. I wouldn't call myself a quitter but at that moment I regretted ever deciding to take this class. I pictured the PupilPath colors dropping from blue, to yellow, and finally to red. I so desperately wanted to transfer out of this class into Regents Physics because I struggled with the material. My low average that resulted from this inability to apply what I learned in class onto a test paper would look awful on my first term senior report that gets sent to colleges. However, I decided to keep on trying in this class because I realized that my average was not so bad and that it was a benefit to show colleges that I challenged myself. It is better for colleges to see a passing grade on an AP course than a high grade on a regular course. I am glad that my teacher gave our class an opportunity to retake this test. I have had rough starts in other classes before, but I always managed to overcome them.

The world around me really impacted my perception of AP Physics. Before the first day of school even started, my mother was already warning me about the difficulties of the class. My older sister had taken the AP exam before and did not do well despite having a “STEM brain.” I thought that I was doomed before I even started. I blamed my bad test grades on the difficulties of the class and the inevitability of the Fs. It was my guidance counselor who helped me out of this fixed mindset. When I came to him with my head between my tail, he helped me realize that having one green colored average would not affect my chances of getting into my dream college. It felt much better to think positively than immediately assume the worst. Thinking positively also boosted my motivation to do well and make up for my past mistakes.