Academic+Preparation

= College essay/acceptance letter = Nothing can stimulate your engagement toward college coursework more than the admission process. Most of you in this room have been exactly where I was; Crying on the floor bec ause you are stumped on your essay that may or may not be exceptional enough to persuade your college of choice to give you a chance, but you are still rummaging through that Princeton review college book second guessing your college list until you finally fall asleep on your floor at 3 AM. When you finally complete the final essay; when you submit your completed application; there is nothing you can do but wait. When you see that packet come in the mail with the single word “congratulations” on the front, you sit back and realize what got you that letter. It was not only your hard work through the application process, but a collective assessment of the cultivation of your rigorous habits of mind throughout high school. ISA has instilled this desire for life-long learning in me that has academically prepared me for my future. = Summa Chords = Coming into ISA I was skeptical about my goals as a learner. I had always been one to do what I could to get by. As I continued my journey through high school, my intellectual curiosity became more and more stimulated. Going into my senior year I realized I had a 99.68 grade point average. I realized how close I was to being a Summa Cum Laude graduate. As the first semester of my senior year came to a close I had been satisfied by my efforts. I was called into Mrs. Kopaci’s office in order for her to congratulate me on qualifying for Summa. This proves that even though you may start off weaker, you can preserver and it is never to late to cultivate your rigorous habits of mind or to effectively organize your efforts to learn.