You are assigned an essay and you are given two weeks to complete it. You spend those two weeks working tirelessly on the essay because you know you need a good grade. You conference with your teacher and you feel like you have done everything you can. When you turn it in you know it has been worth it. After class you turn to a kid who is in mostly honors or advanced classes and ask “So how was your essay?” He replies, “Pretty good seeing as I started it yesterday. I was up until three writing it and it better have been worth the lack of sleep.” You are stunned. Why would someone do that to themself when they knew they had plenty of time to do it before. When the essays are given back you get a good grade but when you look at the other kid you see he got a better grade. How is that fair? Well, that’s honors students for you. Making stuff sound good and getting good grades for it.
I have been an honors student since fourth grade. It was then that my small elementary school class was split up into an “A” math class for the “smart kids,” a “B” math class for the “average kids,” and a “C” class for the kids who struggled with math. These different math classes covered the same material just at different paces and we pretty much stayed in the same classes (people-wise) through eighth grade. Our “honors” classes were not very challenging but neither was my elementary school overall. I went to a small Catholic school from kindergarten to eighth grade with sixty or so kids in my class so there wasn’t much room for actual challenging classes. Going into high school I took on only two honors classes with a skipped year in math but a regular class level. Since then, I have taken four honors classes and two AP’s. Next year, I plan to take four more AP’s. I realized that now in high school being in honors classes takes some work.

Being an honors student definitely has its ups and downs. With honors and AP classes, I know I have been overwhelmed for the majority of the year I am in the class and I know that the majority of kids in my classes would agree. There is so much expected from us that sometimes it’s too much and we have to sacrifice, usually sleep. It sucks. Some of my friends think I’m a masochist because I know when I sign up for these hard classes that I will sometimes regret it. They have that “I told you so” tone of voice when I complain about an essay or some big project. Sometimes I wish I was not an honors student because then I could be in regular classes and not have to try. That would make my life so much easier and relaxed and virtually stress-free. Only problems are: my mother and myself. My mom would never let me drop my honors classes because she says, “You will be bored and it will be a waste of your talents.” Which is true, I just don’t always want to have to put in the time. I want to take the easy way out but I know that isn’t the right way. I don’t think I would feel right being lazy as much as I want to. Being in regular math classes while some of my friends are in honors sometimes makes me feel inferior or just lazy. I have this competitive edge that makes me want to strive to be the best. I could take honors math I just never actually switched up. I think it was because I enjoy how easy it is for me and I think I enjoy being at the top of the class without having to try as much. Sometimes I can ignore it but even when I do really well but someone else does better I secretly wish I could have put a little more effort into the project. I may not always put in the extra effort but then I feel the failure and I wish I hadn’t procrastinated so much. This usually ends in disappointment and I hate when I feel like I have disappointed a teacher, my parents, or myself. That feeling of letting someone or yourself down can be the worst but I must say it can be a good motivator at desperate times.
When I end up procrastinating and I leave my work to the last minute, I tend to freak out. I get stressed but I always end up finishing my work. It is usually not the best I could make it but it is usually not terrible. Some people work best under pressure and honors student tend to perfect the practice of procrastination. When I start an assignment before its due even if it’s not accurate with where I should be I am called an overachiever. No one wants to start to work on an essay or a book before they have to because they aren’t motivated. I have seen it happen countless times and experienced it just as much.
Because I have been an honors student since fourth grade, I have a determined and competitive nature. These aspects tend to come out in many different things in my life. Especially sports. I play badminton and you need to stay determined and keep your mind clear. If you want to win, you can’t give up. The same thing applies with school. In my work I can’t allow myself to give up. As I said, I hate feeling like I’ve failed. When you have tasted victory you cannot be satisfied with failure or okay. I try to work hard on all my work because then it means the most when it pays off. Because with being an honors student comes pride. I have pride in the things I do that I care about. If I work my butt off on an essay or a test I want a grade that reflects that. Then I can take pride in my work. For me, I never really feel like anything is perfect or is ever finished but I want to be able to take pride in my work nonetheless.

I care about my future. To get to my dreams I need to start with good grades. By having good grades I can then open up so many doors to my future. Being an honors student helps me to open more doors because that honors part reflects in my grades. I want to get somewhere in my life and right now there is little I can do to reach my goals until I’m out of school. So until then, I have to focus on doing the best I can to set myself up to get to my future faster. Some people don’t see that far into their futures. I do and I want to get there in the most efficient way I can.

Being an honors student has definitely made my life more stressful and difficult but it has been worth it or it will be. I can’t count the number of times I have said I can’t wait for this school year to be over so I can be done with (insert honors or AP class here). Until the year is over, all I can do is try hard on the rest of the work I am given. I might as well end the year with a bang.