The Art of Studying by Avril

The Art of Studying by Avril - April 2026 Scholarship Essay

In middle school, studying was emphasized to be an important skill by many teachers. They claimed that middle school was the perfect time to practice studying before you enter high school and your grades actually counted towards your GPA. They showed us flashcards, note-taking, and redoing homework problems.
It was a valiant effort but not all that helpful once you get into harder topics. These techniques only help with memorization, like vocabulary words or how to solve a specific type of math problem. For example, in an advanced placement science class like AP chem, memorization is twenty percent of the battle. They check for understanding the concepts, not if you know how to do something. They purposefully throw curveball questions you've never seen before but are expected to figure out by using the concepts you've learned in order to separate the kids who deserve fours versus fives. My AP chem teacher does not lecture, which leaves me to not only study but learn the concepts myself. In this case, the line between studying and learning blur. While I do have a lot of background knowledge from honors chemistry, it is not enough. I realized after the first test that how I study would have to change, but finding the best way to study for AP chem in particular has been difficult.
With the AP Chem exam coming up in May, I am no doubt feeling the panic and stress creeping up. I know I have to put more work in to get a five, but I am (frankly) exhausted and busy with my other classes. Nonetheless, I will try and persevere. My plan is simple: find out what topics I do not understand, relearn them, study them by explaining to my wall like it's another student, and take practice tests to familiarize myself with the format. This plan is most definitely not perfect, but it is the only thing I can really do with my given amount of time. In the next few years, I can figure out more specifically which study methods work for me and develop them to become more and more efficient for each different class. After all, I have to take more science classes in college for my major and I know they will be even more difficult than AP chem.