My process through repetition by Jaidon

My process through repetition by Jaidon - September 2026 Scholarship Essay

I think quarantine is what started it all, where I noticed it the most, my procrastination problem. We all experienced it before, we say we will start studying in the next hour or so, then 5 hours pass and all we were doing was scrolling on social media. I have been there plenty of times, countless of times, and that’s what held me back academically a lot of my middle and high school years unfortunately. As I got older and became more disciplined I realized I didn’t struggle because I was stupid or lacked the ability to understand, it was because I lacked motivation and a study method tailored specifically to me. These two things not only helped me with my Junior year of high school but also with my flight training the summer after before college.
Junior year is what introduced me and all of my peers to the big scary test, the SAT. Throughout the beginning of the school year we were informed on the importance of the test and how it will affect our chances of getting into college and receiving financial aid. This motivated me a lot, not only to study but to get the highest score I possibly can. I started to study a ton after school through repetition. I would watch a couple videos on a specific top, for example text structure and purpose, and then complete a significant amount of practice problems on that same topic, and I would repeat that for every topic I was weak on. This really helped me to not only learn and strengthen my understanding on the topics I was weak on but also understand the test as a whole and ultimately get a score I was satisfied with.
I carried this as same habit through my last high school year and my flight training. As a student pilot, I quickly learned that becoming a pilot requires much more than simply getting in an airplane and flying. A large part of flight training takes place on the ground through studying, preparation and understanding the material in your books and courses. I was motivated to succeed because becoming a pilot is a career I genuinely want to pursue, but I also knew I had to pass my private pilot written test. After getting home from flight school, I would complete sections of my course and then focus on topics I struggled with, such as weight and balance. I would watch videos that explained those specific topics and then complete practice quizzes and test until I felt more confident. Instead of simply memorizing answers, I tried to understand why I was getting questions wrong. This approach helped me pass my written test on my first attempt and allowed me to continue flight training before beginning my first semester of college.
Looking back, the study strategy that has had the greatest impact on my academic success is not one specific website, video or practice test. It is the process of understanding what I do not understand and finding an explanation that makes sense to me. I still have moments when I procrastinate, but I now understand how to recognize it and get myself back on track. This strategy has helped me become more independent and confident as a student, and I plan to carry it with me throughout college, flight training and any other challenges that come next.