Importance of Discipline and Priorities by Yuanzhe

Importance of Discipline and Priorities by Yuanzhe - February 2026 Scholarship Essay

What I have done to be successful in college is being able to keep a routine while figuring out your priorities. The biggest lesson that I learned in life is that you can make up anything, but the thing that you can't do is make up is time. Once time has passed, you can't take it back and it will always keep going forward. This is why I will take the time to focus on my studies before I do anything else. Because getting a good grade is a major priority if you want to make it to your desired four-year school or attending high honors events. I'm not saying that I should have a perfect 4.0 GPA, what I am saying is that those who have a high GPA will be able to access scholarship and other privileges which is why I focus on my studies.

However, it's not about studying that matters, it's about the quality as well. Because you should read something four or five times to understand it. Instead, what matters more is you take notes and you process the information. Another thing I do to keep a routine is create a checklist in my head. What I have done with myself is I have goals and list them in my head. For example, I know that I should lift weights three times a week and I always make sure that I fit time in for that. However, there are weeks in which I can't do that. However, I have learned to not make a big deal out of that and just be appreciative that I am taking good care of my health.

When it comes to good discipline, the most important thing that I have done to help myself become more successful is waking up early. I have noticed that I function better as a morning bird instead of a night owl. The biggest thing I have done to reach that goal is focus on getting up every day at 5:30 am. To me, this isn't just about getting more time to study and learn, it's about feeling more awake and alert. Now the biggest challenge that I face in being successful is controlling how much I eat. The problem is that whenever I overeat, I struggle to study, but now I am doing everything I can to stop overeating. I have decided that when I'm at work, that I don't bring my credit card and this has helped a lot.

Another thing that I have done in understanding my priorities is figuring out which is easier to do. Even though studying is the first one, I need to understand that it's the hardest. Instead, there are secondary important in nature, but can easily be done. Even if it's an important and non-urgent thing to do, if it's easy, then finish it, so that you don’t get anxiety from it. This is how I approach applying to scholarships, because I know that it's difficult, but I know that even though it may feel overwhelming, I know that it's way easier than doing school assignments. The fact that I have found time to apply to various scholarships has helped me. Even though I didn't win most, I was able to win one and that's all that mattered.

From being able to discipline myself and figuring out my priorities I have made tremendous progress. I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa and National Society of Student Leadership. My GPA hasn't been below 4.0 and I am involved heavily on campus. This semester I am focused on competing in DECA. Now I am starting to understand what the best way is to be successful in college. I know that college isn't easy, but being able to wake up early, discipline myself, and figure out my priorities have helped a lot. Now I need to consider other ways to make time for the fun events of my life. I do hope that with the major that I'm studying I can achieve many things that can help me make an impact in the world of business.