<p>A Funny Story
From Dinosaurs to
who knows what?
I wasn't always the best student as one would define it in conventional terms. But I can say with a certain degree of pride that I knew a lot of stuff. Not complicated, abstract concepts about life and its meaning, but what 95% of society would call "useless knowledge."</p>
<pre><code> "Library" was probably the first word word longer than two syllables I learned (and I'm not joking here). My parents first introduced me to the joys of a library when I was five years old. Naturally, I drifted over to the section on dinosaurs. Like most kids, I memorized the popular ones like Tyrannosaurus Rex, Brontosaurus (not the correct name, but that's not relevant here), etc. But it didn't stop there. The oxymoron "positive addiction" actually not too much of a contradiction. How could those dinosaurs have died, I asked myself? Well, then I opened a book about asteroids. I still remember reading about the 6 mile asteroid that hit the Yucatan Peninsula in whatchamacallit 65 million years ago, and it exploding with the force of some incredibly unbelievable amount of nuclear bombs. That got me hooked. Being a curious kid, big numbers made me think weird thoughts. Nuclear bombs, dinosaurs, 65 million years...it was all way out there for me. Nevertheless, this was the beginning of my interest of knowledge, especially science (more specifically astronomy).
Why do I love astronomy so much? Because it's so huge. (Biology got a little boring for a kid like me.) You could see it every night from anywhere in the world. It was an inspiration, and to me, the vastness of the universe revealed the power of God. The realization that the universe was billions of years old and billions of light years across was nothing short of startling. (Perhaps my love for huge numbers sparked my interest in math.) I began to compete in various science and math competitions as I grew older, and I won several gold medals in the national Science Olympaid tournament even as a middle schooler. After being admitted to Troy High School a year late (long story, read below in 3rd essay), my thirst for knowledge developed even more. qualified for the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program, was a Siemens-Westinghouse Semifinalist, an Research Science Institute alumnus, and a semifinalist for the United States Physics team. I will also be the team captain of the Science Olympiad and Science Bowl teams in my school, both of which placed first in the national tournament. In addition, I have taken advanced courses in mathematics up to differential equations through the EPGY program. I am also a Siemens AP Award winner. I could talk about these accomplishments for quite a long time, but that is not the point. The point is that my successes came from a love for learning and understanding that blossomed early in my life. Sometimes, I get overexcited in the pursuit of being #1 all the time, as many competitive individuals do. Despite the natural competitive instinct, I try to keep that secondary to the more noble cause of learning.
They say knowledge is a tree. And from my experience, it truly is. I went from T-rex to nearly every subject that is taught in school. Now, science and math isnt my only interest. I got in touch with my love for the humanities rather late, but I am finding that experience just as rewarding as my former. I want to be a sponge in college and absorb every little piece of knowledge there is in the world. Of course, book learning isnt everything, and Ill be sure to work on my street-smarts in college as well.
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<p>Now, whenever my friends say, "Brady, that's useless knowledge," I roll my eyes. Not because I'm annoyed, but because I'll be the one holding the fat check for 50,000 signed by Alex Trebek. Now I'm not saying I'll be on TV or anything like that, but it sure will be interesting when my parents find out that I actually thank them for taking me to the library instead of buying me a pokemon game.</p>
<p>The Evil D word, and the Meaning of Success</p>
<pre><code> After reading my first essay, youre probably thinking that I was always a good student. Read on to find about the bad side of Brady Yoon.
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<p>When I was a kid, I hated the word discipline. It was the very antithesis of who I was. I stubbornly defended my belief that discipline, planning, preparation, and other such qualities were all useless and some "conspiracy" of evil adults. Of course, most people believe this when they are children. But it did not stop there. Throughout middle school, I retained these beliefs. But successes still came my way. I won awards in national competitions and was the top student in my graduating class. What was the fuss? What if I'm not organized? What if my life has no plans and I waste all my time? I'm still successful! That was my general attitude. Deep down inside, I knew I had to improve, but I had no idea how or when I would do it.
My essay on overcoming obstacles recounts what happened over the next year. As I was attending Troy High, I was shocked to see that the rigors of high school life were demanding, to the point of exhaustion. My grades began to slip, and I ended up getting a B+ in Spanish. Of course, in life, that means nothing, but to myself, it was a great blow to my pride and false sense of security. I understood the material, I probably knew just as much as the kids who were pulling of A's in that class.</p>
<pre><code>I talked to my parents that night, and they looked at me not with anger, but disappointment that I still hadn't learned the most important lesson. My intentions were noble - I appreciated that Troy had considered admission after the most unusual circumstances, and I vowed to do my best. I dreamed of being one of the best students not only in Troy, but in the whole nation. My heart was in it, I was motivated, and for the first time, I believed in myself!!! What was the problem? My dad told me something that was an astounding revelation. "Brady, don't measure time by days, measure it by hours." That's all he said. I expected him to say, "Brady, you must work harder," or some generic, overstated advice. It was seriously something I never thought of.
I seriously mulled over my dad's words in the upcoming winter break. I began to implement his suggestions into my life. I didn't work harder all that much harder. I merely replaced the illusion of hard work into true hard work, nearing almost 100% efficiency. I realized that much of what is called studying is really daydreaming. Instead of thinking this project is due in two weeks, I said, I have 6 hours every day to do work. That's about 90 hours. It suddenly seemed like a lot less. On top of that, 6 other classes, a torturous track and field practice every day, and studying for four extracurricular competitions. I said that the rigors of high school life were demanding, I take that back. The rigors of high school are demanding for a person who does not understand the value of time. And what is necessary to manage this time? Discipline and preparation. I understood the importance and necessity of these words that I had hated.
My father's advice and my own struggles came at the perfect time. Words of wisdom are only appreciated when needed. When I was coasting through middle school and my first year of high school, my dad probably told me these things before-but I didn't listen. When the easy-straight A attitude was ripped away from me, I began to open my eyes and listen. I'm even thankful that my GPA went down.
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