My College Essays #2 (Academic Explanation)

Starting in middle school, math was one of my best subjects. My fourth grade teacher began giving me extra work to complete outside of class. I took advantage of these extra opportunities and with the help of Khan Academy, I completed fifth and sixth grade math while I was in fourth grade. Upon entering fifth grade, my parents suggested that I move into seventh grade math. My teachers and principal were not too enthusiastic about this idea since no student had ever accelerated like this before; fifth graders were expected to take fifth grade math. Nevertheless, I was determined that all of my hard work should pay off.

Not only were these new math concepts difficult, but so was the social experience of being with older students. After completing eighth grade math as a sixth grader, I began commuting to the high school for classes like Algebra II and Pre-Calculus. This was again, a challenging experience. As a small seventh grader, I had 18 year olds in my math class. Attending Vail Christian High School for math was a humbling experience that facilitated my transition from eighth grade to ninth.

As a freshman in high school, I moved into AP Calculus AB and after sophomore year, I had completed AP Calculus BC. At the beginning of junior year, I was faced with the decision of taking AP Statistics or continuing with multivariable calculus, a rigorous calculus course packed into one semester. It made sense to me to continue with calculus since I could always come back to AP Statistics. I wanted to keep moving forward in math.

Being ahead in math has allowed me to explore other classes and accumulate college credits. I worked with a college counselor at Colorado Mountain College to gain credits towards my dual enrollment Associate’s Degree. I took online classes from my local community college on the side during the school year and summer. I figured that if I was earning so many credits, I might as well work towards a goal: an associates of science degree.