To me personally, academics are one of the most important aspects of a young person’s life. I am absolutely dedicated and motivated to do well in school. Therefore, whenever I reach my academic goals, I feel joyous and satisfied. Considerably, my source of happiness and satisfaction comes from my academic performance and achievements. I would not, however, consider it as my only source. Nonetheless, if I could re-visit a particular year, I would choose my 8th grade year because it reminds me of my academic and personal improvement. Revisiting my grandmother and Vietnam, where I came from, would have been my first choice, but it is a collection of multiple years and not just a particular one. 8th grade marked my extraordinary academic developments that I had not imagined before. I often consider 8th grade as the commencement of my academic determination and, hopefully, success.

8th grade started similarly to any other year. It was not very special at first. However, when the 2nd marking period approached, I became so motivated to do well in school with the help of my science teacher. It was the first time that I discovered I enjoy science and particularly physics. Learning Physical Science, I felt that many of my questions finally found their answers. Physics uses proven principles to attempt explaining existing phenomena and predict future consequences. After being deeply interested by physics, I started spending my own time researching and trying to understand more about the field. When I finally went to sleep at night, I usually thought of concepts that might not have an obvious answer such as the reality of time, the manifestation of gravitational forces, the intangible ideas of infinity and emptiness, and the possibility of celestial living beings. I was fascinated with what I had learned and strived to learn as much more as I possibly could.

With all of the advantageous events that I encountered during 8th grade, I also faced great difficulties and suffered mental discomfort. The harder I tried to achieve a goal, the more disappointed I was when I did not succeed. At times, I became so depressed that I convinced myself I was a failure. I often got sick due to the lack of sleep and intense studying. My teachers were worried about me and they tried to help me recover from my depression and continue on with my academic developments. If I could really revisit 8th grade, I would express my gratitude to my science teacher, my ESL teacher, and my counselor for all of their guidance, assistance, and support.

After recovering from my failures, I realized that those failures were not completely purposeless. Failures help me understand more deeply about certain aspects so that I can improve myself in the future. I began to study effortlessly and diligently as before and got back to the path of my academics. My 8th grade year ended with academic recognitions and personal development. I learned so many lessons during 8th grade that I could apply in the future. Since then, I have been determined to do well in school and be academically successful in the future. I hope that I will be considered for admission at MIT after high school graduation. In conclusion, if I could re-visit a particular year using a time machine that has not been developed yet, I would visit my 8th grade year since it is filled with many wonderful memories and lessons of personal advancement.