TWO #30 Letter to Future Student

Dear future APELC student,
       You are in for a challenging year. This course is not designed to be easy because the curriculum is designed to push you to the next level. This year is meant to challenge you but it is not meant to break you, so don't get too overwhelmed.
     There are things you have to understand before you try to tackle this class. You are in a class with the best of the best. There won't be many kids in the class who shouldn't be there; more than likely you will be surrounded by the best your grade has to offer. I know that I struggled with trying to feel up to par with my classmates, but just remember everyone is struggling just as much as you are. The way essays are scored in this class is probably not something that you are used to. There are going to be papers that you turn feeling fully confident only to get a grade that you are not used to. I know that for my first essay I received a grade on a paper that I had never gotten on an English paper before. I'm not going to lie it sucks to get an inadequate grade on a paper, but the thing you have to keep in mind is that it's okay to do poorly as long as you take the right steps to improve. The most important thing, and the thing that I wished I had known during my time in APELC, is that when you get that bad grade don't hide that paper in the away in an effort to conceal your defeat. When you get a bad grade just accept it for how it is, and try everything in your power to improve on the mistakes that you made. In the long run getting a bad grade on a paper will not hurt your overall grade, but the thing that will hurt you the most is not fixing your errors.
     Just another little reminder if you are a person who worries about their grade, which is perfectly normal, it's okay to get a bad grade; because everyone gets a bad grade once in a while. You may finish the year with B, like I did, but you have to keep in mind that the information that you are gaining from taking this course will help you for the rest of your life.
     You got this!
Best Wishes,
Kaitlyn Gallagher