Miller

Ryan Miller

Mrs. Cramer

English Comp 1 pd 4

6 March 2019

College Application Narrative

“We learn from failure, not from success.” This is a quote from Bram Stoker and this idea

of failing making us learn more than succeeding is a concept that has been important to help me

to keep pushing and never give up. In my sophomore year, my soccer team went to district

playoffs, but we lost. This loss may have not been the outcome we wanted, but it helped push me

to become a better player for next year. I practiced all winter, spring, and summer, and I got

better. Then my junior year, we went to playoffs again and I scored in the semi-final. We won

our district final game, making us District Nine Champions and we moved on to States.

Although we did lose at States, this loss could help push us to become even better for next year.

Failure teaches us what we did wrong and what our weaknesses are as well as how we

can improve that weakness. This helps everybody push himself to be the best he can be, and is

the basis of almost every scientific breakthrough there has ever been. Thomas Edison once said

of his invention of the lightbulb, “I didn’t fail 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with

1000 steps.” This way of thinking allowed him to keep pushing, even after he had failed

countless times. Failure moves the wheels of scientific discovery and helps every person become

better. Failure to win our district final soccer game in my sophomore year helped push me to

become better for my team and allowed me to help my team win one of the biggest games of our

season. I learned from this experience that failure is not the end of the line, unless you give up. If

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a person gives up after a failure, then he or she is closing the door to success, but if this person

improves himself to become the best he or she can be, then the door to success gets a little bit

wider, and he or she might just make it through.

From this whole experience, I have learned that although it is nice to win, we gain more

from a failure because it teaches us how to become better. I also apply this to school. If I do bad

on a section of a test in math class, then this teaches me that that subject is one of my

weaknesses. I then study this subject until I become better at it and then I can improve my grade

on the next test with this newfound knowledge. Overall, I agree with Bram Stoker and I have

realized that failure, not success, is what turns the wheels of society and is what fuels every

breakthrough that has ever happened.