Ty McReynolds
Is studying important? Yes, studying does help you get good grades, or help you pass that long dreaded test. But what good is studying if the results are only temporary? If studying is only helpful in excelling in school, then great, you have done it my friend. However, that is not the case.
I high school, it was so easy just to know the answers to tests. I could have breezed through test day, knowing that the lowest grade I would get was a B+, but the downfall to this was that I never studied. I could not tell you what the noble gases are, or how to find the derivative of a function, but I knew enough to get the grade I needed to succeed. Now yes, I made my way to college and that may be all one could ask for. I seek more than knowledge, or just enough to get by in my future career. I seek to understand why I am doing what I am doing. I seek to understand how to achieve success through not getting by on one problem but relating my knowledge to other problems that warrant a solution.
In this course on grant writing, I have never seen this thought more applicable. Yes, I can open up my 5th Edition Proposal Writing: Effective Grantsmanship for Funding textbook and read the bold headings, maybe memorize a few charts, and get an A on the quiz. Great, I have done it. I have successfully passed a class, but what does that mean for my future employer? Let’s say they ask me to be a part of the grant writing process. I have nothing more to show than a flawless transcript. On the other hand, if I take the time to read more into the textbook and delve into the ideas and discussion on how to effectively write a grant, then my skills jump off my transcript and enable me to get funds into the hands that need it most.
Nonprofits are more than the support-seeking fliers and billboard you see on the surface. They are causes seeking solutions, so shouldn’t I seek to understand how to help them?
In short, studying is important, not just for me, but for all those who I may affect in the future.