Are you a procrastinator? Older people are always saying, “Do this now, or you’ll regret having to do it later!” I don’t usually follow that advice because most of the time, in spite of my procrastination, I’m able to get decent grades. However, procrastination will eventually catch up and bite you in the butt. Earlier this year, I learned that procrastination can ruin your future.

Bergen Academy is a prestigious, public magnet school in New Jersey that is very selective. I applied to this school thinking although it wouldn't be easy, I would have enough time to prepare for the entrance test. I knew I had to study, but every time I had a free moment, I had an excuse not to. This is basically how my week went: Mondays-Fridays were all school days. When I got home there were always stacks of white, stapled, three-hole punched papers lying on my desk. When I looked at each page, one dreaded word came to my mind: homework. Saturdays were filled with family events. Finally came Sunday, the day of church and rest, and then the cycle began again. It was difficult finding time to study. I knew my priority was school, so I pushed off studying for Bergen Academy.

Even when I was preparing, I was still procrastinating. I would not practice to my full potential. For example, once I was practicing for the essay part of the Bergen Academy test and didn't want to write my best. I had what seemed a perfect reason at the time. Now, that reason seems like a ridiculous idea. I thought that my “juice” would be wasted, and I needed to save my “creativity.” I knew that only then, would I write better on the real test. My assumptions were wrong.

When I woke up on the day of the test, I couldn’t believe that I was about to take it. I knew I was underprepared as I went for my entrance test. The testing room was a huge auditorium filled with hundreds of intelligent looking students. In the auditorium, there were no desks. Instead, we had large, smooth, brown wooden boards to write on. The test was like a bird, swooping me up. As it swallowed me, or in other words as I took the test, I realized my mistake. I couldn’t think of what I was going to write because I hadn’t studied. I knew I should have prepared better. Needless to say, Bergen Academy did not accept me.

I actually saw a quote about procrastination and learned from it after my experience. It stated, “Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill.” It’s ironic how I read that quote while preparing and thought, this quote will never apply to me. In the end, this ended up being the one quote that perfectly fit my situation.