It's not drinking from the Old Well.
Even the other day, I was stressing about a not so pretty exam grade I received. I calculated different combinations of grades I needed this semester to maintain my GPA (Ben Eggleston Grade Calculator – the best and worst tool). But then I remembered this blog. This dang blog. It’s actually haunting. But I realized how hypocritical I was being. I hadn’t even written this post yet, but I knew I was still ignoring the advice I just wrote about your grades not being intertwined with your identity.
My advice in dealing with grades comes in a simple list of three. Outside of the list, looking for other campus resources would be a smart idea too. UNC for example has the writing center, the learning center, etc. But if you’re like me and unlikely to go to foreign resources like these, these three points are a good place to start.
1) Go to office hours
I cannot stress this enough. Don’t wait till you’re far behind. Go early and consistently. Even in classes where you may not be struggling academically, go and get to know your professors. I have so much respect for my professors, and when they share their excitement for their subject with you, you’re bound to gain a new appreciation for it. Going to office hours will build a relationship with your professors who I believe are the greatest sources of help on campus.
2) SLEEP
I have a whole post already dedicated to this. But this point cannot be repeated enough. An unhealthy sleep schedule can negatively affect your performance. Research shows that sleep deprivation is linked with the impairment of the ability to focus and learn effectively while healthy amounts of sleep helps solidify memories which will be helpful for your recall during exams.
3) Plan and eliminate procrastination
Planning your workload into manageable chunks has been super helpful for me. Knowing how you study best should also be considered during this planning. Incorporate travel time if you need to study off campus, how long each study session should last according to your focus span, and subsequently how many studying periods you should schedule. I found that scheduling my homework, papers and studying for exams as if they were appointments helped to boost my morale as I got small tasks done and also helped me stay on top of my assignments. With a better study plan and less procrastination and cramming, improvement in your grades should follow.
These three tips are ideas that are applicable with a little effort. But keep in mind that your grades aren’t a full reflection of your intellectual ability. The way colleges test your mastery of material can be improved with learning how to study effectively in the best way for you specifically. Learn what your strengths are. I found that writing a study guide by hand was the most helpful for me because I'm a visual learner. Little things like this can alleviate some of the stress that preparing for exams bring you. Hopefully, we can all see grades as hurtles that we just need to jump over and not as mirrors that reflect who we are. With this perspective, we can be objective about some of our not-so-great grades and not let them be so detrimental in our lives.
“Motivation is what sets you in motion, habit is what keeps you going.” -Jim Ryun