Okay, we’ve all been there: there’s two weeks until finals and your grades are on the verge of slipping into a deep, dark abyss. Or, worse, your grades have already tumbled and you’ve got less than a month to pull them back up.
In high school, I often had F’s or D’s in the middle of the semester and would scramble to raise them. Here’s what you need to know about saving your GPA:
-Take a deep breath. Yep, you’ve got a borderline B/C in calculus and you’re failing government and your Spanish grade is so bad, you didn’t even know they made numbers that low. Fixing your grades may seem like an impossible task, but you won’t accomplish anything by panicking. Relax: drink a mug of hot chocolate, listen to soothing music, watch a cute video. I personally recommend this one.
-Conduct triage. Medically, triage is the practice of determining which patients’ needs are the most urgent. Ask yourself, which classes are you doing the worst in? Which tests are coming up soonest? It may be helpful to use a calendar. There’s a cute weekly printout here.
-Determine which classes aren’t worth it. Sometimes you can’t save your grade in every class. Sometimes it’s better to just spend your time and energy focusing on one class instead of three. Ask yourself, which class is going to be the most useful to you later on? Which grade will be the easiest to pull back up?
-Allot your time. Determine which times you have other commitments (classes, clubs, etc.) and plan around that. But be realistic! Sure, you could just not sleep and spend eight hours straight cramming for that biology final, but how productive will that really be? Life gets in the way, and unexpected emergencies could crop up. Personally, I never expect myself to study for more than four hours on a school day, or seven hours on non-school days; I know I’ll become burned out and unfocused. I also never schedule any kind of studying or homework time after 11 p.m.
-Talk to your teachers/professors. If there’s a concept you don’t understand, ask for help. If you’re super-stressed about your grades, ask about extra credit. I barely went to office hours my first semester of college and didn’t maintain any kind of relationship with my professors. This semester, after I got a D on my first French exam, I went to my professor’s office hours to figure out how I could do better. She showed me what concepts I didn’t completely grasp and offered me advice on how to study better. Even if you think it’s too late in the semester, go talk to your teachers. At the very least, they’ll appreciate that you’re taking the class seriously and putting in effort.
Good luck!
// This post isnt mine but I love it so much I wanted to share it with you today. I found it here.
In high school, I often had F’s or D’s in the middle of the semester and would scramble to raise them. Here’s what you need to know about saving your GPA:
-Take a deep breath. Yep, you’ve got a borderline B/C in calculus and you’re failing government and your Spanish grade is so bad, you didn’t even know they made numbers that low. Fixing your grades may seem like an impossible task, but you won’t accomplish anything by panicking. Relax: drink a mug of hot chocolate, listen to soothing music, watch a cute video. I personally recommend this one.
-Conduct triage. Medically, triage is the practice of determining which patients’ needs are the most urgent. Ask yourself, which classes are you doing the worst in? Which tests are coming up soonest? It may be helpful to use a calendar. There’s a cute weekly printout here.
-Determine which classes aren’t worth it. Sometimes you can’t save your grade in every class. Sometimes it’s better to just spend your time and energy focusing on one class instead of three. Ask yourself, which class is going to be the most useful to you later on? Which grade will be the easiest to pull back up?
-Allot your time. Determine which times you have other commitments (classes, clubs, etc.) and plan around that. But be realistic! Sure, you could just not sleep and spend eight hours straight cramming for that biology final, but how productive will that really be? Life gets in the way, and unexpected emergencies could crop up. Personally, I never expect myself to study for more than four hours on a school day, or seven hours on non-school days; I know I’ll become burned out and unfocused. I also never schedule any kind of studying or homework time after 11 p.m.
-Talk to your teachers/professors. If there’s a concept you don’t understand, ask for help. If you’re super-stressed about your grades, ask about extra credit. I barely went to office hours my first semester of college and didn’t maintain any kind of relationship with my professors. This semester, after I got a D on my first French exam, I went to my professor’s office hours to figure out how I could do better. She showed me what concepts I didn’t completely grasp and offered me advice on how to study better. Even if you think it’s too late in the semester, go talk to your teachers. At the very least, they’ll appreciate that you’re taking the class seriously and putting in effort.
Good luck!
// This post isnt mine but I love it so much I wanted to share it with you today. I found it here.
