Even if you failed your midterms, there’s still a chance to improve your grades. Whether you had too many activities on your plate or just didn’t study, these seven tips will help you make it through the rest of the quarter.
1. Take a breath
First of all, don’t panic. This isn’t the end of the world. Staying calm and collected will help you in the long run and lead you to make better decisions so failing doesn’t become a repeat occurrence.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Go to your professor’s office hours and ask them for advice on how to do better in your class. Or, if that’s not your style, ask one of your classmates for some studying tips or get involved in a study group. The point is, don’t struggle silently, let someone know you need help.
3. Plan out your schedule
Writing out your schedule can increase your productivity especially if you plan out how long each assignment will take because it’ll keep you on task. Make a plan for every day of the week for how many hours you need to study and do homework based on units and hours in the class. Everyone is different, so you need to figure out how long you need to study in order to learn the material, but remember the more units in a class, the more time you should spend studying for that class.
4. Organize time to study for each class
While similar to the previous point, this one is equally important. Make sure you plan out time to study for each class so you’re not cramming in all your studying at the last minute.
5. Stay on task and plan breaks to study effectively
Taking short breaks will make it easier to study because effective studying happens when you’re focused and you will get tired if you try to push through a studying binge. Studying binges, while they seem effective because of how many hours you spent studying, it is just as important to study effectively. A break doesn’t mean scrolling through Instagram or twitter because these can easily suck you in and next thing you know three hours have passed. Some good study break activities include: taking a walk, stretching, having a healthy snack, listening to music or drawing.
6. Do the easy assignments first
Getting the easy assignments out of the way first will allow you more time to work on the time-consuming assignments. Also getting work out of the way will make you feel more accomplished, thus leading you to do more work.
7. Set aside time to have fun
Balance is key, especially when it comes to studying. It’s important to make sure you’re not studying 24/7, so plan out some time to have fun, as long as you get your work done.
There’s still hope for the rest of the quarter if you start making these changes now!