Somehow I was lucky enough not to have my first college exam until week five of the semester. I’m not sure how this happened, but I was very grateful for it. I had already written plenty of papers, but exams had not yet been a part of my college experience. Way before I even started college I was already dreading my first exam. I had been told by everyone older than me how much more difficult they were than high school tests. I was given a study guide for the exam which only made me more nervous. The exam was covering more information than I was ever given on just one single test. I started studying for the exam a week before the day of the test. I was determined to do well so that I could boost my confidence for the rest of my exams that I would have throughout the semester. The exam was the only thing on my mind the entire week leading up to it. Finally, before I knew it, it was the exam day.
Thankfully I was able to calm myself down and de-stress before the exam. I knew that if I went into the exam feeling extremely nervous, I would not do well even if I did know the material. I tried to go in with a positive attitude. I kept telling myself that even if I didn’t do well, I had studied hard and tried my best. After the exam was over I wasn’t sure how to feel. I knew that I had done well on some parts of the exam but also not so well on other parts. As I was anticipating, college exams are definitely different than high school. Instead of simply memorizing information, you have to be able to apply that information to other areas that you have learned about. After the exam, I was mentally drained so I went back to my dorm and did what every college student does best: take a nap.
To my surprise, my exam was graded in just a few short hours after the exam, I was extremely nervous to look but I was very happy to learn that I got a B! This was a very exciting moment for me and it has motivated me to continue to study hard for the rest of my exams.