<p>I am struggling in one of my classes. i didn’t do well on the last two midterms but I did good on two essays that are worth just as much as midterms. I wouldn’t say the class is super hard. I just feel like there is way too much information to cover. The amount of information is very overwhelming. </p>
<p>I don’t want to drop the class. I want to tough it out and pray I at least get a C-. I know a C isn’t the best grade but I can’t stop thinking about how my parents are paying my tuition while I’m doing bad in this class. I feel like I’m cheating them. So far there will be two more essays and a final which will cover 3 lengthy chapters. I keep telling myself just to work harder and I’ll get a C at least but then I can’t help but think, “You just did horrible on the first two exams. You’re not going to do better on the next.” Every time I think this I seriously feel like this class is beyond my ability.</p>
<p>Take things one step at a time - stop thinking of what you have to do in the context of the entire semester; just look at assignments as little hills you have to get over. If you have an upcoming test or essay, focus just on that - don’t worry about anything that may come up later that week or later that month; just that test. Study for that. Once you’re done with that, you’ll feel more confident and you can move onto the next “little hill” and work on that. And that’s how you progress through the course.</p>
<p>Forget about what’s already done - when you drive a car, you don’t drive looking at the rearview mirror, you drive looking through the wind shield. Forward. What’s past is past, nothing can be changed. That’s okay. You fall down. You get back up. Everything’s gonna be alright. If you get a C-, you’ll live. You won’t be the first person nor will you be the last. Many, many kids get Cs in classes. Many, many brilliant, hardworking kids get a C here or there. Everyone gets tripped up; you’re in college, you’re there to be challenged and to grow intellectually. If everything was a cake walk, your parents need not bother paying so much. </p>
<p>Good luck. </p>
<p>Don’t just ignore bad grades, treat them as a wake up call.</p>
<p>Look back over the exams, can you figure out where you went wrong? Are there certain kinds of questions/topics that you struggle with? Try going to office hours, take the questions you want help on with you or come with a list of questions, talk to the professor and see if they can help you. Maybe they can give you study tips, or point you towards good resources (past exam bank, tutoring, etc). And then they’ll see that you’re really trying, which can get you brownie points if your grade is borderline at the end of the semester.</p>
<p>Or it could just be that this specific class takes more time to study for. Even if you use your time efficiently, it might help to dedicate more time to studying for this class, and maybe then the information will stick better for the exams.</p>
<p>Oh, and make sure you know the grading scale. If the class writes letter grades on the tops of exams that’s pretty clear, but if it’s a percent you might want to check what the class average was before you panic. :)</p>
<p>@failure622 - Oh, I didn’t mean so much “ignore” more like - don’t dwell. I saw OPs problem more as a “I’m gonna tank this semester, I can’t do well on my future assignments because I’m dragged down by negative thoughts from former grades.” If OP understands where he/she went wrong, then by all means, I think that they should just move on and not harp on past screw ups. But if it was a cumulative course, like Calc II or the like, then yes, OP should ensure she/he has mastered the former material. </p>
<p>It may involve working “harder” but it may also involve working “smarter.” If the amount of information is overwhelming then you need to break it down into manageable chunks and schedule short study sessions more frequently. By “working smarter” I mean figuring out where you went wrong on the first exam. Did you study “facts” and the questions asked you to connect ideas or find patterns? Did it ask for facts that you didn’t learn?</p>
<p>And - more important - have you made the time to go to office hours and talk to the professor? NOT to ask “how do I get a better grade” but rather to find out how to study, why your essays seem to be doing better than your exams, what tips s/he might have for your success. Unless the prof is a ********* they actually do want to help you.</p>
<p>This is a bit unconventional, but what I found really helped me in situations where I felt I wasn’t doing as well as I could be doing was trying to put everything into perspective… and I mean everything. Sometimes its easy to get too focused on classwork/school/career and not realize why you’re working so hard all of the time. If I fell into this rut, I would drop what I was doing, go out for a nice long bike ride with some friends (or by myself), or a hike somewhere pretty… enjoy life a bit. Sometimes these simple fun activities help to clear your mind and give you back some motivation. It worked pretty well for me anyway… </p>
<p>Usually, when I was in a situation where I wasn’t doing well, it was because my mind was burned out on a particular topic or class or my situation in general. By getting out and away from all of it for a while, I sort of reset myself which made it easier to come back and focus again.</p>
<p>Anyway, something to try if none of the other conventional methods work.</p>
<p>I do know what went wrong. I mostly studied facts and very few examples. Since I knew the basic ideas rather well I didn’t put as much time as I should have into preparing. But overall the class is a bit difficult.</p>
<p>My professor handed out the study guide for the final that will take place it December. I basically have until December 9th to study for it. It’s going to cover the last 4 chapters of the text book. All questions are multiple choice. </p>
<p>The exams in the class are very lengthy. Last week our midterm was based on 3.5 chapters and it was 65 multiple choice questions. Obviously if you break it down it translates to about 18-20 questions per chapter. I know its not really that much if you think about it that way, but knowing the test will be long overwhelms me.</p>
<p>I find that when I work TOO hard, I do WORSE in the class. Of course, this is just me. But I have found that when I worry too much about my grade and don’t rely on the fact that I know what I’m doing, then I tend to worse. </p>
<p>People on here have given a lot of good advice; its worth a listen. It also depends on what course you are talking about; is it history or english? are there discussions in class that you participate in? I find that I do better when I participate in class as well and mess up in class. That means that the mistake won’t be made when it matters.</p>
<p>And put it into perspective as well. If the class is difficult, you should be proud that you are trying and aren’t opting for a different, easier alternative</p>