Beating The Mid-Semester Blues!

University Short Cuts

7 hours ago

5 min read

Summary of Post

Stay calm after setbacks and focus on the steps you can still take to improve your grade.
Review what went wrong by analyzing your past work and checking the syllabus or rubric carefully.
Create a realistic study or project plan based on your time, energy, and most urgent class needs.
Prioritize the topics worth the most points and use study methods that help you learn more effectively.
Build consistent, focused study habits and use smart test-taking strategies to earn as many points as possible.

Stay Calm and Focus on What You Can Still Change

Maybe you have had a few exams that did not go your way or a couple of large homework assignments completely tanked. While in the middle of the semester, that’s all right; it happens. You can still pull through and pass your classes. It will take more work, however, since you are behind in class. This is where it is toughest because that is when the questions start. Do I drop the class? How am I going to keep my scholarship because my grades are sinking? It is so easy to spiral down into worry and anxiety. But doing this only makes it worse; you’re not getting any closer to your goals and aspirations this semester. So, what do you do instead? Well, we will cover that in the following text.

You’re Not Alone, and a Setback Does Not Define Your Future

To start off with, I have been there myself; you’re not alone, and you can get through the challenges. I know that it sounds extremely easy for me to say this, and you would be right; it is. However, I have been there, and I know it will take work and time. Personally, I remember getting a Physics exam back and thinking I did all right on it, and then later, when I got the test scores back, I got 56% on the exam. Now, did I get an A in the class at the end of the semester? No, I did not. I got a B. But guess what? I graduated and got a job just fine with that B. I should note that this is in engineering. Note that other majors are sometimes different. The point is you can still come back. So how do we do it?

Figure Out What Went Wrong and Revisit the Syllabus

Earlier, I said that it was going to take more work. Let’s now expand on what kind of work exactly. The first step is to understand that what you are doing right now is not working. That means you must analyze what you need to change. After breaking down how you prepared for the exam or project that led to this result, the next step is to read the syllabus or rubric. These two documents are basically your contract for the class. When reading them, make note of items you missed on your exam or project that were stated there. Additionally, make notes of upcoming topics and understand that you must learn them. You should also be aware that you may already be behind because many professors begin material for the next exam before even giving the first one.

Create a Realistic Plan for Your Time and Energy

Once your analysis of the syllabus or rubric is complete, you need to create a study plan or a project plan. What does this mean? Well, once we have our scope—learning what is stated in the syllabus—the next step is to ask what your schedule looks like. You need to plan study times that will give you both quality and quantity hours to refine everything you need to learn. I like to use Google Calendar or Microsoft Calendar to see how my time breaks down. I even added 10 or 15 minutes of transition time. Next, we have our budget. You can think of this as your mental capacity and study techniques. You can only fully focus on so many classes in a day, so you will need to pay attention to the class with the lowest grade currently. Then evaluate how you studied for it before and how you would study differently.

Prioritize High-Value Topics and Use Better Study Methods

Next, we will implement the new plan with one additional step. Focus on learning the subject that will be worth the most points on the exam first. If you don’t have a good understanding, then go down from there. Essentially, you will rank each topic one by one and then slowly learn each of them. Also, it may be helpful to state what style of teaching you would find best. For example, watch YouTube videos or redo the homework.

Study with Focus and Be Strategic During the Exam

Once you start to study accurately, I recommend that you keep your phone in a place that stops you from using it for the most part. This is because you want quality, highly focused study time. Additionally, your study location will be important to choose as well. I highly recommend a library. Once you have completed one study session, you will need to string multiple together, along with doing other homework and managing other classes. Don’t expect to know the exam in one study session. It will wear on you, but the goal is to focus on what you need to know in the class and how much you need to know it. Pro tip: during the exam or project, do the big point items that you know first or second so that you can get as many points as you can as early as you can. Sometimes it is good to do an easier problem first in an exam if you're nervous and need to shake the cobwebs off. So, this is really your choice. But I do recommend looking at the whole exam before starting.

Refocus Early and Keep Moving Forward

Overall, I hope you learned something today about how to approach a class in the middle of the semester when it’s just not going your way. Remember to refocus and read the class documents that outline the expectations of the class. Of course, start studying earlier rather than later. If you liked this post, please consider joining the email list and reading some other blogs I have posted about college and learning!

Final Note and Extra Resources

Lastly, I have a book for sale and a planner as well if you are interested. I will link them below!

If you enjoyed my work and want to get better at math, please consider buying my calculus one book called Calculus One Made Simple. I will link it here! Additionally, if you want to be more effective with your time, please consider buying my planner here! Finally, if you want to follow what I am doing, visit my YouTube channel, Alpine Digest.

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