The week before midterms: zombie-like students decipher second-hand notes with gaunt faces and coffee-stained teeth. During midterms week, even the most heathen-like students turn into devout prayers. Fast-forward to the week after midterms, which also has its zombie-like students, but this time, they are deciphering grades with gaunt faces and tear-stained cheeks.
Every college student has had a bad experience with their midterms, and, while there are countless guides on how to survive your midterms, few of these guides ever address how to cope with the aftermath. So here it is, your very own guide on how to bounce back from those traumatic midterms.
So, how’d you do?
Everyone has a “So how’d you do?” friend, the type of friend who asks your grade just to tell you about how they thought they failed but miraculously managed to get a better grade than you. Then you get stuck in that awkward moment when your self-esteem plummets to the floor, while you congratulate them on doing what you failed to.
Avoid those people at all costs. Don’t entertain those types of conversations — these people are users. They use people like you to prop themselves up; even if their grade was just a point higher than yours, they have a talent for making that one point feel like it’s worth a million.
The best way to avoid conversations with people like this is to keep your lips sealed and never mention your midterm exams at all. If the topic sneaks into one of your conversations, and you can feel them preparing to ask that annoying question, simply switch the direction of the conversation by shouting, “I’m voting for Trump!” You’ll see what a great distraction this is because they’re either going to be stunned by your stupidity or happy to find someone who finally sees things their way.
On the road to redemption
After stumbling through your midterms, now is the perfect time to seriously start paying attention in class. Let’s be honest — before midterms, there are more important things to do like, watching a season of “House of Cards,” squandering money from your parents or going to all the new hotspots around town. However, after poor midterm grades, it might be time to reprioritize.
It’s time to sit down with your advisor, professors and tutors and draft up a new plan of attack for the remainder of the semester. Midterms usually make up a good chunk of your grade, but finals and small quizzes can reverse some of the damage.
After receiving your midterm grade, find out from your professor if your final will be cumulative. If it is, you might want to schedule some time to meet with your professor to go over what you got wrong on your midterm. Most professors go over the midterm exams in class, so, for your sake, try to be present at this class and pay close attention. If the final isn’t cumulative, pay close attention to everything taught after the midterm, and don’t wait until the last minute to cram.
Plankton never gives up
It’s easy to feel defeated after bad midterms, especially if you think that you deserved a better grade, but this isn’t the time to sulk. Understand that a bad grade should not dissuade you from getting good grades.
Thankfully, you have the rest of the semester to redeem yourself, so don’t think of a bad midterm grade as the be-all and end-all. If you’ve ever watched an episode of “Spongebob Squarepants,” think of yourself as Plankton. No matter how many times he fails at trying to get the Krabby Patty secret formula from Mr. Krabs, he simply tries again. While college is nothing like Bikini Bottom, the moral remains the same.
Don’t let your bad midterm grades define the rest of your semester. Try to stay motivated and continue to work hard, and you’ll be surprised at how you can turn your semester around.
