What I learned after receiving my first low grade

According to Statistics Canada’s Youth in Transition Survey, at the start of university, half of the students saw their grade drop by one letter grade, while about 23% of students dropped by two letter grades (Jerema, 2022).

December 18, 2023

By: Destiny (Fifth year, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour)

Since high school, I had high grades. In my third year statistics course when I recieved my first low grade, I felt disheartened, ashamed and ready to quit. When the term ended, I completed the course with a D. But when I completed the continuation of the statistics course, I achieved a higher grade. Getting a low grade did not meet my own expectations as a student, but I learned four valuable lessons that can help you get back on the right track. 

Accept your low grade and learn from it

Sometimes you might be compelled to brush off your grade. For myself, I was ashamed and disappointed. But I knew if I wanted to improve, I had to accept my low grade. Try percieving your low grade as a learning opportunity. My advice would be to understand the what and the why. For example, what was incorrect? Why was it incorrect? Then, take time to review the correct answers and feedback from tests or assignments, if they are available to you.

Connect with your Professor or Teaching Assistant (TA)

Office hours are designated times to meet with your professor or TA outside of the classroom. This is a great opportunity to ask them about your grade and any advice on what you can do to improve. Always be respectful and show up with a willingness to learn.

If you cannot make it to office hours, you can email your professor or TA to set an appropriate date and time to meet. When you meet, I highly recommend taking notes on the advice they give and how to do better in future. From there, review your notes and relearn the material. 

Assess your studying or writing habits 

Are your current studying or writing habits working for you? If not, there are ways to improve them. 

  1. Reconsider your priorities: Focus less on distractions and put more time into studying or upcoming assignments. Ensure that any type of distraction is as far away from you as possible.
    • My advice, if your phone is a huge distraction, put it on silent mode and lock it in a drawer. If you are sensitive to noise, find a quieter study area. This helps you to focus on the current task. 
  2. Make a solid plan to work on studying and assignments in advance: Create an agenda for yourself to outline when and how you can complete your work.
    • For example, choose a specific task you want to complete for the week. Break up the task into smaller tasks. If you choose to work on a research paper, I would divide the task as so: brainstorm ideas > choose topic > research > outline > draft paragraphs > edit. For each specific task now, determine how long it takes to complete each of them. Be realistic with each judgment. From there, allot different dates and times during the week to work on it.  
  3. Seek help from trained individuals aside from your TA or professor: There are options available for further support such as writing advisors, academic peer mentors, and academic coaches from the Writing and Academic Skills Hub on the second floor of Mills Library.
    • Book appointments on Oscar Plus under the Student Success Centre tab. You could also find a tutor. I highly recommend checking out the Undergraduate Peer Tutoring Network available for undergraduates in the student success centre. 
  4. Use more effective learning strategies: If your current studying and writing habits aren’t working for you, then you should change it up.
    • My advice, try finding or creating study groups or using flashcards for better retention of the course material. I suggest reviewing the Studying and Taking Exams Academic Skills guide from the McMaster LibGuides. There are a lot of studying strategies here for you to use, teaching you to study actively rather than passively. Additionally, for assignments, you can have a friend review your work. These are just some ways that you can make the best out of your learning. 

Believe in yourself! 

Try not to create unrealistic expectations, especially with grades. Understand that these mishaps are a part of learning and remember, you are not alone. Even though there are many students who appear to be smarter than you, there are some who struggle just as much as you do.  

References