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So things aren’t exactly working out as planned. Those straight A’s have become a distant dream and your reality is that you’re not doing as well as you hoped you would be in a class. When you’re failing a class you have two options: you can give up, fail and just eat ice cream and cry about it OR you can take action, pass and eat celebratory ice cream instead of self-pity, failure ice cream. Celebratory ice cream just tastes better, you know?
So, my friends, if you’re failing a class there is still hope for you. This guide will help you figure out just what to do to save your grade! Even if you’re not currently failing, these are also great ways to improve your confidence, habits and grades in general.
Most Important Step: Figure out why exactly you’re doing poorly.
If you can pinpoint your weaknesses, it’ll help you strengthen them. This is the most important thing to do if you’re failing a class. If you’re not quite sure why you’re doing so poorly in your class, ask your professor. Do not say, “Why are you failing me?” but instead say, “I’m not happy with my grade and I really want to do better! How can I improve? What’s dragging my grade down?”
Even if you want to blame the professor, you have to realize that this falls on your shoulders because at the end of the day it’s your grade and you’re earning it based on the work you put in. Although I won’t totally deny that sometimes professors can be a little bit unreasonable and hard to understand with their expectations and grading process.
Is it because your missing assignments?
Try organizing your life a little bit more by using a planner or setting reminders on your phone before assignments are do. Go through the syllabus and mark down each assignment in your planner, in your phone and so on.
Is it because you don’t understand the material?
Try a new study method or get a tutor. Wyzant offers a one on one tutoring matching system that is perfect, especially if you might not be able to find a tutor on campus. It helps to match you with the perfect tutor so you can get one on one help. It’s an affordable way to get personalized tutoring and you can choose to be tutored in person or online, whichever is most convenient for your schedule. You can also view ratings, background checks and so on for each tutor so you know it’s legitimate.
You answer questions about the subject, your availability, what you hope to accomplish and so on. This is great because you can be really particular in order to find someone who’s perfect for you, it’s sort of like a dating app except for finding the perfect tutor. You can See how Wyzant works here and you can also try Wyzant Tutoring for FREE! You can redeem a $40 credit for the app with that link and if you’re not satisfied with your first lesson, it’s free.
Is it because you’re doing assignments/homework incorrectly?
Look over the syllabus for guidelines. Also look at feedback on previous assignments and see what you were doing incorrectly. If you’re still lost, visit your professor’s office hours and ask them what you’re doing wrong and how you can fix it! You can also contact your professor via e-mail if office hours aren’t possible for you to attend, but meeting in person is always the best option.
Is it because you have missed a lot of classes?
You can’t go back and un-miss those classes, but you can still repair this a little bit. If the issue is oversleeping, set more alarms. If the issue is a personal problem or some sort of emergency, it might be time to sit down with your professor and discuss why you have not been around
Is it because you don’t participate in class?
Personally, I force myself to participate at least once during class. If the class is discussion-based, I try to participate multiple times. To ensure you’ll participate, be sure to write down notes from the reading or questions you’d love to ask during class in advance.
If you don’t participate because you get nervous, remember that (honestly) a chunk of the people in your class aren’t actually paying attention and no one is going to judge you because you’re raising your hand. Participation is so much more important and ~cool~ in college than it was in high school.
Is it because you’re doing poorly on exams?
Ask your classmates how they study for exams. Ask the professor how they suggest you study and ask them about the format for the exam. Create a study guide, flashcards and so on. If you know that your previous study methods have not worked, definitely revamp them! For me, study guides do nothing but I’ve learned that flashcards help me remember things much easier.
Is it because your notes aren’t that great?
Try taking notes by hand if you’re using your laptop or vice-versa. I have a Guide to Taking Notes as well as a Guide to Using Your Computer that will help you find a method that works best for you. If you’re just very bad at note taking, you can also try recording lectures and listening to them later on.
Is it because of your priorities?
If you’re very overwhelmed, you might need to balance your life a little more and make this class a top priority. If you have to miss a few social gatherings or club meetings to really boost your grade, so be it.
Looking Forward…
Now that you’ve figured out why you were failing and how to make those necessary changes, you can look to the future and apply this information. Perhaps this could be a reconsideration in your major or avoiding a specific professor in the future.
Keep in mind that while doing poorly in one class in your major doesn’t mean you should switch, if you foresee the things that made the class very difficult and unenjoyable being constantly involved in your major, it might not be the right path for you. For example, if you have a lot of difficulty remembering all of the anatomy diagrams and hate learning it, biology might not be the major for you. Obviously, right?
What do you do when you’re failing a class?
