Don't Give Up After A Bad Exam

Last week, I took my first Anatomy and Physiology exam. To say that I was nervous would be an understatement. I was literally shaking as I walked into the lecture hall. This class is a bit special because the admission team will be specifically looking at my A&P I and II grades on their own. Additionally, this is the first time my exam didn't come strictly out of our textbook.

My professor is covering material above and beyond what is in our textbook, 70% of the material was from our book, the other 30% will come from her lectures and she doesn't allow you to record her lectures You've got to keep up with your notes. This is my first time dealing with a professor that taught like that. That's why I was so nervous going into the exam. Suppose I missed something during her lecture? For the first time ever, I had to pair up with another student.

We shared our notes with each other and that was a life saver. We both had a lot of similar notes, but there were a few things my classmate caught during lecture that I missed and vice versa. Sharing notes gave us a better chance of capturing as much as possible.

Team Up With A Classmate
My study-mate and I did really well. Unfortunately, other classmates were crying after the exam. Some were talking about dropping the course. I felt bad for those students because none of this material is easy. The best thing I can tell anyone is "Don't Give Up!" I know how is feels to study for hours on end only not get the grade I expected.

Over the summer I took a Microbiology course, which almost ruined my summer.  During the course, I received a bad grade for one of my exams. I was so upset. I literally went home crying. I took a shower and went straight to bed. But here's the thing. The next morning, I was determined to put that behind me and do much better for the next exam.

Get Your Head Right
My self confidence was shot and I had a difficult time focusing. I kept thinking, "Suppose I go though all of this again and get another bad grade?" I downloaded motivational speeches from YouTube. I don't remember the name of the movie but I recognize Sylvester Stallone's voice talking about how life is going to knock you down, but it's up to you to get up every time and give it your all. I listened to "Keep the Faith" by Michael Jackson. Speeches by Les Brown, Will Smith, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others. I needed to repair my confidence, calm my emotions, and focus on the next exam. I scored a 96% on the next exam and got an A- in the class.

It's Not Easy, But It's Possible
After getting so many good grades in my courses, I don't want anyone to think that it's always a walk in the park for me. Sometimes, I don't make the grade but I've learned to never give up. Figure out what went wrong and correct it. Don't sulk on the couch too long. You've got to get back up and keep working hard, until the very end.

I still have two more exams to take for this class, a quiz every week, and  2 research papers to write. Just because I've done well these last few months, doesn't mean that I can slack off. There's still 2 1/2 more months before the end of the semester. Anything can still happen.