Students blog

As you make your way through your college career, you are bound to run into some rough times. Whether it’s due to extenuating circumstances outside of the classroom or difficult course content, you might find yourself in a situation where the semester didn’t quite turn out like you originally planned. So, what do you do if this does happen? Here are four tips to help you through this stressful time to help get you back on track to do well in the semester ahead.

1. Take a deep breath.

It’s going to be all right. The courses you are taking are designed to be challenging. It’s okay if you struggled this past semester. This is the time to assess the situation you’re in and make any necessary changes. Double-check on important matters, like financial aid, and make a game plan to ensure that you’re not too affected. Look at next semester's course schedule and adjust your classes accordingly. Breathe. You’re going to make it through this.

2. Keep your notes and course work.

While they might not be the most helpful to you now, if you end up re-taking the course, they can be a great roadmap to build off of the second time around. Look at your notes and see where they can be improved. Keep any practice problems and work on them in between now and when you take the course again. This can help you build a solid foundation for your next attempt. Use what work you did put into the course to your advantage.

3. Do some research.

Look around your campus and see what resources they provide to their students. Find the tutoring services and utilize them throughout your courses. See if your university has any grade forgiveness programs in place and learn how to apply for them once you retake the class successfully.

4. Use the resources you have.

Ask classmates to join your study group. Utilize TA and professor office hours. Look at your own study patterns and adapt them as is necessary for your own success. Find clarifying videos online and use any course materials provided to practice before your future exams. Build healthy habits that can make your semester run smoother. Get organized and make sure you’re ready to take the semester head on!

Using these tips can help to prepare you for the current semester and the semesters ahead. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone has rough semesters. If you take the steps to bounce back strong you can help set yourself up for success! Good luck!

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

At my university, counselors emphasize the importance of “thinking fifteen”, meaning taking fifteen credit hours a semester to graduate in four years. While this doesn’t seem too difficult, as a biomedical sciences student this often means that the fifteen credits I’m taking are all STEM-based classes, which typically come with a heavy work load. This can make planning my weekly schedule overwhelming, especially since I’m also scheduling in work and events with student organizations I’m involved with on campus. Here are some tips I use when going about my semester.

Register Wisely

Setting yourself up for success happens at class registration. Choose classes during the time of day when you will be most active and more likely to pay attention. Whether it be morning, afternoon, or night, keeping to the part of the day that is best for you will help you to get the most out of your day. Also, give yourself enough time between classes to process your notes and assignments. This will help you understand the information given and might even decrease the total amount of study time needed.

Be Flexible

One of the biggest things to realize when scheduling yourself throughout the semester is that there is a difference between concrete plans and plans that can be flexible. Concrete plans are your exams and classes. They will not change no matter what. Even if one class session is cancelled or an exam moved around, for the most part the days and times won’t change. Plans you make with your friends can also be concrete. You all choose a time and an activity and because multiple people agree, it’s more likely to not be changed. Flexible plans are things that could be moved around your day if they need to be. You may not have a decision when other people or organizations plan events you wish to participate in, but you can decide to push your afternoon studying to later or earlier in the day. Being flexible is super important in college. It allows you to do what you need to do and what you want to do at the same time.

Build Sustainable Habits

It’s better to build daily habits in your day rather than try to adhere to a strict schedule. If you create a daily schedule, it may not work every day. Instead, make a list of what needs to be done in the day and complete each task when you can. If you know you need to study for three hours, go day-by-day and decide where studying will fit in that day. When I know I have an event at night, I try my hardest to finish everything I need to get done that day before the event. On a day with no extra events scheduled, I space my tasks out a bit more so as to not overwhelm myself. Being able to do this will help you not only succeed in classes and have fun, but it will also relieve some stress from your day.

Finally, understand that while deadlines are important, you shouldn’t fully live by them. Give yourself enough time to study for exams or properly complete assignments but allow yourself to take breaks and have fun throughout the week as well. Taking thirty-minute coffee breaks can help you reset. Having dinner with your friends can help you destress before or after exams. Studying is important to succeeding in many classes, but you can have fun and succeed at the same time.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started!