Receiving grades from your semester 1 exams can come with a lot of mixed emotions, but regardless of how they went, this feedback is the perfect time for reflection, goal setting and redirection.
1. Celebrate Your Success
You got through it!
- First and Foremost: acknowledge your efforts. Take time to be proud of yourself for the hard work and dedication that you put into your assessment, regardless of the grade.
2. Stay Motivated
Keep on keepin’ on!
- Set New Goals: Whether you’re happy with your grade or disappointed, receiving feedback is the perfect time for reflection and setting new goals. Take some time to consider what you’d like to achieve next time and what smaller steps can be put into place to get there.
- Maintain Consistency: If you’re pleased with your results, continue to apply the habits and routines that contributed to your success. If they were not quite what you were hoping for, take a look at the new goals you’ve set for yourself and see how you can structure a timeline or build a habit to keep making those steps in the right direction.
3. Seek Feedback for Improvement
There is always room for improvement!
- Review: Carefully read through the feedback you were given as well as the assessment you handed in. This can help reflection and allow you to get a better feel for what markers are looking for when grading.
- Reflect on Strategies: Identify what parts worked well for you and consider how you can take this with you in future work. Was your essay well structured, or was your presentation well timed? Note this down somewhere to look back on when next exam season rolls around.
- Use your Academic Advisor: Make a meeting with your academic advisor to discuss areas for improvement more generally.
- Open Office Hours: Drop in to your professor’s open office hours to discuss your exam. While this won’t change your grade, they’ll be able to offer valuable insight about areas for improvement, whether it be knowledge or structure based.
4. Seek Resources
No shame in asking for help
- Learning and re-learning: If your current approach isn’t quite working or you think it could be working even better it may be time to try from a different angle. The university library offers regular workshops though the My Learning Essentials. These cover everything from learning to write the most effective instruction possible, to learning to read critically. Even if you think you’ve got it down, it may be worth checking it out to see if there’s anything you haven’t considered.
5. Focus on Progress
- Redirection: Grades serve as a small marker of how you’re doing in a particular subject area. View your grades as an opportunity for growth. A growth mindset and redirection is key in making new strategies and progress effective.
- Comparison: It’s true what they say- comparison is the thief of joy. Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on your own progress and growth over time. Your academic trajectory is yours alone, and comparison will do little in terms of actual progress.
6. Perspective
- Finally, remember to take a look at the bigger picture: One “bad” grade will not drastically change your overall, long term grade. Likewise, one really high grade doesn’t mean your degree classification will automatically be boosted. Consistency is key in making and maintaining progress.