Bad grades happen, sometimes even to really smart students. And while not everyone fails out, many students find themselves asking how to recover from a bad semester in college.
Parents and students often define bad semesters differently. Some students or parents consider anything less than a 3.5 GPA as a failure. For others, it’s grades below a “C.” For still others, it’s grades in specific courses that may derail their plans for medical school, law school, etc. Regardless of the definition, bouncing back from a bad semester is something many students need to do. Here are three moves students can make to start the bounce.
An important first step is to understand what really happened during the bad semester. How did their semester go south? Were they unprepared for the challenge of college work, or were they late turning in assignments? On the other hand, did they not bother to study at all? Two rules from the scholars program I direct are “go to class,” and “turn sh*t in.” Too many students do neither of these then wonder why they failed a course. But most students do go to class and do turn stuff in. These students may need guidance from parents, other students, or faculty members to understand what went wrong. Assessing and really understanding what went wrong is an important first step in recovering from a bad semester.
Students often wonder in the wake of a tough semester if they’re in the right major. Asking that question is often a valuable exercise. A student who went to college to become a physician, yet failed both bio and chem in the first semester should take a step back and reflect. That doesn’t mean they can’t be a doctor, but they should be encouraged to ask if they’re best suited for a career as a physician. It’s also true, however, that one semester doesn’t determine a student’s ability to get into medical school or graduate from college on time. Overreacting or panicking aren’t a student’s best friends after a bad semester, and I know that first hand.
After an abysmal first semester in college, I decided on a bold strategy to bounce back: I’d pull all-nighters every Friday night. That way, I’d get lots of work done, yet still recover enough to do course work on Saturday and Sunday. It didn’t work, and that Spring was my worst semester in college. Don’t let your students do what I did: help them learn from their mistakes.
This post from TheOdysseyOnline highlights the importance of learning from one’s mistakes. That’s an excellent strategy. This understanding can lead students to learn new study methods, or develop the necessary skills in managing their time that will put them on the right path.
We should also students to recognize the positives of the tough semester. Most semesters in college aren’t all doom and gloom—usually something good happened. And whether it’s the fact that a student ask for help with their mental health, or approached their professors for help–finally–encourage them to recognize those positives, and build on them during the next semester. That’s the first piece of advice the Her Campus site mentions. Helping students see the positives also gives them a reason to remain in college. It also helps them and learn the importance of handling the hurdles that are part of adult life. Accentuate the positives!
Making a Plan and Sticking To It
The biggest and most important step to recover from a bad semester is for students to make a plan for success and follow it. While that plan may change, that’s also the advice from the Princeton Review. By developing a plan, students have to figure out what they need to know, such as new skills or discipline, and how to obtain those skills. This often connects them more closely to the campus resources many students don’t use. For example, if their plan includes learning how to manage their time better, where will they learn that? Students should also develop a Plan B: things will always come up, and learning how to be flexible is an important life skill students should learn. But making that informed plan is the key to everything!
As I alluded to earlier, something that drives faculty and staff nuts is students failing to use the campus resources designed to help them succeed. Faculty and staff typically fall all over themselves helping the students who come to them for help, and lament when the students who really need their help don’t take it. Encourage your student to be one of those who asks for and accepts help when they need it. That will help them recover from a bad semester in no time!
There is little that warms the hearts of college students more than receiving a CARE…
As your student makes their final preparations for college and new student orientation, don’t think…
When students go off to college, we worry about many things. These include: how will…
Family vacations can serve a dual purpose if you have a student thinking about college.…
This is the second in my “making the most of summer” series. We often look…
A year or so ago, I talked about how high school students could make the…