My professor returned our midterms and I stared at the grade on my screen, my eyes vacant of emotion but filling with tears. I got a 50% on the exam. I had studied for almost two weeks for it. I even pushed homework for my other classes aside so that I could focus solely on this midterm.
Almost failing my natural science course in my first year of college made me forge a bond with positive thinking.
It can sometimes feel like we’ll have no light at the end of the tunnel. Papers and exams thrown at us from all directions. Having one exam pop up after turning in a paper make college life seem bleak. Despite how we may feel in a particular moment, we do have a goal to work towards: graduation.
As students, we should worry about getting to that finish line physically and mentally whole. We must remember that we will reach our goal through our own individual methods.
Struggling with my natural science course, made me slack off in my other courses. My grades dropped overall. I started becoming restless, overwhelmed with stress and fixated on raising my grades, which only caused multiple panic attacks. I felt like I could do nothing to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.
About two weeks after my midterm, the academic advising office called me in for a meeting. The adviser discussed the natural science course along with the likelihood of me failing. He suggested I withdraw from the class.
I felt my heart drop, sinking into the pit of my stomach. Negativity oozed out of my pores the rest of that day. I had agreed to the withdrawal, not wanting the F to drag down my GPA any more than it already did.
I experienced so many various trials and tribulations in college that I even considered transferring back home to a local college or university. However, I didn’t give these thoughts a permanent residence in my mind. I pushed through. I forced myself think of the benefits to these experiences.
Then, it hit me one night while doing homework. I had more time, directing my attention to my other courses. A new sense of hope enveloped me. With positivity coursing through my veins, I worked harder and catch up on the work that I left neglected.
I ended the semester with average grades, though it hurt withdrawing from a course my first semester in college. I had high expectations for myself. I thought I could automatically become a new person once I began my time at university. However, the transformation comes from these trials and tribulations.
As students, we realize overcoming these obstacles will aid us in making wiser decisions. Learning from out previous mistakes open opportunities for blossoming in our future.
After my first year in college, I believe that I have evolved into an even more optimistic person. I watched any negativity come towards me and simply pass by. I acknowledged it as an old friend rather than a constant companion.
Every once in a blue moon I subconsciously permit negativity to get too close. When that happens, I just remind myself that it doesn’t have any place in my life.
Now if I bomb a test, for example, I try not to focus on just the grade embolden in red. I contemplate how I should study more or review the material through a different method. Even so, the knowledge that achieving success means that I must change a habit seems daunting.
No matter how intimidating things like this may seem, we can’t allow ourselves to think of the negative possibilities if trekking down a new path. We must look on the bright side and see how this could not only bring up our grade but also enhance our studying skills which could benefit other classes in the long run.
I push myself, continually mentally picturing where my life will lead me 20 years from now. I tell myself that sacrificing sleep every once in a while to study will pay off when I sit in my own office, calling the shots at a publishing company. I then hunker down, play some classical music, getting focused and continue grinding out my work
