Advice: I’m feeling discouraged because I’ve been getting bad grades
Every week, you’ll find advice from our team of psychologists to help you through all the ups and downs of life.
Difficulty: Explorer (Level 1)
We’re sorry to hear that you’re stuck in a rut. Most students feel the same way at some point. When you study, are you applying the information you have learned to your assignments? If you are copying ideas, you won’t get far.
Try to change how you work if you are not getting the desired results. You might need to shake up your routine. Just because you got a bad grade now doesn’t mean you can’t get a good one next time. Don’t punish yourself. Take a breath, let it go, and don’t put so much pressure on yourself.
Ask your friends for tips on studying, or see if your teacher has any advice for how you could improve.
Try not to focus too much on the final results. Shift your thinking to learning about what you’re interested in and improving from where you’re at, rather than getting the perfect score. Many successful people have to learn how to work through failure! You can do it.
This response has been vetted by Lolita Schmalenberg, a psychotherapist for teens and adults at Lifespan Counselling.
Talk it out
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What can you do to make studying more enjoyable?
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How can you make sure you really understand what you are learning?