I'm feeling rather stupid right now. I was totally unprepared for a chemistry class today, only to find out that we had a quiz on material that I haven't reviewed. It was on the ideal gas law. And I failed it. I completely and utterly failed it. And because I failed it, I feel extremely stupid. I keep thinking that I was the only one in the class who didn't know what I was doing, and that my professor is going to laugh at the fact that I didn't even answer two of the questions. I walked out of the classroom blushing and in shame, and I feel horrible right now. I just do not understand this material. I know that this sounds very minor to some, but there is something you have to realize about me; school is all I have. I have no friends and no social life. My grades are the only thing that makes me feel good about myself. I'm also an absolute perfectionist. At this point, most people would suggest getting a tutor. The issue is that a tutor would make me feel worse about myself. I have no clue what to do .
Study your ass off. I was in the exact same situation as you were when I initially got into university. I felt like I was a moron compared to my peers. I hadn't developed proper study habits during highschool since I never had to try particularly hard to get stupendous grades. I would study for a few hours before a test and then, I was baffled when I did poorly. I have since buckled down and pushed my way back to a satisfactory level. University studying, especially in sciences, is an everyday activity. Start setting aside two hours out of your day to review your class material during the day. It's almost required that you review every day even if it's not technically assigned by a teacher. Talk to people in your lab sessions and see if they would like to study with you. Ask questions during class time. If you don't understand a concept, ask for help right away; don't put it off until later. And just know that everyone has these difficulties. It's an uphill battle, but you are an incredibly talented and intelligent individual. If you put your mind to it, you will get the grades you want.
This is one of those pivotal events in life where you're going to be judged not by how you did on this test but by how you respond to how you did on this test. We all make mistakes, perfectionist or not. They're over and done with, and you only have what lies ahead of you in your control. Let me put it this way, when I'm interviewing someone for a job, I don't ask them what mistakes they've made, I ask them how they handled the mistakes they've made. So on to the solution. You already know what you did wrong - you were totally unprepared. I'd say that the solution is pretty obvious; you're going to do whatever it takes to be fully prepared next time. WHATEVER it takes, and if that includes a tutor, then that's what you're going to do. Why? Because your rational brain is bigger than your perfectionist ego. It's your ego that's eliminating this option, but your brain knows that if you really want this, then nothing is off the table. Talk to your professor; tell him you are having trouble understanding this material and ask him for advice on how to improve your understanding (another thing which might require you to swallow some pride). Unless he is a dick he'll want to help you and he should be able to direct you to reading, a tutor, or whatever. He might even take an interest in helping you personally. Now go and do something about this, and then come back and tell us what you did!
Most of the people I know who have excelled in school have had at least one experience like the one you're describing. Sometimes because they just spaced on a quiz or exam, sometimes because they were too busy, and sometimes because they had a challenge grasping the material at first glance. I think both Corina and James have given excellent advice. I would add that, even though school is your primary focus, it would be healthy for you to not identify *solely* based on your academic achievement and give yourself permission to be human and make mistakes sometimes
That is all great advice also maybe ask him if there is anyway you could do a make up test to make up for the mark, i am sure he would not mind letting you do something for extra marks or something and then study super super hard and if you pass the make up test then i am sure it would make you feel much better about the first test
Hi there! If it is any help, remember that it was only one quiz. The good thing is, you can make it up again by working harder for the next quiz and exam or other assignments that you might have. I am sure that you weren't the only one who did poorly. Having worked with students in the past, I can tell you with certainty you are not the only one who didn't do as well hopped or was unprepared for it. But that doesn't really matter because all what matters is that you are happy with your performance. But that doesn't mean that you need to feel stupid, because it happens. It happens, and is part of academic life. Although grades are important, I think you do place unnecessary pressure on yourself. To succeed, all you really need to do is to try your best. You don't need to be a perfectionist, you don't need to ace every single exam or assignment. All you need to do is to show interest and try your best. If you have a bit of difficulty understanding the material please do talk to your professor during his or her office hours. This is why professors have office hours. If you can't make it to his/her office hours, e-mail the professor and ask for an appointment. Also, ask a tutor to help you. This is for what tutors are for. Academics is not something that you need to do all by yourself. You can study with others and ask others for help. While you are trying your academic best, I think it would be good if you try making some friends or at least develop a bit of a social life. Academic success is often linked to your social well being. A social life (even if it consists of joining a club or an activity at your uni, and it meets once a week) will give you some balance in your life which is important. Often times, students go in with a mindset of having to achieve an "A" average or better and will place so much pressure on themselves that in the end, they don't reach their goal because they lose their motivation to continue to perform at such a high level. For many students who go in with the idea that "academics" is all they have, they often find themselves stressed out, unable to sleep well, and feeling down because your body can only take so much. For the next couple of days, try to figure out what would you like to do in terms of pursuing a hobby. Have a look at the clubs and activities at your university/college and promise yourself to go to at least one get together or meeting. You grades should not be the only thing that allows you to feel good about yourself. A healthy approach to academics is finding a balance between your academic and social life. A healthy approach is a approach that allows you to pick from several things, which will allow you to feel good about yourself. Take a break for today. Start again tomorrow. I hope this helps a bit! (*hug*)
I used to think the way you do. I am a perfectionist and any failure or mistake really messed with me. To get over my perfectionist ways I had to come to the understanding that perfection is an unattainable goal. Now every mistake I make I see has a great success. I now know that that method does not work and I am now closer to finding out what does work. Try to not be fearful of mistakes. Don't be afraid to fail. The right mindset will help you get over such things. If you find something difficult you can sometimes find the answer by doing something completely different. Thinking abstractly can help you overcome difficult things. Many of the greatest scientists got to be great by attacking problems from different angles. Richard Feynman was working at Cornell University when he started playing around with physics. His higher up encouraged him to keep playing. He ended up winning a Nobel prize for what he figured out while "playing." Try not being all about school and grades cause you will not be in school for the rest of your life. Learning is very fun so try to have fun with it. You will be learning your entire life.
pv=nrt yeh chemistry isn't the easiest subject, believe me you are probably better at it than me lol just let that test go, you've done it, you can't go back in time, if you have done crap then you have done crap. just remember how bad that test made you feel and use it as your motivation to work harder in future!!
You are not going to be judged because you messed up on one quiz. Honest. If you're a strong student in all other regards, the professor is going to notice, but they're not going to laugh. (My bf is a chemistry prof - he doesn't grade papers or tests for their entertainment value. Honest.) Chalk it up to experience and carry on. What else can you do?
