Acquiring low grades whilst studying hard

[gorska]

Hello, I've been meaning to ask this question for a while.

I have been studying hard for the past year and a half (It's my second year of Computer Science) while not getting remotely close to the desired results. I passed my first year with a 7.2 GPA (5 (failing grade) - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 (best)) which is very low given that I want to master in applied math or an area revolving around that.

I'm doing 6 hours a day Monday to Thursday, 10 hours a day Friday and Saturday, and in Sunday I try to rest a little. I rest every 30-45 minutes for 5-15 minutes. Now, I'm isolating myself, sacrificing my social life, among other things. I'm feeling angry at myself every time I get the exam results or when a deadline passes and I haven't finished the lab/project.

Was I not cut out for this? What's the problem? I even started eating healthier because I thought unhealthy food was the problem :D

Anything would be appreciated, thanks.

P.S: I do like what I study, no matter how angry I get, I know I will wake up the next day and head to the library/school.

 

[Choppy]

One of my first rules for improving is to take care of yourself, which it sounds like you're trying to do. For me that means eating well, getting lots of exercise, and getting a proper amount of sleep rather than relying on caffeine to get you through the day. On top of that it also means trying to make sure you get quality down time, and try to minimize issues in your life that take up a large emount of emotional energy. Based on your post, it sounds like you're doing this - just don't underestimate it's value.

On top of that, it can really help to examine your study habits. How are you studying? Are you putting much time into reviewing and understanding material? Beyond that, how much time are you putting into skill development? Remember, just because you understand something conceptually does not mean that you are skilled in applying it.

When you fail to meet deadlines are then any common reasons? One of the harder lessons that I had to learn sometimes was to let go of little things. I have the kind of personality that doesn't like to let go of a problem until it's solved. But sometimes, strategically, you need spend your time on other things and let the little things go, and then come back to them later. You might want to read "The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" at some point - or at least grab the Cliffs Notes on it or other books like it. These books can sometimes help with organization and procrastination. (Sometimes they are quite fluffy though.)