Pipsqueakalchemist said:
At this point I just can’t take a test. I split my 3rd year up to have a smaller course load to get higher grades for grad school and got 60s on almost every test. My friends who have double my course load do just as good if not better. I’ve given on grad at this point. For 2nd third year please tell me how I am supposed to study because at this point I’m at a lost for what more I can do. This semester I studied so hard, I did all the homework, I did practice exams, I went to office hours and asked the professor a lot of question, I made a list of questions I had and ask all of them to the professor. There’s nothing more I can do at this point. I feel like I’m just a C student and maybe that’s not so bad. I don’t know at this point I’m just so tired of this crap. Tired of studying and working so hard just to get mediocre results. I am just glad it’s summer now so I can just play games and forget about school.
Well, it doesn't sound like there's any lack of trying on your part. Take some time off, relax, decompress, but don't forget about school for the entire summer. Once you've given yourself some down time it might be worth reflecting on the bigger picture.
First, do you still want to be in your program? Are you learning what you thought you would be? Are you still genuinely interested in the topic? Sure, sometimes the day-to-day grind can be monotonous, but it's important not to lose sight of the endgame. Sometimes students can get so overwhelmed by the sunken cost effect that they feel they have to keep going on whatever initial path they chose, even if it's not turning out as they thought. But in my experience the students who change gears when they realize they no longer love the path they're on, end up doing a lot better overall, even if it takes them an extra year or two to finish.
To help figure this out, particularly over the summer, make sure you take the time to read up on the stuff that you're most interested in. If you keep coming back to the same field, it's probably worth sticking it out. But if you find instead you're gravitating toward another area, a course correction may be warranted. Reading up on the "cool" stuff also helps to keep that passion alive when the coursework has stomped in down.
Second, (assuming you want to stay in your program) take a hard, honest look at your skills and knowledge base. Are you suffering in your courses because your prerequisite knowledge isn't great? Just because you covered something in a previous course, doesn't mean you can assume you know it. This is where review and remedial work can really help.
As a "2b" you might also look at your coursework. Did you end up in courses before you were ready for them? What were the methods of instruction? Which methods worked best for you? Some students really struggle with remote learning, which so many people have had to do in recent years. So if that's the case, it might help to aim for in-person lectures when available. Or take more labs. Or independent study-type courses. To the extent you can, stack your learning in favor of the teaching/learning style that works best for you. And if your school doesn't offer things that work, consider switching to one that does.
Third, take a good look at how you're preparing for your classes and examinations. Are you reading ahead and coming to lectures prepared? How much time are you putting into your studies and do you get different results when that changes? Do you have a comfortable, distraction free environment to study in? Are you covering enough material in your studying that there aren't really many surprises during a test?
And as always, it's important to maintain a balanced life while you're doing all of this. Get adequate sleep and nutrition. Exercise. Socialize. Incorporate constructive down time, etc.
