College Grades

College can be tough. You’re living away from home for the first time and maybe even far away from home in a different state or different country. On top of that, you’re going to be trying to make a new set of friends which can be stressful. After all, you may not have had to make new friends since you started elementary school and that can make you feel lost. On top of all of that, you have pressure in college to do your best.

You may have had really good grades in High School and been at the top of your class. You may think college is going to be the same and you’ll have stunning grades just like in High School. This may turn out to be true, but it may also turn out that you’re grades aren’t as great and you find yourself struggling. This can be quite frustrating and disheartening. After all, you were looking forward to college a lot and had a picture in your head of how it would be and the reality isn’t matching up.  It may be sad at first, but don’t stay sad for long because it will affect your grades even more. The fact is, college is tougher than High School. You have a larger work load, you’re learning new concepts at a faster pace, and it can be quite overwhelming. In High School, you may have been able to get away with short one sentence answers to homework questions and your essays may have only had to be one page. In college, even your essays are harder. They are going to be longer and you have to write even more in depth than you did in High School. It will be something you get used to. Your first essay may not be so great, but as you write more of them, you will find out the amount of information you need to put in and how to bring your writing to a college level. Your first semester at college is going to be quite overwhelming because there are a lot of different things you have to get used to at once. However, if you find yourself struggling with your college courses, you can’t dwell on the fact that you’re struggling for too long because there are resources out there to help you. If you find yourself doing great in your other subjects but the essays you used to be so great at writing aren’t cutting it anymore, seek out a tutor. It can be a new friend that is really good at writing essays or it can be a tutor in your college’s tutoring center. The most important thing to remember is to not get frustrated. It isn’t that you don’t know the subject, it’s that college is going to be tougher than what you’re used to and there are different expectations. Don’t let some beginning frustration and bad grades make you think that college just isn’t for you. If you’re having a lot of trouble with a new concept, reach out to people who can help you and yes, even study more. Once you have a routine down and you feel more comfortable and have reached out for help if you needed it, you will become used to how to write and what you need to do in order to succeed. The key is to never give up, reach out for help, and know that you’re not the only one struggling at the beginning of college.