Flunked my first exam

[angiemarclain]

I just finished my first ever mid term in grad school today, and it counts for 25% of the grade. I'm confident of failing.. it's relative grading, and I'm pretty sure I ll get the lowest in the class.. The paper was pretty easy but ugh.. I messed up on even the straight-forward questions, and just BS my way through it..Half the questions I skipped through without answering them..

It's not like I didnt study. I studied my ass off and it is a subject that I really really love.. everyone did extremely well..

I'm like, Did I make a mistake even coming here for Grad School? I feel like such an impostor.. And I feel worse that I'm disappointing my parents who ve sent me to Grad School abroad with all their life savings..

I feel terrible, and don't know what to do, and why this happened, and I'm hating myself that I'm gonna get a worse grade because I screwed up such an easy exam..

Someone help me, I just wanted to rant and didn't know how to deal with this.. the guilt, pain and anxiety of waiting for the results and the humiliation to be over is just eating me up ..

[ktel]

Just relax until you get the actual mark back. You might do better than you think.

Besides, I'm assuming you're doing a thesis? If so, your classes aren't the most important thing. Your research is.

[TakeruK]

Coursework is definitely not as important as research -- no one (future employers) really care about your grades. Although you will need to have a good solid foundation in order to pass quals or oral exams or whatever you have at your school, they usually cover a broad range of topics. Even if you did as bad as you thought in this exam, it's not going to be the end of your career!

[angiemarclain]

Thanks guys.. No, I am not doing a thesis.. So I guess this is important..What s done is done anyway.. maybe there is something wrong with the way I study..Or I guess my brain just shut down in the exam due to over anxiety.. Must learnt to tackle grad school tests better.. I am in an Engineering Program.. Any tips?

[surefire]

Thanks guys.. No, I am not doing a thesis.. So I guess this is important..What s done is done anyway.. maybe there is something wrong with the way I study..Or I guess my brain just shut down in the exam due to over anxiety.. Must learnt to tackle grad school tests better.. I am in an Engineering Program.. Any tips?

I'm not in engineering, so I don't have any discipline-specific tips. However, I can say that, depending on what school you go to, there are probably resources for grad development and performance. Everyone is so over-whelmed with their first semester that they kind of have blinders on, but take some time to research what your school offers. My school has resources that provide workshops/one-on-one sessions for grad-level research, editing/test-taking skills and grant proposal writing as well as English as a Second Language-specific stuff (not to make any assumptions, but if English isn't your first language, this could be something that skews your performance and its VERY LIKELY that your university has something specifically tailored to help, whether it's through academic skills or the international students office). Seriously, you PAY for the provision of these resources in your tuition, so find out what's there and use it!

[SeriousSillyPutty]

Yeah I've been bombing the midterms too.

I just got a 48% on a Thermodynamics test that is about a third of my grade. And it was a fair test, half of it was directly from homework or worked class problems. And I studied.

Then in another class that had 4 essay questions, one of them was to list 4 things out of an article, and I didn't remember the four things.

Then in my stats class I knew what I was doing, but used the wrong number (no idea why -- brain fart) for one of the big multi-part problems.

So yeah. I wish I could say, "Gee, I guess I shouldn't have gone to so many keggers that week" or something, because then I would know what to change.

But, I'm hoping that I will get more used to professors and the swing of things. I can say with confidence that I am trying my hardest, and so then it's up to the professors. And I have other things in my life (volunteering and such) and that helps me to keep a little perspective.

Good luck!

[phonology_rocks]

I am sorry you feel you boomed your mid term.....I understand how stressful it can be to walk out of a test and feel like you know nothing.....I think if you don't like your grade when you see it, you should talk to the prof and explain that you really studied (show how you really studied) and just say that you don't mean to complain but that you wondered if he/she had any suggestions about what you could do next time differently. But you may be surprised....I was after my first mid term....

, I worked so hard studying that I pretty much lives in the library leading up to the exam. I put in long hours each day studying except for short workouts and eating, and other RA stuff and classes.. I really really need good grades because of my post program completion goals....

Anyways, I walked out of the exam, went home and literally cried some of which was due to fatigue I think, I was convinced I boomed it, and felt unsure of everything....one of my roommates who is older than I am in age and academics, shes a third year student, pointed out that I worked really really hard and I should be proud of that, and she felt i'd be surprised when I saw my grade....

I know I got lucky in this case, and that I am going to have to learn to take tests without getting such high anxiety.....but my professor saw me yesterday and said something like "congrads on a great exam" turns out.....I got an A....

I do understand your worrying though....I hate the stress i was feeling before and after the exam....good luck I hope you get a positive surprise like I did.