Dear Bad Grade,
I deserved better. This wasn’t the grade that I earned. This happens whenever I try. My professor hates me ... These are all thoughts that run through my mind as I pick up my paper and reveal a grade less than what I was expecting.
I had been so confident. The grade that I was expecting was nowhere near what I was looking at. When I saw how low I scored, my stomach turned, and I felt disappointed. How could this have happened? I thought I had studied enough. I thought going out the night before the exam wasn’t a big deal. I thought I had this.
I’m really having a bad week. Well, few weeks. I’m homesick, I’m stressed out, and my workload is growing. This was not the ideal time for you to show up. I have so much on my mind and so much stress. There’s so much time before break, and I don’t need a failing grade now. I need a weekend with no work and nothing to do so I can watch Netflix, sleep and have no worries.
In elementary school getting a bad grade was only something you needed to worry about when your parents had to sign your tests, and you then had to somehow forge that signature and hope to God your teacher didn’t call you out for it. In high school, it was something you laughed about. The closer you were to that failing point, the funnier it was. Everyone would fail tests together, or pass in a team effort. But in college, you’re overall grade is impacted so greatly by every test and every grade. Getting a bad grade is not something you laugh about or aim for.
I guess this is a reality check. Maybe prioritizing alcohol and hanging out with my friends isn’t the best system to achieve success. It’s just so tempting. Studying all night is boring when there are so many other options. I don’t want to sit in and watch my friends go out. The more I go out, the less I think about the work I have to do. I don’t want to spend my evenings in the library when I already spend so much of my time confined to a classroom. I’m tired of the never-ending workload and the infinite number of distractions. The fear of missing out is at an all-time high.
This really sucks. This may seem like a big deal right now. But this is just one test. And this is just one bad grade. It doesn’t define my academic career or me. I don’t even remember the bad grades I received in middle school. I won’t even remember what I got on this assignment years from now. I won’t care. So, you know what, f*ck it. I’ll just do better next time.
Sincerely,
A Struggling College Student
