School is important. If there is one thing that is constant in the somewhat tumultuous life of college students, it's this. And for good reason too. Passing classes, even just barely, means that we move forward toward the future and whatever it holds. It's a weight off our shoulders that we won't have to deal with our broken education system for any longer than we have to. But sometimes, things don't always go our way.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, we fail a class. And we fail it hard. Perhaps, like me, it was because you had poor time management skills. Maybe it was because you're so busy you didn't get the time to study. Or that the teacher forgot lecturing is not the same as teaching. However it happened, it happened. And now you have to live with it.

Here's a personal anecdote for you. I go to CSU Bakersfield, a university that, until recently, was on a ten week quarter system not counting exams. This was unlike most schools that are on semester systems, nearly twice as long as a quarter system. But the administration decided it was time to change that, and last semester it became official. Unfortunately, being a student in the middle of the crosshairs and all the red tape, that meant that some classes' credit was made null. I had taken Introduction to Chemistry previously, but now I had to take it again if I wanted to move up to a higher level class.

Long story short, I failed. And I failed hard. I thought that since I had taken the class before, I could slack off. Boy, was I wrong. That was the first class I've ever legitimately received less than a passing grade for, and it made me very depressed. The rest of my classes didn't do so hot either, just scraping by. I'm not a straight A student, but when it comes to grades I'm definitely above average and take pride in my intelligence. After this, I began to question if I was really as smart as I thought I was. If anything, I thought math would be the area that would bring me down (we don't have the best history).

It took some time, but soon I began to accept that I had taken a loss. When it comes to transferring out of CSUB, this may cause some problems down the road. But I realized what I had done wrong and promised myself that it would not happen again. And I may come to regret that vow in the coming weeks, but it's certainly not one I intend to break. I foresee much groaning and late-night studying, yet breaking a commitment is not in my nature.

So this is to all those who, like me, have experienced academic failure. It's not the end of the world. It may seem like it, but it's just a small setback. Trust me on that. You may have to take a class again, and maybe make some sacrifices, but this time you're more prepared for what's coming. It's all a matter of buckling down and getting it done.

Everyone gets to try again. It's a part of life that we fall down sometimes. We just have to be strong enough to get back again.