As finals roll around, and everyone is stressing over tests, projects, and playing a deadly catch-up game with their GPA, here I stand smiling.

Why? Because I failed a class.

Now you may think, "Ummm, why is she happy she failed a class?" I wondered that too for a while, and yes, I have cried myself to sleep over it.

I know I should be devastated that I failed a required class for my major, but I know there was a reason for it. You're all probably wondering by now what class this is and how it could have set me back. Two words: CALC II.

First of all, I should have taken Calc II immediately after Calc I, but because of class conflicts I opted to take it later, not knowing how even putting it off a semester could set me back.

Long story short, I took Calc II at another school, was too stubborn to accept the fact that I needed help until it was too late, and here I am accepting the fact that I failed.

After long talks with professors, advisors, planning my next steps, crying over my future, talking to my boyfriend, and even praying to God, I've learned another lesson in life. It's okay to fail.

It's okay not to be perfect and have a minor setback in life. There are reasons this could happen and it's no one's fault.

Failing taught me that I wasn't ready to take this course. Since I'll take the class again next semester I'll retain more and I'll be able to really ask for help when I recognize a problem. Many people could learn this lesson.

Sometimes the timing is not right and sometimes you just need to accept that not everything will be perfect. In the end, everything will work out.

Yes, failing will hurt the almighty GPA and will show on your transcripts, but it's important to know how hard you tried. I can say I tried my hardest in class, but for some reason, it didn't click right away.

It's hard to see an expectation of being perfect, especially in college. This is the real world and everyone makes mistakes. Although teachers guide us, it won't always be that way in the real world. That was my mentality and that's why I didn't ask for help.

In the real world, not everyone will help you and you will fail. That's fine, the next step is to get back up and try again.

My advice to anyone who knows that they might fail a class is to seriously get a tutor. Get a tutor who knows what they're doing. Go see your advisor and face the reality of what will happen with your schoolwork and how to live your life.

Change your study habits, maybe that's one factor as to why you may be in the gutter.

Lastly, just don't give up and believe it was a blessing in disguise. You may not understand it now, but just know that everything will be fine in the long run if you really want it.