How to Think About Your College Midterm Grades

College is about making friends, learning to manage life on your own, and more. But it’s also about academics—whether you’re thrilled about it or not.

For many freshmen, midterms are where this reality kicks in. So how should you react to your lower-than-expected midterm grades?

Your temptation might be to despair or to conclude you’re just not “college material.” (This conclusion is rarely true in my experience as an educator.)

Instead, midterms can be the wake-up call you know you need to get to work, roll up your sleeves, and dedicate yourself to your studies in a new way.

Below are 3 takeaways for the freshman who is determined to turn around their grades between midterms and finals.

Takeaway #1: You’re studying the wrong things.

You can spend hours upon hours studying and still earn bad grades, but not because you’re unintelligent.

In fact many students who earn good grades in college spend a lot less time studying than you may think.

While ability does play into grades some, ability isn’t the main ingredient to earning impressive college grades.

What you study matters much more than how long you study.

So what should you be studying? In general, these are things that should fill up your study time:

• Overarching concepts: Your teachers typically care more that you get the big picture and can explain the big picture than that you can recite terms and their definitions. 

• Application of terminology: While there may be a few instances where you need to be able to identify terms and definitions, your teachers are more focused on how well you apply terms in projects or papers.

This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, but should give you a general idea of where you should be by the time a test begins.

This list also gives you an idea of what level of mastery you need to have over the materials.

If you can hardly remember what you learned in the previous unit, you’re going to have a hard time explaining concepts and applying terms during a test.

Takeaway #2: You’re studying hard, not smart.

Your grades rarely communicate how long you studied, but they do reveal your studying habits.

I see students constantly share on social media that they struggle to know how to study unless a quizlet is available. 

I also see students rereading their textbook or notes repeatedly hoping to cram the material in their mind.

Not shockingly, neither of these approaches typically work very well.

While you may be able to “get by” while using these approaches in some easier classes, this method rarely works for more challenging classes (aka most of the classes you’ll have in your upperclassman years).

How you study is more important than how long you study.

So how can you study smarter? Below are a few suggestions:

• Rewrite your notes in a different format: Did you know that note-taking is a studying method? That’s right. If you write your notes with bullet points, try rewriting them in a paragraph format.

• Create practice quizzes/tests: Creating quizzes and tests can be a great way to test your knowledge. Doing this with a study buddy can increase its effectiveness, because you can swap quizzes and tests and then grade each other.

• Teach a real or imaginary classmate: Your teachers have a mastery over the content in part because they spend hours explaining, illustrating, and demonstrating it. By pretending you're teaching the content to an imaginary classmate or teaching an actual classmate, you can help to “connect the dots” and master the content for yourself.

• Put in studying checkpoints: One of the biggest studying downfalls is cramming several weeks worth of content into four hours the night before a test. Your brain doesn’t retain information well when you cram. You’re more likely to succeed if you spread out the content over a few days of studying. This allows you to take breaks and test your knowledge as you go.

Takeaway #3: You’re trying to conquer challenges alone.

Two heads are supposed to be better than one. This can’t be truer anywhere than it is in college.

Sometimes freshmen can let their ego or their fears keep them from getting life-changing help.

Whether you’re too intimidated by even the thought of emailing your teachers or maybe too embarrassed to admit you’re really struggling, getting extra help can make you feel like you’ve failed. You haven’t.

We all need a helping hand sometimes.

Think about your favorite athlete, musician, or actor. They didn’t get to where they’re at now purely based on talent. 

They had coaches, teachers, mentors all forming a support group to help them succeed. 

You can be one of the most intelligent students at your college and struggle to succeed simply because you don’t take advantage of tuition-covered resources provided on your campus.

So what kind of resources do most colleges provide? Here are a few you should consider utilizing:

• Writing centers: Most colleges provide a writing center with staff members purely dedicated to helping students learn how to write better. If writing essays on tests or writing papers for class are dragging your grade down, consider making an appointment or stopping by to get some extra help.

• Technology resource centers: Maybe you’re struggling to figure out your email, stay connected to your dorm’s internet, or access your school’s online portal for grades. Most campuses have an IT center dedicated to helping students (and faculty) fix these issues so you can access information when you need it.

• Student care centers: If you’re having struggles with your mental health, implementing time management, or are experiencing roommate drama, take advantage of student care on your campus. They often provide many free resources for freshmen struggling with adjusting to being in college and living away from home.

• Academic advisors: Your advisor really cares about you and wants you to succeed. But if you never talk to them or share your struggles, they won’t know to offer help to you. These individuals are experts at helping students navigate college academics. Take advantage of having them on your side!

Getting back disappointing midterm grades can be discouraging, especially when you don’t feel like you can give more energy to school.

Your problem may not be how much effort you’re investing but what kind of effort you’re investing.

Lower grades aren’t a sign that you’re a failure, they’re a sign you have some room to grow. College is a great place to do this growing.

Equip yourself with these three takeaways and I can almost 100% guarantee that your grades will gradually improve and you’ll enjoy your student experience much more.

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