WHAT TO DO AFTER THE TEST

You just got the exam back and your grade isn't looking too good. What do you do now?


First, ARGUE CLOSE CALLS. Do not sit back and just accept the answers the professor said are correct. If you have any, no matter how slim, reason to argue your answer may be correct, speak up. Most professors will give you points just by putting forth a semi-intelligent argument for your reasoning. Now here's the tip: make sure you speak up at the right time. Some professors want you to approach them privately immediately after the corrected exam has been returned, while others want these discussions to be held during class time. Use statements like, "that answer seemed ambiguous to several of us" or "question 9 was misleading the way it was written" or "my lecture notes indicated this while our text stated that". Get your timing down, be polite and serious in your reasoning, and see how many points you can pick up.

Second, ASK FOR CURVE POINTS. If the whole class has done terrible on an exam many professors will automatically add 5, 10 or more points to each student's grade. It never hurts to ask for curve points when the professor doesn't automatically offer them.

Third, PRIVATELY ASK FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS. When your grades are especially low, make an appointment to privately speak to your professor. Explain to your professor why you feel your grades are bad and what you plan on doing to improve and ask them if you could do a special project to improve your grade. Specifically state that you want to do a special project to prove your knowledge of the subject, that the test you recently bombed did not truly show your knowledge. Now many professors will refuse this request but then you follow up with a request for more help with the next exam, such as a specifically targeted study guide. If your professor does allow you special credit for a project, make sure you do the best job you can. Most professors will not give you a second chance with a request like this.

Fourth, DON'T LET ANY POINTS GO. Ask yourself if you are doing everything you can to get points in your classes. If the professor gives 10 points a week for turning in homework, this is an automatic 100 points (10 points x 10 weeks)toward your grade per quarter or 160 points (10 points x 16 weeks) for a semester. Are you turning in that homework every week or are you slacking because it's only 10 points? Here is a situation where you can guarantee yourself points and you can't afford to not take them, all of them. Whenever the professor is handing out points outside of exams, do what it takes to get the points. So completely answer those discussion questions, hand in the homework, show up for the participation and attendance points, watch how you format your papers, proofread your writing. It's all about getting your share of the easy points. Don't ever leave any points behind.

WHAT DO PARENTS WANT?

Many students feel pressured and stressed by their relationship with their parents. I'm here to tell you that there is hope at the end of the tunnel. I have some stellar ideas on how to reduce the stress in your relationship with your parents.


So what do parents want? They want me to

• have better grades


• be healthy


• be safe


• be polite


• spend time with them


• be successful


• manage money better


• not date losers


• get a job


• yada, yada, yada

Is it any wonder you are stressed out? Truth is, most of us want to please our parents but we also want to be true to ourselves. Most of us aren't experienced enough to get all that stuff right all the time. So we make mistakes, we screw up, things slip through the cracks, we make some bad choices.

So how do we repair and improve our relationship with our parents? I got two easy steps for you:

1. Call your parents from time to time to simply say, "Thank you." Parents want to know that you genuinely appreciate the sacrifices that they have made for you, that you realize all that they have done for you. When you say, "Thank you for sending me to college." Or, "Thank you for coming to watch my soccer game." Big or small, when you say thank you, you are acknowledging to your parents that you appreciate them. That is music to their ears and takes such a small amount of time and effort on your part. Plus these thank you phone calls will pay big dividends when you need to make the "I need some money" phone call. Parents will feel much more inclined to hand over the money when they feel you are grateful for what you receive.


2. If you screw up, recognize that you have made a mistake, come up with a plan to correct the mistake, and then call to inform your parents of what you have done and how you plan on correcting it so it never happens again. Parents want to know that you are mature enough to correct mistakes and learn from them. The worst thing that can happen is to make a mistake and not to learn anything from it. Then you are doomed to repeat your mistake over and over again. If you are able to communicate to your parents how you plan to never make that mistake again, you will tamp down the anxiety that parents feel when their child has done something wrong. You will be dealing with them as an adult would.

Hopefully your phone calls to your parents will only be filled with "Thank yous", but it is good to have a plan in case you need to make that difficult "I've screwed up" call.

DON'T BUY THE PUPPY!

My first year in college I happened to make friends with some upperclassmen in my major. It was a great way to get an inside look at what I would be facing in the next few years. These girls shared with me tips on how to get accepted into our major.


One of the biggest lessons I learned was at the expense of one of them named Angel. Like most majors, upper classes get harder and harder. You can't afford to coast. My friend Angel was able to achieve decent grades and was even on the dean's list.


Then spring semester rolled around . . . Angel started going out more at night during the week. Angel was drinking more and started smoking again. Her grades started slipping. She was barely holding on to a "C" which she needed in her major classes. Angel was getting desperate and that's when she decided . . . TO BUY A PUPPY!


Now folks, I love puppies, kittens, all animals, really! But when your back is to the wall and you really need to pump up your grades, the last thing you need is a distraction like training and caring for a new puppy.


Yes, the puppy was the last straw for Angel. She failed two classes spring semester and was kicked out of her major. She dropped out of college. When you are fighting for your academic life, you don't have the luxury of taking on unnecessary projects, like caring for a new puppy, or chairing the homecoming committee, or volunteering to bake 100 cupcakes for the bake sale. Tackle those projects when your grades are no longer an issue.


Always remember to keep your eye on the prize - getting your diploma! Make sure that the choices you make are leading you closer to your goals and not away from your goals.