I'm not sure if russianspy was being sarcastic, but I can assure you that what you take and how you learn it is very important in college.

Don't fill up your timetable with "easy" courses. The only person you screw over is yourself. We bust our butts and pay out the nose for post-secondary education: it doesn't make sense to fart around wasting that colossal effort in the name of grades. If you're truly enjoying what you do (and have some aptitude), then you know you're in the right program. If not, then it's time to rethink your major.

The best thing you can do right now is talk to your academic advisor (or whatever their title is at your school). This person's job is to discuss students' academic futures with them. Any questions you have about your post-graduate studies and how a bad semester will affect them will be best directed to them.

Next, I would strongly suggest setting up an appointment with a counselor. Most colleges offer free counselling to students, because it's something that a lot of students need. We're all under enormous amounts of stress at this time, and if you're used to being a high achiever a drop in grades can feel like the end of the world. A counselor can help put things in perspective and help you figure out strategies to minimize your stress.

You've still got some time before finals (I'm just approaching my last round of midterms now) so there's always room to bump those grades up a bit. It's time to form some good study habits!

1) DO NOT CRAM. Seriously, don't. You won't remember a thing after, and it's especially important in the sciences to understand what you're learning thoroughly because a lot of it is cumulative. Your best bet is to study thoroughly over a longer period of time. I actually recommend closing the books at least an hour before the exam and stopping studying for that time period. Anything you try to cram into your head at that point will fly right out again, and all you succeed in doing is stressing yourself out unnecessarily. Take the time to relax.

2) Partner up! If you don't belong to a study group, join one or make one. It helps to have people to keep you accountable and to help drill you on memorization or explain things you're having trouble with.

3) Find a good study space. Not your bed, not your couch. Go to the library if you find yourself easily distracted at home.

4) Keep distractions to a minimum. That means turning off your cell phone unless you're expecting an important call, and it also means staying off Facebook! If you can't trust yourself to stay on track, you can get software to block your usage of certain sites.

5) Find out what works for you. For me, it's taking well-organized notes and doing all the review problems I can get my hands on. For others, it's flash cards. I like to listen to melodic death metal while I study, but you might want total silence. Experiment until you figure out what your study groove is.

6) Don't neglect your body and spirit for the sake of your mind! Make sure that you take a little time each day for exercise, and that you're eating healthily and regularly. Maintaining a decent sleep schedule is also important to make sure you're functioning at your peak. Try not to pull all-nighters, because the returns diminish greatly after a few hours of sleepless studying.

Don't go leaping into decisions about the distant future quite yet. You're still passing your courses and you're only in your junior year, so there's tons of time to get your grades back up. Worst case scenario, you can retake a course or two if you feel you really didn't get it. You've got your whole life ahead of you to achieve what you want to achieve, so take some of the pressure off of yourself. You can do this!

Thank you very much!

My Personal Forum

My name is Amanda and I'm 26 years old. I'm currently studying electrical engineering. Armed with a fairly odd sense of humour and a sunny outlook on life, I'll take on just about anything. I'm also cussedly stubborn, which has its ups and downs. Things get tough sometimes, and I've never been one to run from it.

In my last 8 years with Advicenators, I've gone from honours student to failing out of university (and getting back on top again!), from single to married, from tenant to homeowner.

Until lately, I have been struggling with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and OCD, which had basically ruined my life and taken just about everything from me. I'm thankful every day for every experience I've had because of this ordeal, because it's helped to make me who I am today. Things like that really make you appreciate what you do have. Now that I'm back in work and school and starting to become myself again, I couldn't be happier. I credit Advicenators with saving my life back when I was a teenager, which is a big part of why I'm still here.

I won't necessarily give you the answers you want to hear, but I'll always be honest and do my best to help.

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