You just spent the last week studying for your test or writing your essay. Your professor starts passing back your papers and you’re not even worried. Then the professor gets to you and you don’t see a grade you were expecting. It’s a bad grade and you begin to freak out. This will definitely lower your GPA and then you’ll lose your scholarship and have to drop out of school…

Before you do anything, take a deep breath. Everyone gets bad grades sometimes. It doesn’t define your self worth. When you get a bad grade it can feel natural to freak out, but before you do anything, read this guide about what to do when trying to get over a bad grade. 

Table of Contents

1. Stay Calm

When you get your paper or test back and see the bad grade on it, your first reaction may be to instantly rip up the paper and toss it into a fire. However, it’s important to stay calm. Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Try to center yourself. If you start freaking out, then it will make you feel worse about the grade you got rather than accepting it.

2. Take Time to Process

Take a few hours or days to understand the grade you got. You may need to put it in the back of your notebook and watch a movie to take your mind off of it or try to focus on other schoolwork you may have. 

Understand that a grade does not define you and it does not mean you will do bad on any future work you turn in. Don’t let it affect the other work you need to turn in, but also take time to truly understand what this grade means to you. 

3. Evaluate What You Did Wrong

When you’re ready, go over your work. Try to see if you made any errors that you can correct the next time or, if your professor wrote notes on your paper, take time to read them. One of my professors suggested even going back to any essays you write and make the changes your professors made so you can see the way your paper flows with the changes.