<p>I'm a freshman, and my GPA so far is a 3.55. So not bad, though I did get C's on a couple of exams, which I didn't like. I was trying to just get by with A's and B's this semester, but I've already gotten a C on one exam. And, it was on a psych exam, and I'm a psych major, so it's especially discouraging to me. Of course, I have all semester to raise my grade back up, but it just discourages me so much whenever I get a C. I usually leave exams feeling good, but then the grade doesn't match up.</p>
<p>Am I being too hard on myself? What can I do to avoid these mediocre grades? I feel like a study a lot...</p>
<p>Try to figure out why you got that C. Take a look at the exam, and figure out where you went wrong. Were you not prepared? Did you study different topics than what was on the test? Did you run out of time? Were the questions confusing or tricky? Figuring out why you didn’t do as good as you would have liked can help you figure out what you need to do to improve in the future. It’s not always a matter of how much you study, but it may be what you’re studying or how you’re studying. If you can, ask your professor or TA how you can improve on the exams, given your past performance. The time to ask for help is now, not right before the next exam. Once you figure out why you aren’t performing the way you would like, then you can start to come up with ways to fix it. </p>
<p>Also, what was the average on the exam? If the average was a D, then it may have just been a harder exam. If the average was an A, then it may have been what or how you were studying that was the problem.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s ever a bad thing to want to excel, but keep in mind that all you can do is your best. Just keep learning and trying to do better next time. That’s really all you can do.</p>
<p>I got a C on my first Psyc exam last semester. After that I started recording the professor’s lectures and listening to them again before the exams, and I finished the semester with an A. Good luck.</p>