I’m in college, and I study soooo much and still get all C’s!!. It’s not like i’m trying to memorise the material without understanding, I make sure that I understand and not memorize. I always go to office hours, I study and study and study before each exam, and I KNOW the material, yet I always get C’s. What is wrong with me!!!
Maybe your college has grade deflation. Failing grades are not C grades. I think you should calm down and go speak with your professors about things you are consistently getting wrong on tests. Maybe you aren’t studying efficiently. Maybe you are spending as much time studying easy concepts as you are difficult ones. Maybe you are not in a quiet place when you study. Maybe you have too many distractions. Are you turning off your phone? Are you part of study groups? Are you going to the campus tutoring center?
I suspect your problem lies in how you study. It might be a good idea to ask profs before every test what particular concepts need to be prioritized. You might really benefit from study groups and the tutoring center. Perhaps you are the type of student who learns best when you can bounce ideas off of others.
Meanwhile, freaking out about C’s, which are clearly not the same as and F, is not going to do you any good. You need to relax and have some perspective. You are passing. I’m not sure if you are a freshman, but a lot of freshman have terrible first semesters. Your grades are acceptable. I’m very sure there is a lot you can do to improve them. Good luck.
What kind of classes are you in? Some colleges have “weed out” classes in things like intro chem. In STEM classes, you will often find students in intro classes who’ve had the course material already in some other setting, so you might not be starting from the same spot.
Is there free tutoring available from the department in classes you are struggling in? If so, take advantage of it. If not, consider paying a tutor.
If you do poorly on an exam next semester, take the time to go over the questions on the exam. You may be able to anticipate where the prof is taking the material from next time around and what kinds of questions they ask to help prep for the next exam.
Your situation is difficult to understand without more information that should include a sample of test essay responses written by you.
This is a common occurrence among law students because the first year tests require not only understanding of the material, but also using it in a logical and analytical manner. But you are not in law school.
What are you studying in college ? How did you perform in high school & on standardized tests ? Are you doing poorly on essay questions, multiple choice questions or both ? Do you suffer from test anxiety ?
I don’t think that we can give useful suggestions without knowing what school you are at, and at least what area you are in. Knowing your major and your courses would help also, along with how you did last year regardless of whether last year was college or high school. @publisher has asked some good questions above.
Some universities are known for grade deflation. Some majors are tough. There is an old saying that “C’s get degrees”. However, C’s in early courses can lead to worse problems in later courses that depend upon what you are learning now.
Get this and change your study habits. This book has been suggested on the engineering site and the one book my son didn’t give back to me.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Straight-Student-Unconventional/dp/0767922719/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1546367803&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=cal+newton&dpPl=1&dpID=51mKmt0ltIL&ref=plSrch
(hope I did this correctly)
It is a fun fast read with great suggestions. Many on CC swear on this book and rave about it.
You say you study a lot but that might not be the best approach. Studying efficiently is. This book does that. Do what they say and couple this with your schools learning center and keep going to office hours etc. Peer to peer tutors help and as suggested group studying also.
Also keep in mind that there can be a full grade drop the first semester /year till you figure out what the college professor wants you to learn vs your high school teachers. It’s different.
Find out if you are a visual or auditory learner also. This can help a lot also.
If your Cs are in classes with a heavy writing component, ask to read papers of students who received As. Study the difference between your work and their work. It’s hard to know how to do better if you don’t know what better looks (and reads) like.
I agree with @katliamom, if there is a heavy writing component, your writing skills have to be strong. It’s all about being able to get your point across. You need to go to the tutors; going to office hours helps, but you have to go almost daily to the tutors. It has to do with learning how to write and study for university level classes. Completely different from HS classes.
I noticed that you used the spelling: “memorise” in your post. Was that a mistake? Or, are you international?
Many students who start of with all C’s end up doing very well. So don’t fret too much and don’t panic. The early courses in many schools are survey courses that require certain skills that become less important as you move up in course levels (from 100’s to 400’s). Many rely on how well you can game tests (often multiple choice tests) and how well you can memorize and regurgitate large amounts of material. So I agree with the suggestions about acquiring good study habits, etc. But mostly, don’t panic and don’t conclude that you won’t succeed. As others have suggested, do try to evaluate what may be contributing to the poor grades-do you know the material but are not very good at taking the kind of tests or completing the kind of assignments that are expected. Or do you think you don’t understand the material and may have had poor preparation from your high school courses-or is there a disconnect between what you think is good enough and what is expected, etc. If you can identify more explicitly why you are not getting the grades you’d like, you can either change how you prepare or your level of effort, and/or you will have cues about whether upper levels will help you overcome the issue.
“The early courses in many schools are survey courses that require certain skills that become less important as you move up in course levels (from 100’s to 400’s)” @lostaccount Very true! Some of the toughest courses are those early ones meant to weed out the weaker students. Don’t panic and don’t give up is very good advice.
You mentioned exams, but if you aren’t happy with your grades on papers, use the school’s writing center if they have one.
I strongly second the recommendation by @Knowsstuff. Buy it…now. Read it, all of it before you go back to class. Pay special attention to the sections on calendaring and pseudo-studying.
Sure classes can be hard, especially STEM classes, and yes, there can be grade deflation. Someone is getting the As though. My son just graduated from an engineering program where more than 10% of the final grades given are F. Only 60% are A or B. The average graduating GPA is 2.7. He graduated with a 3.7. I asked him what he felt the difference was. His response “organization and work ethic.” Notice, he didn’t say smarts.
Get organized, study between classes, go to office hours IF you need them, learn to study “on the clock” and you’ll be fine.
Good luck!
Here are my tips:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/1920853-college-is-a-step-up-from-hs-16-tips-on-doing-well-in-college.html
Analyze what you got wrong on a test.
Is it because you never saw the material at all?
Is it that you could recognize it, but not recall it?
Is it because you did “basic” problems, but not those at the boundary conditions (e.g., if x=0 or x=infinity)
Is it because you did simple problems but not ones that make you synthesize information from more than one area?
Is it simple math mistakes?
Is it speed?
Is it that you are not doing enough different practice problems? So maybe in physics you did HW problems where you start at the ground, not moving, but on the test you are in the air or are already moving. Get books of practice problems.
Is it that you did the minimal reading but did not do any of the recommended reading?
Is it that you are having a hard time translating word problems into equations?
Does your college have a studying center? Writing center? make use of those.
I agree to get that book!
Next year, let us say you are taking physics and you get a C on the first test.
Figure out what the issue is from the list above.
Go to the professors office hours and say “How do successful students study for this class?”
Or if you have to write a paper, ask your professor if you can rewrite it again (even if not for a grade) so that you can learn what a B or an A paper is.
Get a tutor first thing for your harder classes and work with them.