I’m a freshman CS major at UT. On my first CS midterm, I got a 86. That wouldn’t be so bad if more than half of my class didn’t get A’s. I was part of the 26% that got a B and my score was the average. I got an 80 on my calc exam as well, even though I thought did well. (The average for that was about an 83 
) There are no test curves in either classes by the way. I feel like total crap because in highschool I was valedictorian, 5.0 GPA, would always get the highest score out of everyone on tests, even in AP CS, stuff like that. Now, it feels bad knowing I’m the bottom half of the freshman class.
I don’t know how to get over this. I’ve cried for hours already in my dorm and I don’t know if it’s my study habits or something. I never procrastinate, I always start things the day they’re assigned. However I’m too shy to go to office hours and I generally hate verbally communicating with people. It makes me so nervous. I also have really bad test anxiety, to the point where I’m visibly shaking during tests.
Does anyone have any suggestions for improvement? In study skills and such? Or just how to get over this? I’m afraid I won’t have the 2.5 GPA needed to get out of entry level CS…
You need to get past having a hard time asking for help. Either make yourself gonto office hours, or find a tutor you can meet with regularly in your harder subjects.
What they said. Also, if possible, seek out the school’s counseling system. The counselors should be able to help you find ways to cope with your test anxiety and being in the bottom half.
I can tell that you are very disappointed in yourself for earning these average grades. That can be kind of shocking when you are used to excelling and always being the highest ranked student. Now that you are in college in a challenging major you are with a lot more other students who are intellectually and academically like you. It’s a hard reality to face. Have a good cry, being disappointed in yourself can be very painful, and your pain is your pain, but once you get the crying under control you are going to have to rally and figure out what you need to do to achieve your goal.
First thing, get some perspective. These are hard courses, the grades you earned are not “bad.” They aren’t As but they aren’t bad. There’s still a lot of time left in the semester to try to improve them. But, to do that you are going to have to take some action, there’s no way around that. If you can’t talk to professors (just people really, educated, but people nonetheless), try classmates. Check you school’s website for other academic support services. They may be able to help you fine tune your study approaches. Use Kahn Academy, open courseware, etc for help if needed.
As for test anxiety, try to reflect on what worked in the past. You graduated high school with a 5.0, you certainly must have sat through lots of tests in the past. You might also check out the school’s counseling center resources for helping students with anxiety.
You aren’t alone in what you are going through, you are smart, you can figure this out, you can do this. But you are going to have to use resources and ask for help. And, that’s okay.
You are learning what a lot of very high achievers learn in their first year of college: you are not as special as you thought. That is not said to be mean, but to point out the reality that you were at the top of the food chain in your high school, and now that you are surrounded by many others that were “you” at their respective high schools, you find yourself mid-pack. It is a frightening and frustrating feeling. You are used to taking the lead early and keeping it. Now you are coming from behind and will have to work - hard - to move up. Both strategies can work (see professional athletes - some like to lead from the start, others like to have competitors ahead to motivate them to excel), but you will need to switch gears now that the former is no longer an option.
@NorthernMom61 has given you some very practical advise. My D (valedictorian, yada yada) stills struggles with the fact that not all of her grades are A’s, even when logically she knows that a 4.0 is not the norm or expected in college.
You will need to get over the anxiety of seeking out and asking for help. The school is there to serve you, the consumer, and if you need extra resources (tutoring, counseling, whatever form help may take for you) to be successful, you deserve to use them. You are worth the best education you can get.