Bad grades? It happens. But one poor test, month, or quarter doesn’t have to sink your GPA. You can still end the semester where you want to be—if you take action now. Follow these fives steps to improve your report card.
1. Check your grades online.
You know that newsfeed you monitor five times a day? Do the same for your grades and school work. But when you go online, don’t just look at the letter grade. Really dive in and take a look at each assignment and assess if there’s anything you can do to improve your score.
Are you missing a crucial assignment that you could redo (or maybe you just forgot to turn it in?). Could you rewrite an essay for more points? If you correct those math problems, might you get half credit? Every point counts so figure out what you can do to maximize your total. It might be easier than you think.
2. Talk to your teacher about extra credit.
Teachers love when students are proactive. Talk to them about taking on an extra assignment that would help raise your grade. Extra credit might entail doing something like participating in a science fair, writing an extra essay, or giving a presentation to the class. It never hurts to ask!
3. What else is coming up this semester?
Find out if there’s going to be a major report, project, or test that will impact your grade. Make sure you are clear on what you need to do to really ace these final assignments to raise the grade as much as possible.
4. Create a solid action plan.
You don’t want to redo or update old work at the expense of new work. Create a plan that ensures you are staying on top of upcoming deadlines while you take care of work that you might have slacked on earlier in the semester. School breaks and vacation days may be a great time to take some looming assignments off your plate and relieve some stress.
5. Consider getting a tutor to finish out the semester.
If you’re overwhelmed by homework stress, this may be the perfect time to get some extra help. A tutor can help you save your grade and help you make a plan for the rest of the semester.
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