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Before you go into full panic mode, reflect on what you think led to poor grade(s). Did you study and put in your full effort? Did you slack off and skip tests? Understanding your study habits can help you understand where you need to improve. Perhaps you gave it your all. While there may be nothing more frustrating than studying your brains out only to receive a bad grade, you have to remember that you did everything in your power to be successful. Next time, perhaps try changing up your study habits or getting help from a tutoring center. Perhaps you slacked off and didn't try. What you may have learned is that the days of "winging it" on talent alone are well and truly over. Learn from it, and do better next time through practice and hard work. Look back over your notes, readings, and exercises. What sections or assignments did you not understand? What did the syllabus say about certain tests or units? Try to see if there was a misunderstanding in what you were supposed to know or do. Perhaps you only studied things that interested you. If anything was too hard or uninteresting, you might have turned back to the more interesting parts of the homework and ignored the harder or dull parts. Try to power through these parts next time. Perhaps you only read the bare minimum for the class. Try adding extra readings to your homework. If you don't understand a reading, go to the library, ask a tutor, or search on the internet for an explanation. Some professors take off points for missing too many classes. Other times, missing class could have made you miss key information. Look over your attendance record. Try to add up how many classes you missed. Were these excused absences? Did you have a doctor's note when you were sick? If family member died, did you get a letter from the Dean's Office? Answering no to any of these questions might be the reason why even justified absences were not excused. If you are unwell or unable to afford basic necessities, you may struggle in college. In this case, talk to your doctor and guidance counselor to see what you need to do to tackle these issues successfully, including whether you need to take a break to improve your personal situation first. Unless it's too close to the end of semester, dropping one or more classes to make it more manageable may be a good decision. Common external factors include: A death in the family Working a part-time or full-time job Raising young children Mental health problems Some colleges may let you negotiate the grade to an Incomplete if you have mitigating life circumstances, or you may be able to retake the class. When major life events become all-consuming, sometimes you can't keep up. Perhaps you have a new boyfriend or girlfriend who takes up all of your time. Maybe you are part of a sorority or fraternity that hosts frequent parties. It's important to have a healthy social life, but if you're spending too much time partying and not enough time hitting the books, you could be ruining your GPA. Commit to buckling down and working or socializing less; use social events as treats at the end of study rounds rather than a nightly activity. Even in college, showing that you care can go a long way with college professors. They may realize you had certain difficulties, and they will appreciate your commitment to improve. Reaching out to your teachers may help you develop a deeper understanding about the class, how you understood the material, and how you could improve your performance in the future. Visit them during their office hours, or write them an email to set up an appointment. It is almost always better to discuss this in person. Although it can be hard, you can approach the subject in a calm, sincere way. You can say, "I was really disappointed with my grade on this last assignment. I was wondering what I could have done to do better. In the future, how should I approach an assignment like this?" If you wait until the end of the semester to talk to your professor, it may be too late to change or improve your grade.
Calculate how much you studied. Consider what materials you studied. Factor in your class attendance. Identify outside influences. Consider how much you socialize. Meet with your professors.