Dear GA’zed and Confused,

I am really nervous for second semester after doing poorly on one of my midterms.  A bunch of my friends did really well and didn’t study as much as I did. What do I do?

Sincerely,

The Remains Of The “A”

Dear The Remains of the “A”,

I’ve definitely been in your position before. Midterms are tough because there is so much anticipation leading up to them; everyone is nervous, but they may not act like it. I guarantee that your friend who claimed she only studied for “a bit” actually studied for the entire three-day weekend.

That being said, maybe you didn’t study the right way. This can be a relative term, as different people have different study habits, but there definitely is a right way to study. I, for one, drive to CVS and buy a bulk load of candy to eat as I copy down my notes, memorizing as I write.

Most of the time, studying involves going over every inch of your notes in case the teacher throws a curve ball, urging you to remember who invented the stopwatch or an equation that you briefly went over in class.

I, however, say FORGET ABOUT IT. You are human after all, and you shouldn’t be expected to know every little detail. If a teacher gives you a review packet or a sheet of terms, make sure you know them backwards and forwards. If you’re in an AP class, buy a guidebook on Amazon so that you can practice tricky multiple-choice questions.

Trying to learn an entire semester in a few nights will do you little good. As you move into second semester, I recommend that you keep track of the important things highlighted on your unit tests. Stop listening to how your friends did and focus on you.

One exam grade won’t kill you. Binge watch Scandal and forget about it. Trust me, in the long run, it won’t matter.

Love,

GA’zed and Confused