Ten Things You Should Do If You Get A Poor Grade In an Online College Class

It happens to even the best of us: the poor grade. Don’t lose hope if you get an C when you expected an A, or if you get an F when you expected a…F. Instead, use this failure as a learning experience and resolve to do better next time. Here are ten things you should do in response to receiving a poor grade:

1.) Ask for extra feedback from the professor or teacher. While this may be a bit more complicated at online schools, you should make your best effort to ask for constructive criticism and areas to improve from your profs. Don’t use this as a time to grade grub or ask for better grades, though.

2.) Do a post-mortem. What went wrong in your preparation? Did you study the wrong thing? Did you study ineffectively? Did you not study at all? Figure out the flaw and correct it for next time.

3.) Ask your professor if there is any extra credit or “re-dos” available. Some professors, for example, will allow students to rewrite essays in response to the criticism and reward the paper with a higher grade. Some will also let students do extra assignments to earn more points.

4.) Were there extenuating circumstances in your schedule that prevented full preparation? If it was a one-time thing, like an illness, you may not have to worry. But if you skipped studying due to your weekly poker game, you may have to re-prioritize.

5.) Be honest - did you take the lazy way out? You may simply need to recommit to your degree and to your class.

6.) Check over the exam or paper - were you graded fairly? Did the professor make a grading mistake? If so, bring it to his or her attention. However, don’t try to grade grub or split hairs - your prof won’t appreciate it.

7.) If poor grades in this class are a constant, you may consider asking for extra help from the professor. You could also hire a private tutor to give you extra practice.

8.) Improve your time management skills. Mop up inefficiencies in your schedule and work out your priorities - and put this class and these assignments to the top of that list.

9.) Consult with fellow students - did they receive poor grades as well? Perhaps this test or paper was difficult, or graded harshly. Use this knowledge to improve your future assignments.

10.) Relax. Everyone has a bad day here and there. Don’t go crazy with blame and guilt. Take a deep breath, focus on your next task, and knock it out of the park.