Saving Grades: Before It’s Too Late

We’re officially past the halfway point in the spring semester. How are your grades? The good news is that if you’re fearing for your GPA, there’s still time to pull up your grades. VALLEY is here to help you boost your grades before it’s crunch time.

Office Hours

As intimidating as it may seem, professors are happy to help students. After all, it’s what they get paid to do. Since they’re the ones who teach the course and make the exams, they know what you need to learn better than anyone. Lastly, if you end up in a bind at the end of the semester they’ll be much more willing to talk to a student who’s been making regular visits for help than a student they didn’t know they had in class.

Penn State Learning

Penn State Learning. There’s free tutoring right on campus! Check their website to see if they offer guided study groups for any of your classes. According to their website, Penn State Learning’s goal is to “promote disciplinary knowledge and skills, as well as successful habits of lifelong learners.” Therefore, going there won’t just help your grade in that one class. Let them help you!

Go To Class

If you aren’t already, start regularly attending class. Not only will this mean that you’re there to learn the material and ask questions, it also lets you earn easy clicker and participation points. Don’t lose points that you can get just from showing up.

Eliminate Distractions

While you’re in class, make the most of it. Leave your phone in a backpack pocket so you won’t have the temptation. Instead of messing around on social media, actively listen to the lecture.

Evaluate

Lastly, now is a good time to really evaluate how you’re doing in classes. The late drop deadline is April 6, so use the weeks before then to figure out if you’re grade can be brought up. Talk to your professor and see what they think you should do. If there’s no way you can pass a class, it’s better to drop it and move forward.

Take a deep breath. You still have time to bring those grades up!

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