Wake Up Call: Your First Midterm and Paper Grades

In biology, the professor hands back your graded midterm exam. After lunch, you stop by the English department to pick up your first paper, and flip eagerly to the last page to see how you did. So how did you do? As well as you hoped? Or maybe you're starting to think you spent a little too much time winning the title of freshman lounge pool champion.

If you're already doing well, congratulations! But if your grades aren't what you want them to be, don't just slide those marks of shame into your folder and try to forget about them.

• Figure out something you did right, no matter how small. Maybe you got full points on the essay question, even though the multiple-choice section was a disaster. Maybe you spelled your professor's name right, even though it doesn't have any vowels. See? You're not totally hopeless. Now build on that.

• Before you go any further, did you read your professor's comments on those papers? Or did you turn to the grade, turn green, and go straight into a state of avoidance? Do yourself a favor - read the comments. It's a lot easier than guessing what your professor wants you to do differently next time.

• Everyone's got an opinion. You've probably heard about 20 different ways to be a top student, all of which seem to take a lot of time and effort. What are the chances you'll really start using all the strategies, right here, right now? Instead, figure out the one best change you could make - and make it work.

The reward is that if you take charge now, later you'll be able to explain to your parents that your so-so midterm grades were actually "valuable life lessons".

• Don't get discouraged. Lots of students don't do so well at first. What matters is what you do next. Hint: The worst thing you can do is nothing. Clarification: Second Life and most things you do on Facebook count as "nothing".