HOW TO HANDLE ACADEMIC DISAPPOINTMENT

Hey there!

First things first, happy resumption!

It’s the beginning of another semester after the not-so-long holiday, meaning it’s results season.

It’s that time of the semester when you panic once the class group chat is buzzing, or someone sends in a series of pictures.

You silently whisper a ‘God abeg’ because there are rumours that a result is about to be pasted on the noticeboard, and there is just one A.

You hope the A belongs to you, but your inner voice tells you to ‘Come off it,’ while you expect the worst because you can’t be too sure when it comes to the Faculty of Law.

Results szn while in session is the worst for some because they don’t have a place to cry or rant, but it’s better than seeing multiple white background pictures while you are devouring that fat chicken lap on Christmas/Ileya day. Trust me I have been there.

The faculty has been dropping results for some weeks now, and it has been the best few weeks for some students, while for some, it has made them question why they picked law in the first place — probably got the advice from a madman.

Some have lost the spirit of education in them, and they can’t wait to leave, while some are just trying to increase their CGPA, and then we have those that are angry because they got their first C this semester — we all have a coursemate like that.

There are different scenarios where your result does not match your expectation. For some, they were expecting an ‘A,’ but they ended up with a B.

Some genuinely know that the exam was bad, but they just don’t want to repeat the course; they pray for the best but expect the worst. Then we have the ‘almost Bs, Cs, and Ds.’ I mean, why give me 58 when you can just give me 52 or 55?

But there is no greater joy than when you manage to scale through without a carryover. This faculty will make students celebrate their 40 on the dot ‘E’ like a ‘C.’

However, reality checks in, and you secretly wish you got a better score, then you begin to calculate your gp and future gp to be sure you still have hope of graduating with a 2.1. ‘Thank God I no promise first class’

The amazing thing about the faculty is that you are never alone when you fail a course, you resume a new session and attend the class for the course you failed in the previous year, and the spiderman meme comes to mind. So this babe dey here too, my dear, no be only you.

Also, the stress that comes with setting your timetable so that your courses don’t clash is exhausting.

It’s quite unfortunate that we lost about eight months to the strike and this affected everyone in various ways, especially academic-wise. Having to write exams after a month of resumption was a struggle for many as the students in most of us had already retired. And to be frank, most people, even the non-religious relied on God to miraculously give them good grades even though they know deep down that their answer script didn’t deserve it and that’s perfectly fine.

Regardless of the outcome of your effort in the examinations, there is a need to propose how to handle academic disappointments and maybe, just maybe you’d feel better.

On this note, here are a few things to do after you hear “xxxxx result is out, and the result isn’t what you expected”

1. Cross-check

For most people, when you hear a result is out, you feel shivers, and then it feels like a pin is piercing you and your heart beats faster. It’s giving “panic mode”. When you eventually check, it’s possible that you mistakenly looked up or down and checked another person’s own.

Clean your eyes, wash your face, put on your glasses (if you use them), and check again. If none of these worked and you still see the same “unpleasant grade”, then you can resort to point 2.

2. Embrace your coping mechanism.

At this point, there is little or nothing you can do, and it’s best to do whatsoever to relax your mind. If you need to cry it out, don’t relent. If you need to call a friend or talk to someone, do it.

If you need to buy food and eat, that’s a perfect remedy. If you need to take time out to see a movie or listen to songs, that’s a good option.

If you believe that praying could ease the trauma, that’s fantastic!

Whatever you can do to feel lighter, do it.

3. Move on

There is no point in dwelling on something that has caused you chest pain. The only thing you can do is accept your fate and move forward. The truth is this, your grades do not define you, and there is so much more to life than mere “letters”.

This is not to say you shouldn’t put forth your best foot and do all you can to get amazing grades, but the truth is that the faculty has a way of surprising people.

So, do your little bit. Write your resolutions, that is, what you hope to achieve in the new semester. Also, write down the things you are involved in (including extra-curricular activities like sports and other things you do during leisure time).

Create a timetable and allocate specific time to every activity on your list. You’re a student, and surely, there are times you’d need to keep up late.

Don’t deprive yourself of sleep, but try to start your day early as this could help you achieve most of your tasks.

Cut off every form of distractions, that is, things you do that you know are unnecessary. It could be waiting for “a certain” someone to reply to your messages. Focus on yourself this time and stay wicked.

4. Don’t give up

Getting subpar results after putting in a lot of effort can be unmotivating, but the best thing to do is not give up.

You might feel there is no point investing your time trying to understand principles and remember cases because you are not getting the desired reward. You should re-strategize, talk to people, form study groups, find what works for you, and hope for the best. Most importantly, talk to people because doing this law thing alone is not easy.

In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, comparison is the thief of joy. Therefore, don’t compare your academic stand with that of another person. Run your race and be happy about your progress.

And in instances when the faculty doesn’t reward your effort, you most likely would have grown a thick skin to whatever they throw at you.

Hopefully, this short piece helps in subsequent semesters.

Wishing you a successful semester!

-Doreen Nwankwo and Mariam Salaudeen.