Happy New Year!
Though for some, it might not be such a happy time. January is so often the chance for new beginnings, resolutions and setting goals - but it can also be a super hard month and getting through it might feel like a challenge.
Christmas is over and the trimmings are down, it's dark and dismal outside, you're back at work or school/college/university, and maybe you've just received your essay mark back. This time last year I received my first mark back from the December essays, and it was a shocking 49. 49 marks out of 100, meaning I received a dreaded third. It was my final year at university, the year when everything really counted, and I got my first third. It was also the first time that I had accessed my marks and feedback electronically, because the English department at Lincoln had taken in paper copies up until then, and it was so horrible to refresh that page see that number pop up before me. If you have just had that same experience, I know how you feel. Whether you usually get firsts and this time it was a 2:2, maybe you often land on the third but this time it was a fail, if you have received a mark that you're desperately unhappy with, i feel you.
My heart sank when I saw that mark... but I knew that I deserved it. I didn't have a clue what I was writing about, I hadn't finished the books and because I'd done it over Christmas, I'd been very distracted. I think also, I just expected to coast through and do okay. I seemed to follow a pattern at university, my second semester was always significantly better than my first. I think because I did so well second semester of second year, I felt like I was going to do well again once I returned to uni in third year, but that clearly wasn't the case!
Now, it wasn't all heartbreak, later that day I received my mark for the Contemporary Drama module which I had really enjoyed. I received my very first 'first' and that definitely raised my spirits. However, it also made me realise that I was clearly capable of doing well and that I really needed to step my game up! My final mark from first semester came out as a 2:1, so I was super pleased with that, but it did mean that the third niggled away at me all the more. Call it a wobble or a one off, it still happened and I was determined not to let that be the case with my assignments in semester two. If I wanted that 2:1, i couldn't afford to go getting 49 again, so I made some changes and I'm going to share these with you now, so that you can avoid receiving a mark that you're unhappy with again.
So, if you have received a mark that you're unhappy with and that you didn't really expect, here are some top tips for you!
1. Process it. Accept it.
Sometimes it's easier just to say 'well the tutor never liked me anyway, I was never going to do well. I knew they had it in for me'. Whether your tutor liked you or not, your mark is a reflection of your essay and not your behavior/personality, so get a grip. Aside from it being embarrassing and a bit childish to blame your university tutor for your poor mark, it's going to prohibit you from accepting that you really didn't do so well this time. So avoid that. Read the mark, process it. Try not to panic, don't flip out, just take a deep breath and accept that this is your mark. When I received my poor mark I rang home and told my mum, she was very supportive. Reach out to someone that you know won't put you down. Avoid people that are going to say 'you don't deserve that mark' or something along those lines, go for somebody that is more likely to say 'it's only one mark out of many more, you can and will do better than this in the future, at least you have time to make sure this doesn't happen again'. If you don't have anyone to say that to you...
It really is only one mark out of what, eight? Six? Yes, it means you're going to have to do a little better in your other assignments, but you're clearly capable of that, just look at the marks you have received in the past! It's annoying and disheartening, I know that, but it honestly isn't the end of the world. Don't let this one mark define you, just consider it your bump in the road - all good success stories have one! This is your challenge to overcome, and you will overcome it. Keep reading to find out how I did.
2. Embrace it.
You didn't succeed this time. You've processed it and felt a bit sad, you've accepted it and felt like a bit of a failure, now you need to embrace it. This HAS to be the lowest mark you receive, you don't want to feel like this again, so we need to avoid this sort of situation at all costs. Embrace the fact that you've hit your bump in the road and move forwards. Here are a few of the things you can do to get past this and learn from it - which really is KEY.
3. Read your feedback.
You probably don't want to, but you have to. Read it, see where you went wrong, and write it out in your notepad or on a Word document (somewhere you will be able to access when it comes to writing your next assignment). If your sentences weren't varied enough, write it out. If quotations were not supported well enough, write it out. If you didn't use enough secondary sources, if spelling or grammar was an issue, if your points weren't strong enough, write it ALL out.
4. Arrange to meet with your tutor.
Any good tutor will be more than willing to sit with you and discuss your mark. It's never nice talking about something you haven't done well with, but it's the right attitude to have if you expect to improve. If your tutor has left a comment that you maybe don't agree with or understand, highlight this when you write it out, and bring it up at the meeting. They will hopefully explain all of their comments to you, so you can jot down their advice and understand what they really wanted to see in this essay that you didn't include.
Once you have taken those four steps in understanding your mark, you need to let it go, for now. Move on. Start the new semester with the right attitude. Which means...
5. Attend lectures AND seminars.
They're put on for a reason and you're going to regret missing any once the essay titles are released. Attendance is important, not just because it gives you more options for your essay topic, but it helps you to build a rapport with your tutor. Lectures are a little easier to attend, all you have to do is sit back and take in the information. Seminars require discussion and for that you need to know what you're talking about, which leads me onto tip number six.
6. DO THE READING.
I think this is why I did so poorly in my first essay, I just didn't read the books. I didn't read the books and assumed that it would be fine, but it wasn't, because information online was seriously limited and a lot of it I just couldn't get my head round. The module focused on the depiction of childhood within Victorian Literature and it isn't a field wherein which much research has taken place, not when you compare it to topics such as feminism or class division, etc. I really wish I had read the primary texts AND the suggested secondary sources. If you're a third year, you really can't get away with not knowing the books anymore, so do the reading.
7. Plan future essays.
As soon as those essay titles are released, pick one, and do your research. It's time to focus in on that topic now and make sure you give yourself enough time to succeed. A lot of my tips revolve around organisation. Do not leave your essay until the last minute. With my essays at uni, the questions were released about a month before the essays were due in, if that's the case for you, spend the first week planning your essay. Gather your secondary sources, copy them all into a Word document, write your opinions around them and links to the text. Seven whole days on planning seems excessive but it's going to be so beneficial. If every day you can gather just a little more research and order it into a suitable structure, work out how you're going to present it and how you're going to link it to what you've been learning, actually writing the essay will be so easy. Remember to plan around your negative feedback - whatever you didn't do well last time, focus on now. One week planning and three weeks writing is my recommendation.
8. Find a work space that works for you.
My weak essay was written at my dining room table at home, where I was constantly surrounded by the distractions of Christmas. It didn't work for me. I'm definitely someone that focuses better at home, but this only applies to my student house, not so much my actual home.
You need to find a place where you can focus, where you feel motivated to do work and where you can sit for as long as it takes to get the essays cracked out. My best essays have always been completed when I've sat and written them out in long sections, once you get into the swing of it I think that's when you can get something decent written out, and then go back and refine to make it even better. During your first week of essay writing, you should trial out a few places. I'd recommend trying: Your university library A nearby public library
Sitting on your bed Sitting at your desk Sitting in your lounge In a coffee shop
The on campus pub (in the day time)
Going home and writing it there, if you have the option to
In a cafe
In a park
In a museum In your garden
At a friends house
I actually am super productive on the train, so whenever I make trips to London to go see Matt, I always take my laptop. It's here that I plan out most of my lessons (I'm a trainee teacher) and I find it so much easier to get on with work when I'm in this sort on environment, because really, there isn't much else for me to do! So try train journeys out if you're going on any soon!
9. Find a time that works for you.
Some people like to work late at night, some early in the morning, and some at around midday. I'm an early bird and sometimes I get up at 6/7am and just find that I'm in the mood for working, so will sit for a couple of hours and get on. Sometimes though I need to wait until I've achieved other things (tidying my room, having a wash, doing my make up, going for a walk) before I can even consider doing some work. One thing I know is that I don't work well late at night. So sometimes it's more about finding the time that doesn't work for you and avoiding that! Really, the time that's going to suit you most will depend on your routine. Just use your time well. If you have a lecture 10am - 11am, then another 3pm - 4pm, maybe it would be a good idea to work between then? Or maybe you'd like to socialise between then and will work better at 4pm? Try things out and pick what makes you happiest and most motivated.
10. Arrange a meeting with your tutor (no, I'm not repeating myself)
Go and see your tutor before the essay is due in, I'd recommend doing this once you have a first draft written out, which should be your job for week three. So about a week before it's due, go in and explain to them what you've done so far. This will give you some time to refine your work and meet their expectations, which they will hopefully set out to you when you see them. If they can't meet up, an Email will do. This also shows them that you're keen to pass and you want to do well, otherwise you wouldn't be putting yourself out there like this!
Once you have done all of the above and your work is refined and ready, it's a good idea to have someone else read over it, just to make sure it makes sense. Matt used to read over my essays and check my referencing for me, and I'd do the same for him. You're just covering another base then and ensuring that you don't let any silly mistakes with grammar or written expression spoil your work.
So, those are my tips for avoiding this sort of situation ever again. After my 49, I spent a lot more time doing my work. I attended more, I read the texts and the suggested secondary reading a lot more, and I contributed more in seminars too - which is a little additional tip that I have. Ask questions in the seminar, offer opinions, use your voice. It creates a good impression, it allows you to further your understanding, and it helps you to engage more with the texts.
In semester two I received a two 2:1s and a 1st, so graduated overall with a 2:1. I finished with 66% overall for third year. Though my 49 was by lowest mark by 11, it didn't really drag me down as much as I expected it would. Even if I had got 70 in that module, I would've ended up with a 69% overall, so still wouldn't have achieved a first. As long as it is just one poor mark, it really won't determine your end result. Good luck for all of your future essays and assignments, and remember that you'll only get out of them as much as you have put into them.
Thank you very much for reading, there will be a new post up on Monday 21st so keep your eyes peeled for that.