Results day is finally here! Some of you might be pleasantly surprised, while others might be a little disappointed. Regardless of which group you fall into, what matters most is what you do moving forward. For that reason, Reslife has put together a handy guide to help you make sense of the results you’ve received in a constructive manner, as well as tips on how you might improve in the semesters to come. Let’s get straight into it!
1. Understand why you got the results you got
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Once you get your results, it’s tempting to just focus on calculating your new CAP (Cumulative Average Point), being pleased or disappointed, and then putting the semester behind you and moving on. However, doing this is akin to a student merely being interested in the grade they got after receiving their exam script, and zoning out as the teacher goes through the answers to the questions.
If you don’t understand what went wrong, or what went well – you won’t be able to improve in the semesters to come. Sure, you may not get your actual exam script back, but through the single letter grade you get for each module, you can deduce the reasons as to why you got that particular grade, be it good or bad.
For instance, if you didn’t do as well as you expected, don’t just accept it at face value – think about what went wrong. Were some marks deducted because you were late to tutorials? Or was it the way an essay or report was written? If you can’t figure it out, don’t be afraid to email your professor to ask where you fell short, or what could have been done better. The bottom line is that the first step to improving is understanding your strengths and weaknesses.
2. List down points of improvement
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After you’ve come to a general understanding of why you got the results you did, it’s time to make a list of how you can improve moving forward.
For each module, list down at least three things you feel like you could have done better in, and plan some concrete steps to improve upon these things in the next semester. For example, maybe you missed the deadline of an assignment because it slipped your mind. A concrete step to improve moving forward could be to set calendar reminders for all subsequent assignments for your modules.
Points of improvement don’t always have to be drastic – like studying each week’s content a week in advance. Doing well for a module is not just about knowing the content well, but also about how disciplined you are throughout the semester, such as by completing all that is assigned on time, attending tutorials punctually, and being participative in tutorials as well. By securing marks in these small and achievable areas, you might be surprised as to the difference these extra marks can make.
3. List down the good points too
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Knowing what went wrong is valuable, but it’s just as important to be aware of what went well. By knowing all you did well in a module, you can carry these good points over to subsequent modules and semesters.
Even if you didn’t get a good grade for a module, that doesn’t mean you didn’t do anything right. So, for each module, list down at least three things you did well in, and plan concrete steps to incorporate these good points into the next semester. It can be as simple as keeping on top of your lectures, or participating actively in tutorials. Good habits and practices should be celebrated too!
4. Don’t beat yourself up
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There’s a great quote by Winston Churchill that is always apt for the results season – it goes: “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”. No matter how you did this semester, know that it’s not the end of the road. A bad grade won’t kill you, and a good grade doesn’t mean you have it all. What matters is that you learn from your mistakes and your successes, and use these lessons to improve upon yourself.
So don’t beat yourself up over a poor grade. Be proud that you’ve done the best you could have done in the circumstances you were in, and know that there will always be opportunities to improve. Don’t give up – Reslife believes in you!
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Are there other ways you go about reflecting upon receiving your results? Tell us in the comments or DM us on our IG @nusresidentiallife!
