10 Ways to Improve Your Grades if You’re Underperforming

Academics play an important part in the life of an individual.  It creates a foundation for the future. Every parent desires that their kids excel in academics so as to have a secure future. Even with now music and dance becoming an option for a career, parents still prefer that their kids focus on academics and get good grades.  But as known to all, some kids have an edge over the others in academics. They are able to outperform the crowd. While there are few who just can’t get good grades even after their constant effort and hard work. These students need little extra care, time and effort in order to improve their grades. It is not an impossible task, but it needs patience and perseverance.

Problems faced and improvement tricks

Sometimes students face problems where they find themselves underperforming, in spite of working properly in their own way and they fail to find out the reason for their low performance in their academics. This often leads to depression-related problems in students and also reduces their confidence to perform and ability to compete. The best way to cope up with the issue is to first keenly observe and identify the problem and then find solutions to resolve them.

• Need for a change in orientation and mindset– When there are a series of low grades then it is quite obvious to face depression, a feeling that “it is impossible for me to achieve my aim” may come and with each and every thought a student might lose the ability to have self-confidence. But, that is where self-control of thoughts is needed, possibility starts from within, a positive thought itself is the first step towards achieving a goal. So, a positive attitude of working towards the problem is very necessary instead of giving up on it.
• Plan for improvement– It’s very necessary to go about the problem in a schematic way so, that it will be easy then to figure out where the issue is. If a student who generally performs well suddenly starts underperforming then, the student should figure out what change is making this happen. The change could be in learning pattern, social distractions, or any physical issue. The root cause of the situations should be calmly analyzed and solved.
• Develop a new learning style –The academic assignments are generally similar for all the students but, the pattern to prepare or learn for it could be different. Some students find it easy to remember when they jot down each and everything on paper while learning (even 3-4 time of the same thing). Unlike others, who can just read it aloud to register in their minds. A student should introspect to make his/her own learning style to perform well and earn excellent grades.
• Involve teachers in your path of improvement – When it comes to learning and performing then there cannot be any other better person to consult than a TEACHER. Teachers do encounter different students and their problems in their career. Their experience in understanding a student’s weak point could help one to figure out the issue and deal with the same in an apt way.
• Improve learning ability– A reason for underperforming could also be less grasping power. A teacher teaches a group of students in the same way and same pace but, still, some students pass with remarkable grades but some do fail to achieve them. This difference may be the result of a student’s low grasping power. There are many natural ways to increase one’s grasping power, for example, a change in the diet, few minutes dedicated to meditation in the whole day etc.
• Be curious –Some students are too curious and extrovert to ask questions during a lecture and get their doubts clear. But, on the other hand, some are reluctant and introvert to do that. A student should always feel free to ask their doubts, as in a lecture their main goal is-“to learn “and for a teacher- “to teach”. So, there is nothing wrong or offensive in asking doubts.
• Make action plans – Keeping things in a haphazard way on one’s learning desk could create a hindrance to operate efficiently. This may increase students learning time and make one get tired early. So, an organized desk or way of working could help a student learn more in less time.
• Take notes– A student can’t always be mentally fresh enough to record the whole lecture in his/her mind and then recall it again. So, it is better to note the whole lecture down and make bullets of important points so that it could be recalled easily and learned later.
• Avoid procrastination– Students do get distracted by many things and then start postponing their work to tomorrow. This leads to piling up the work and ultimately leaves the student in hassle to complete the target in a very short span of time followed by low grades.
• Be open to assistance– Sometimes taking help of peer group or taking help of a tutor could help the student to understand and work on the weak areas to perform well. By this way, students can devote more time to their studies at home with someone they are more comfortable with.

Conclusion 

The grading system is meant for a student’s benefit and not for making them sulk. Improving grades is not a big task. It just needs a calm mind and strategy to resolve problems.