Grace's Law Blog

Planning an Academic Comeback: Why Now is the Time?
 
Whether you’re seeking to boost your GPA, reignite your passion for learning, or get a sense of fulfillment in academia, finding your feet after a long session break can prove daunting, especially if you didn’t go back to study your notes during the holidays (like me sometimes) or perhaps you didn’t get the results you were hoping for after all that effort last semester. With the right mindset and strategies, you can overcome any obstacles and make that comeback regardless of whether you just started a new semester or you are about to end one!

Assessing your readiness: Identifying strengths and weaknesses 

Reflect
Get a pen and a journal. What do you think were your major obstacles to success? Inadequate study time? Bulky notes? Inadequate study materials? Got sick during an exam? Too much extracurricular? Or perhaps they are more fundamental issues like imposter syndrome or self-doubt? Write them all down and be honest with yourself.
Right under that, identify your strengths. What puts you at an advantage? Maybe you have all your study materials or you are naturally smart and intelligent and able to multitask. Write that down too.

 Reevaluate
In front of these obstacles, write down what you can do or what options are open to you now to overcome these obstacles. Do you need to be more disciplined? Or need to scrap the regular Friday night outings? Or do you simply need to change your studying technique? Or develop self-confidence? Write them down. How can you harness your strengths to deal with those obstacles? For example, if you have time management issues, you can consider using timers and scheduling tools like Google Calendar. Or if you struggle with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, there are many books on that you can read and videos you can watch.

Setting realistic goals: creating a comeback plan
 
We’re now in the planning phase. 
Without a plan, we’re most likely going to waste 70% of the semester doing nothing and then end up panicking at the last minute. So let’s get down to business!
 
The first step is motivation. What motivates you to achieve academic success? It could be your passion for your chosen field, to make your parents proud, or just to prove your haters wrong. Write out not less than 5 strong motivators for you and put them where you can see them every day. Remember, this is not a sprint but a marathon, so we need all the motivation we can get.

Goal setting
What exactly is your goal for the semester? It could be to have a higher cumulative grade point average, to finally pass that one hard course, or to have all A’s. Have a goal that is S.M.A.R.T.-specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. 
For example, I want to increase my GPA by 0.2 by the end of the semester. I will achieve this by:

1. Reading by 5am every morning 
2. Going to classes early
3. Submitting assignments before deadlines.
4. Reading ahead in case of pop-up quizzes and tests
5. Attending tutorials, etc.

To know if I’m on the right track, I’ll have to monitor how I’ve spent my time, how well I did on personal and class tests, and how well I did on my exams.

Develop a productive routine and prioritize tasks.
 
In your daily or weekly routine, incorporate these goals into them. For example, instead of waking up at 11am, you set a timer to wake you up by 4.30am so that you can read by 5am. Look at your class timetable and select the periods that you’re free. If you are engaged in extracurriculars, factor those into your routine too. Prioritize the tasks that bring you closer to your goals. The world won’t end if you don’t go to that relaxation spot the night you planned to read. Be disciplined enough to stick to your routine and flexible enough to accommodate changes. It’s okay if you don’t get the perfect routine on the first try.

Find a studying technique that works for you. 
 
If you are not the “cram-it-all-before-exam” person, it is wise for you to find a studying technique that works for you. Everyone is different, and what works for you may not work for another person. In my next post, I’ll be exploring different studying techniques that you can try out. Regardless of whatever studying technique you use or might use, break your study materials into chunks. Take it bit by bit and study throughout the semester. That way, you’ll be able to cover a lot more material than someone struggling to read a 245-page PDF a night before an exam (I’m speaking from personal experience 🥲).

Stay motivated 
 
Hang out with people who have similar goals as you. It’s all too easy to get demotivated from pursuing an A when you constantly hang out with people who feel content with a D. Before you know it, you start to think, “Maybe it’s not too much of a big deal to skip classes today since my friends aren’t coming,” “maybe getting an A is impossible,” and “as long as I didn’t carryover the course, I’m okay.”. 
Remember why you wanted to make this comeback? That’s why our list of motivations is very important. So when you feel demotivated, remember why you started. You can also watch videos of high-flying students, their stories, and learn what they did to reach that goal. You may even share similar stories with these people.

 
In summary, here’s what to do to plan the perfect academic comeback:

✓Identify your strengths and weaknesses. 
✓Reflect on and reevaluate how to deal with obstacles. 
✓Write down your motivation. 
✓List out your goals and how you intend to achieve them.
✓Incorporate your goals into your routine. 
✓Find an effective studying technique. 
✓Stay motivated till the very end.
✓Be organized and disciplined.

 
If you read this far, you are a real champion! Do well to hit the subscribe button so that you don’t miss out on our next post. 
We dare to dream big!