There are so many factors that could lead to one graduating with a third class. Sometimes, it is not the fault of the student as against popular belief. Sometimes, it could be his fault. Apart from personal factors, certain external factors like lack of proper orientation about the importance of education, family issues, inexperienced professors, and so on could make him lose focus, thereby, leading him to graduate with a third-class certificate.
Whatever the case may be, the student who graduated with a third class must bear the consequence of the result because he was the one who went to school and brought such a result home. Your grade point average is one of the ways you can assess your progress as a student. You should always bear in mind that poor results are caused by a poor attitude to academic work. It is not caused by poor intellect. This means that you could be working hard, but you are not working smarter. If you do not want to graduate with a third class, avoid the below-mentioned mistakes; if not, you are on your way to graduating with a third-class certificate.
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Assuming you are still struggling with your grades, you can try to rectify the situation and get back on track by doing the necessary things. This means that you will need loads of self-motivation to be able to push through.
The following are some of the ways you could graduate with a third class:
Table of Contents
1. Poor time management
Poorly managing your time affects your productivity, organization, and self-control. This will ultimately lead to poor results. Make an effort to allow time for each activity. Do not procrastinate or do the wrong thing at a time meant for something more important. You could be working hard, but if you make something else your priority or avoid managing your time properly, you might be on your way to landing with a third class.
2. Not doing your school or class work or doing it late
It is always good to stay on track. Find out the assignments that are given and the proper time for their submission. Yes, there are personal responsibilities that could weigh you down but do not give anything priority over your studies.
3. Preparing for the exam late
There is a popular saying that you do not read for the examination during the exam period. This is why most students fail. They start preparing for the exam at a time when they are supposed to be rounded up with revisions. Time is something we do not have control of, but we can manage it to suit us. As we pointed out in number one, assign time to every activity. Studying your books is an activity you must not take for granted. Therefore, study every day, if possible, and make sure you can cover all the subjects in your timetable, to accommodate the difficult ones.
4. Not getting involved in class discussions
Class discussions are some of the ways to get yourself involved in the course. It also gives you a better knowledge of the subject matter. Ideas and opinions are shared, and opposing viewpoints are weighed and compared during class discussions. When this happens, you could assess your level of understanding, thereby covering your lapses. When you are lackadaisical over it, it could be a one-way you are taking to get the third class. Do not be shy to raise an opinion or a topic for discussion when you lack basic knowledge or confused about it.
5. Not setting a goal for yourself
As a student, you must set a clear, realizable goal for yourself, whether long-term or short-term. Setting a goal helps you to include everything on your agenda while giving priorities to the necessary ones. Make sure there is a backup action to achieve your goals. Actions help one to achieve each set goal which in turn, will affect your academic performance. If not, poor grades are usually the outcome.
6. Having poor sleep habits
As a student, while setting your goals for the day, you must include resting. Proper sleep habits help in retaining memory and revitalizing one’s energy. An adequate amount of sleep must be a top priority while oversleeping or lack of it is a certain way to reduce your concentration in your studies.
7. Not taking advantage of free tutoring services
Some higher institutions offer free tutoring services to their students as a way of backing them up academically. Some students also offer to give free tutorial services to their fellow students. These tutorial services are usually offered on individual courses; some are taken online, while some are offered within the school premises. If your grades are not adding up, you could need a tutor to help you upgrade. If at all money is involved, parting with a little cash to be on top of the game is not a bad idea.
8. Procrastination
Procrastination is a lazy man’s apology, so we usually say. But that is just the truth. If you keep putting off studying or reading your materials, you are just as good as being a lazy student. Do you want to avoid it? focus on your goals. Do not do it later, do it now and rest later. Regularly studying your books helps you to retain information in the books as well as increases your focus on the big picture, which is to graduate with a good grade. That is not just that, you are also going to beat cramming for the examination. Have you been disappointed by cram work before? You can understand better now.
9. Inconsistency and skipping of classes
Be consistent in your studies. Always make sure you keep up to date with everything happening about your studies. Lagging will make you lose important things you need to know. In the same vein, skipping classes is not an excellent way to show seriousness in school. There are things your professor says that may come out in the examination and the only way to get them is by being present in class.
10. Lack of self-improvement
Self-improvement cuts across all walks of life. As a student, you must get to improve your studies. Find ways to make your studies interesting while being serious. get to understand what made those at the top of the class achieve academic excellence and work on your weaknesses. Do not be satisfied with the level you are operating unless you are in a good position.
11. Settling for less
One of the ways to get a third class is by settling for less. If your GPA reads 1.0, it means that you need to aspire higher. The moment you don’t care about your poor performance; it is going to affect your result at the end of your academic year.
12. Being addicted to technology and social media
No one says you should not socialize, but doing so at the detriment of your studies is what is being condemned. When you are always up to date with happenings on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the rest, it will lower your grades. Similarly, when you have all the technologies in this world, just for the fun of it, you are on your way to graduating with a third class. Games, music, movies, and so on are good, but should not be your priorities. They could be good when you need to free your head after studying for long hours.
13. You are basking in the euphoria of your last success
Perhaps, you performed excellently in your last exam, you now allow the joy of it to keep you relaxed instead of working harder. Remember your last achievement is your greatest enemy; nevertheless, when you consolidate it with continuous effort, you will keep moving forward academically.
14. Bad company
Your friends have a role to play in your success. They are the picture of your future. When you keep finding yourself in the wrong company, you are already failing academically and the third class is not far from you. Review your association occasionally to avoid going down the drain with those who are ready to perish.
External Factors that Can Lead to a Third-Class Grade
If you have been getting poor grades in school although you have tried your best to keep up with your performance, the following could be reasons that you are experiencing such. However, do not capitalize on them to relax in your efforts.
1. The course might be difficult for you
If, unfortunately, you took a course whose subject matters are too difficult for you, you are likely to experience some challenges with your grades. Sometimes, the professor is going at a pace that is too fast for you to keep up. sometimes, too, you had no previous knowledge of the subject matter. For example, one might be offered a course that has French ingrained in it whereas the student did not study any French in secondary school. That student is likely to face difficulty studying that course.
If you cannot keep up with your course or any subject, you will need to seek help. Involve your professor and let him know your challenges. Also, you could enroll in a tutorial service where you can have a better way of learning and assimilating. Your classmates could be helpful too. Get the intelligent ones involved and be humble enough to learn.
2. Your lecturer does not handle the subject well
Some teachers do not understand how to impart knowledge to the students. Some speak with heavy foreign accents, while some do not just know how to teach. When a teacher is not able to explain the subject well, it is likely to affect some students. Some even skip some topics because they were part of the student’s previous year’s curriculum. These factors are not going to help any student survive in class, especially, those students who are classified as late bloomers.
An overcrowded classroom might also make it difficult for the students to hear the teacher well or understand what he is teaching. If, for any reason, the teacher lacks proper classroom management, he or she may end up not imparting the students.
Whatever the case, it is not an excuse good enough for you not to up your game. Make the most of every opportunity to improve, you can blame the teacher for other reasons.
3. Students may not like the teacher or their subject and vice versa
When you hate the teacher, you are not likely to pay attention in the class. You may only have to attend class to mark your presence. Also, if the teacher hates a particular student, he is not likely to treat the student well in class. This is certainly going to affect the performance of the student and as such, third class might be the overall outcome. It is always good for you to cooperate in the class, you can sort out your differences with your teacher outside the classroom.
4. The difficult environment for studies
When the environment is not conducive for the student to study, he or she is likely to lose interest in his or her studies. Environments that are prone to noise, too many extracurricular activities, fighting, and other kinds of distractions are most likely to cause a lack of concentration in the student. If you are in this kind of situation, you should leave the environment and be where you can feel free and relaxed to study.
5. Family-related issues
Some families suffer from different issues which could hurt their children. Take, for instance, poverty as a limiting factor. When the family is poor, survival becomes a more pressing immediate priority. Some students fend for themselves in school to survive. Most of the time, they are carried away by the side business or job they engage in, and the major reason for going to school is forfeited. Abusive parents or family members could also be the reason the student is not performing well academically. The student’s attention is consumed and he or she is emotionally needy to the extent that the grades reduce drastically.
6. When schools set extremely high or low standards for students.
When the school raises the passing standards for the students, some of them may not be likely to get there. They could put in much effort only to be met with difficulty in meeting the cut-off mark. In the same vein, when the standard is too low, the student might lack the motivation to study. At the end of the day, he or she fails.
Ways to Improve Your Grades to Avoid Graduating With a Third Class
For a student who keeps underperforming in school and has the likelihood of graduating with a third class, we have compiled some proven tips that will help you to improve your studies, while still having fun. No matter how difficult it is to maintain good grades, you will always find learning interesting if you focus your attention on improving on your lapses. The following ways are going to help you step up from your poor academic situation and become a better student:
1. Attend all classes
The easiest thing to do is to be present in all lectures. Some professors are strict in terms of class attendance if you must participate in the exams. Earning the attendance points can help to upgrade your scores. Remember you are not writing the exam for the professor? However, discipline can help you to do the right thing, and the right way to achieve that is by being present in class. That is not all, most people can only understand the subject if they are present while classes are going on. they will also get to know the coursemates and mingle for an effective outcome.
2. Participate in class
It is not just enough to be in class, your activeness goes a long way to help you in understanding the subject matter. Ask necessary questions and partake in class discussions. Do anything that will expose you better and offer you more chances to upgrade your intellectual capacity.
3. Use other methods of learning
Study groups, learning apps, videos, quizzes, and so on are ways you can improve your learning and have fun as well. Technology has made it very easy for one to learn anything he wants to learn. Instead of games and movies, download some learning apps, and practice on your own.
4. Always study and take effective notes
The secret to getting better is to study every day. Have a timetable, set a daily goal that will include study time, and do anything that will get you prepared for the examination and any other challenges. Know the best way you can study better, whether in a quiet or noisy environment, before you go to bed when you wake up at night, and so on. While in class, take notes. It is vital to jot down the salient points and study them later. Use abbreviations and short forms to write faster, but make sure you understand what you put down.
5. Ask for help
Everyone needs help at one point in life or another. If you are stuck, you have every right to ask for help. People around you, your professor, classmates, fellow students, and any relevant person – can be of vital importance to you. If you are in a bad academic condition, you can meet your professor for help. Ask how you can improve your grades. If it is an assignment you are confused about, you can seek ways to find a solution. In essence, it is not a shame to ask for help.
6. Engage the textbooks
The aim of buying a textbook is not to enrich the pockets of your professors or to exploit you. But, it is to give you supplementary study material. Read all assigned topics from the textbooks. Takedown salient points while reading. Try to memorize everything you read and avoid cramming your work.
7. Read questions carefully and understand them before making an attempt
Some students fail in the class because they did not read the questions with understanding. You can study past questions and answer them to master the pattern of questions used by the professor. Also, read the instructions carefully before commencing to answer the questions. The inability to read the instructions has led to some students answering out of contests, thereby losing quality scores.
8. Work on your verbal communication skills
Presentation is one of the ways professors use to assess their students. This could happen once in a session or semester. If that is your case, practice speech presentations on your own. Ensure to insert the important points while working on your time.
One thing you must understand is that third class is not a position meant for any particular set of people, likewise other grades. No one is born a failure. You are where you found yourself because you decided to remain there, but the good news is that there is always room for improvement. Your professor is a friend and not an enemy. When you are in a difficult situation, do not hesitate to go to him. Every student aims to graduate with good grades and build an amazing career. Ensure you follow our tips for better learning options and overcoming the third class.
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