Week of Accomplishments

I had a major comeback this week that boosted my confidence as well as my grades and it really made me feel good about closing out the semester. I could not feel more confident about finishing strong, especially after how this past week had gone.
I spent the beginning of this week both concerned and pressured. Even though I had a good Thanksgiving, the week’s luster was lessened by getting a report that I had flunked the make-up exam that I had taken for chemistry. I took that exam with great confidence and thought I had gotten a good grade on it; I believed that I had gotten a score that ranged in the 80’s or possibly even the 90’s when it turned out that I had gotten a 56. That grade really trashed my confidence and made me question whether or not I would remain in chemistry. I say this because I had a monster chemistry test the following Wednesday after I got back from Thanksgiving break and my chemistry grade had gotten chipped away over the past two or three weeks. That grade forced me to settle with my original chemistry exam score of 60% which brought my grade down even further. I was thinking hard after that on whether or not I would stay in chemistry and take the test or withdraw from chemistry and drop to twelve credit hours. On one hand, dropping the course would lift a burden off my shoulders and bring up my GPA; on the other, dropping the course also meant that I was basically telling myself “I quit!” . It was a real dilemma that made the Sunday on which I returned to Tech one of the longest I have ever experienced.
That Monday, my chemistry professor told me that he took a long time deciding our final grades and that we should only drop the class if we had scored extremely poor grades on our grades ranging in the 20’s and 40’s; that was not the case with me as I had scored a 92 and a 60 on the first two exams. It was such a relief for me to hear him say that, it was as if he was speaking to me directly. I ended up studying hard into the wee hours of Wednesday morning, deciding not to drop the course and take the exam and finish strong. I took the test at SSD with extra time and felt confident taking it; I did not want to feel too confident as I knew what being overconfident got me in the past. At the end of the test, I was tired, worn down, and downright scared. However, I felt as though I had done the right thing and even felt relieved that it was all over. All I had to do was wait and see how I did on the test.
The following days after Thanksgiving break were some of the most nerve-racking days that I had ever experienced regarding academics. Not only was there a massive chemistry exam to take but I also had a few other grades that I had coming back to me and I was unsure how they would turn out. Seeing that my chemistry grade was in limbo added onto the amount of stress I was feeling; I felt as if I was be crushed. My heart was beating profusely as I logged onto blackboard to check my Insect Etymology class project grade. It turns out I did okay; I had gotten a B on it which really took a lot of stress off me. Next, I looked up my chemistry grade after looking at the e-mail posted by my chemistry professor stating that the test scores had been posted. My heart was racing even more this time around as this was the grade that would figure would shape the future for me regarding chemistry. I ended up getting a 76 on that test which was far better than anything I had ever expected; I was downright petrified thinking about how this situation might turn out. The week of reliefs was capped off on Friday in which I received a 95 on my English paper which really left me overjoyed and triumphant. The week of pressure was finished and I finished it with a bang. I called my parents and told them about a couple of my grades I had gotten; they told me that they were very proud of me and were glad to know that I was succeeding in school. It’s good to have friends and family behind you when the week gets tough.
I must now focus my energy and effort into these last two weeks in preparation for finals and then the finals themselves. I feel that after what has occurred this week, I can get through these finals and finish the season very strong. I also have an English group project that I must finish and that’s going to take some effort. I also have to make a mock resume for my First Year Seminar class to finish that class off positively which, I believe, is likely a challenge. I feel, however, that I have what it takes to get the job done; it’s just going to take some time. I’ve got three exams that I must take this semester which is not really that bad. I’ve got to do a lot of studying to do regarding these assignments and may even have to pull a few all-nighters in order to get that job done. If I can maintain my focus and not goof off, I feel that I can get it done and do well on the exams.
I must say that it has been quite the semester these past few months, it could not have gone any better for me. I had a manageable schedule, my classes were not too difficult, and I ended up getting very good marks in my classes. I feel as though that I can do what it takes to finish this semester in a blaze of victory and not go down in flames. Playtime is over, it’s time to get to work.