How to Deal With a B as a Straight A Student
Focus on what you are doing right., Re-frame negative thinking., Keep up your motivation., Be aware of perfectionism., Understand that college courses are more difficult than high school classes.If you have recently transitioned from high school...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Focus on what you are doing right.
Part of keeping a positive attitude is focusing on what you are doing well and doing right.
Thinking about these positive aspects can help you to stay focused and happy, as well as allow you to learn what already works best for you.
By thinking positively and discovering what you are doing right you can stay optimistic and enjoy your achievements.Focus on your strengths, knowing that you can use them to improve your grades.
Knowing what works for you can give you a good idea of what to do going forward.
Think about how well you have already done.
Getting a B is not an indication of failure and is still a great grade. -
Step 2: Re-frame negative thinking.
Negative thinking might be tempting to indulge in if you are unhappy with your grades.
However, having a negative inner dialogue about your situation may actually be doing harm and can make it more difficult to work towards improving your grades.
Try to re-frame negative thinking to make it easier when working to improve your grades.Instead of being hard on yourself by saying something like "I'm worthless," try to think something like "The course was difficult and I did my best." You wouldn't speak to another person in a cruel or uncaring way.
Treat yourself with the same kindness, respect and courtesy you would with another person or someone you love.
Monitor your thoughts for negative thinking.
If you notice yourself beginning to think poorly about yourself or your grades, stop and replace it with a positive thought about yourself and your achievements. , Getting a B when you are a used to getting A's might feel discouraging.
Not meeting a personal goal can cause you to question the entire effort, making it tough to recover your motivation.
Stay focused on how well you are doing, setting healthy goals, and work towards meeting them.Getting organized can make your path to higher grades more clear, making it feel more obtainable and increasing motivation.
Remind yourself that although you want an A, getting a B is not a bad grade.
Focus on how well you are already doing instead of thinking how much better you should have done.
Use your B grade as a sign that you can do well even in a highly challenging course.
Engage in healthy goal setting.
Work to do your best without being overly hard on yourself. , Striving to be and do our best in life is a great way to live.
However, people can strive and reach too hard, causing themselves unneeded stress and pain.
Examine your thoughts and attitudes about your academic work and try to avoid any instances of perfectionism.Perfectionists will set unrealistic goals, will never be satisfied with anything less than perfect results, will feel crushed by failure, will be preoccupied by fear of failure, will view failure as evidence of worthlessness, and will be extremely defensive in the face of criticism.
Those setting healthy goals will have reachable but challenging goals, will enjoy both the results and working towards them, will easily recover from failure, won't be overwhelmed by fear of failure, will view mistakes as learning opportunities, and will take criticism well. , College level courses are often much more challenging than high school classes.
This increase in difficulty can result in a lower grade and it is nothing unusual or something to feel ashamed about.
Remind yourself that getting a B in a highly demanding course is still a great achievement.
It may take time to adjust to the difficulty of your new courses.
Don't expect an immediate and perfect response to the challenge.
Allow yourself time to adjust. , If you are experiencing a lot of anxiety over getting a B or having a hard time not thinking about your grade, it may be time to seek professional help.
Talk to a counselor at your high school or college.
Grade anxiety is very common, and a counselor can help you improve your coping skills and work on your academic performance. -
Step 3: Keep up your motivation.
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Step 4: Be aware of perfectionism.
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Step 5: Understand that college courses are more difficult than high school classes.If you have recently transitioned from high school courses to college courses
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Step 6: it's not unusual to get slightly lower grades.
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Step 7: Talk to a counselor.
Detailed Guide
Part of keeping a positive attitude is focusing on what you are doing well and doing right.
Thinking about these positive aspects can help you to stay focused and happy, as well as allow you to learn what already works best for you.
By thinking positively and discovering what you are doing right you can stay optimistic and enjoy your achievements.Focus on your strengths, knowing that you can use them to improve your grades.
Knowing what works for you can give you a good idea of what to do going forward.
Think about how well you have already done.
Getting a B is not an indication of failure and is still a great grade.
Negative thinking might be tempting to indulge in if you are unhappy with your grades.
However, having a negative inner dialogue about your situation may actually be doing harm and can make it more difficult to work towards improving your grades.
Try to re-frame negative thinking to make it easier when working to improve your grades.Instead of being hard on yourself by saying something like "I'm worthless," try to think something like "The course was difficult and I did my best." You wouldn't speak to another person in a cruel or uncaring way.
Treat yourself with the same kindness, respect and courtesy you would with another person or someone you love.
Monitor your thoughts for negative thinking.
If you notice yourself beginning to think poorly about yourself or your grades, stop and replace it with a positive thought about yourself and your achievements. , Getting a B when you are a used to getting A's might feel discouraging.
Not meeting a personal goal can cause you to question the entire effort, making it tough to recover your motivation.
Stay focused on how well you are doing, setting healthy goals, and work towards meeting them.Getting organized can make your path to higher grades more clear, making it feel more obtainable and increasing motivation.
Remind yourself that although you want an A, getting a B is not a bad grade.
Focus on how well you are already doing instead of thinking how much better you should have done.
Use your B grade as a sign that you can do well even in a highly challenging course.
Engage in healthy goal setting.
Work to do your best without being overly hard on yourself. , Striving to be and do our best in life is a great way to live.
However, people can strive and reach too hard, causing themselves unneeded stress and pain.
Examine your thoughts and attitudes about your academic work and try to avoid any instances of perfectionism.Perfectionists will set unrealistic goals, will never be satisfied with anything less than perfect results, will feel crushed by failure, will be preoccupied by fear of failure, will view failure as evidence of worthlessness, and will be extremely defensive in the face of criticism.
Those setting healthy goals will have reachable but challenging goals, will enjoy both the results and working towards them, will easily recover from failure, won't be overwhelmed by fear of failure, will view mistakes as learning opportunities, and will take criticism well. , College level courses are often much more challenging than high school classes.
This increase in difficulty can result in a lower grade and it is nothing unusual or something to feel ashamed about.
Remind yourself that getting a B in a highly demanding course is still a great achievement.
It may take time to adjust to the difficulty of your new courses.
Don't expect an immediate and perfect response to the challenge.
Allow yourself time to adjust. , If you are experiencing a lot of anxiety over getting a B or having a hard time not thinking about your grade, it may be time to seek professional help.
Talk to a counselor at your high school or college.
Grade anxiety is very common, and a counselor can help you improve your coping skills and work on your academic performance.
About the Author
Cynthia Martin
Writer and educator with a focus on practical home improvement knowledge.
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