CHE 126 (Part 2)

This is the continuation of the two part series. If you haven't read the first part I urge you to go through my articles and check it out. It is necessary for you to understand the story and where I'm coming from. I stopped at where I wrote my second test, how I failed woefully and then slowly entering into depression. So I will continue from there.

I had just written my second test and I didn't perform well. In fact I had one of the worst C.A. in my class and I was beginning to question my intelligence. Whether I was smart enough to be in the University. Like how could I have failed chemistry of all courses. I was really disappointed in himself.

I had started second semester with the intention of getting an A in all my courses but with what I got in CHE 126 that was looking impossible. This whole situation caused me to spiral into depression and I even thought of giving up on school. How will I survive in the University of I could get a score like that.

I wasn't the only one going through this. There was mass failure among students in this course. Most if not all students did not do well and even had results worse than my one. A lot of us were shocked wondering which kind of devilish course is this. The results were generally bad and a lot of students were not happy. Some of them were angry even going as far as cursing the lecturer and his family. Saying that if they see him on the road they will harm him. Some of them were also not surprised or shocked. After they had heard past stories about the lecturer and his course it was only normal that history will repeat itself. They were like if he could fail his son in the previous set how much more us who are not related to him.

I spoke to a few family and friends and told them what I was going through. They told me not to give up but to work harder. They said that it wasn't the end of the world and that I wasn't the first person to have a bad score in a test.

After most of us had gone through the various stages of emotions and finally understood what had happened to us and accepted our fate, we resolved not to let this situation bring us down. We decided especially myself to take the bull by the horns and master this course in and out. I said to myself that I will understand, memorize and even cram this course into my head. I will know what is in the lecture slide word for word. Not a single word will escape my head. I will sit down with it day and night and will do nothing until I can say what's in the note word for word. I was not going to relent or give up until I had achieved my goals because it is only the weak that give up in the face of challenges.

We as a class consoled ourselves and told one another that it wasn't the end of the road. We still had our exams and we were going to prepare with all that we got. Nothing and nobody was going to stop us from passing the course not even the lecturer. We were going to come as a class to read together, solve questions together, test each other knowledge on the course, organize tutorials and pass together. Our resolve was strong and unbreakable.

The day of the exam came and we all wished each other well. It was going to be a very important day. All the preparations we had made, the sleepless night, the endless studies. All of it was for that day. The all important day. The day that was going to decide whether some of us will still be in the University.

My dad called me on the morning of the exam day telling me that there was no reason to be scared or apprehensive. That I should not allow fear cloud my judgement. That as long as I prepared well I was going to pass and there was nothing to be afraid of. He just called me to tell me to let my mind be at peace because if I didn't no amount of reading will make me pass.

I finally wrote the exam and I can say that it was better than the test. Not that the questions were easier (they were actually the same) but I was better prepared for it. I wasn't afraid and I answered the questions to the best of my ability. The results of the exam were released a few weeks later and I got a C, not bad. Even though I expected something better but half bread is better than none.

The whole experience taught me that you can never be fully prepared for anything. Life can hit you with so many surprises most of which are not pleasant. You just have to keep pushing and keep your head held up high. Life is going to push you down but that doesn't mean you should stay down.