The Pressure Brought by Academic Failure

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Image from Chaz's School Daze

It is never easy to fail in something that you put your heart, soul and mind to.

I can't help but feel like my brain is full of gray mush. I'm tired of the pressure to be perfect, yet I fear the alternative. Studying for hours, working late nights, and cramming for tests has become my routine. The worst part about all this is that I'm not even sure it's helping me.

It seems like no matter how hard I try, I'm never good enough. Other people often tells me I should "try harder," as if one more hour of studying would change things. But what if it doesn't? What if this is all for nothing? Sometimes I just want to give up and walk away from it all.

Being someone who is studying to obtain a bachelor's degree, I have some first-hand experience with the fear of academic failure. When the pressure of getting good grades starts to build, students begin to come up with strategic plans on how to combat it. However, not all of these strategies work. While some work, others fall short for various reasons.

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Everyone knows that education is extremely important. No matter what your goals are, as a human being of this generation, you have to have at least a college degree to succeed in life. But college is not easy, what with the social demands, the need for self-discovery, and all those papers you have to write that always end up being rejected. And then there are those exams… You see, exams can bring about great pressure, especially when everyone has high expectations for you and expects you to do well.

And then there's the outside pressure of being a good student—from your parents, who want to see you succeed and get into a good college, to your classmates, who make good grades look so easy and effortless.

Academic failure is the source of many headaches. As a student, it's hard to meet the high expectations we set for ourselves. I fear academic failure more than anything else. The pressures of deadlines and having to make the grade can be overwhelming. It is often difficult to maintain a good balance between work and school. This makes it challenging to achieve a good GPA. It takes a lot of work and dedication in order to meet all the required criteria for assignments or grading.

When you fail at something you were trying to accomplish, it can be very frustrating. You feel as if there's no point in continuing because nothing will ever go right again. However, there are some ways that students can cope with this situation: by being proactive, setting realistic goals for themselves, and getting organized early on in their studies so they don't get behind schedule later down the road.

In conclusion

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I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I have to say, the pressure brought on by academic failure is something that scares me the most. It's so difficult to meet the high expectations set by others, and then, when you don't live up to those expectations, there can be a backlash from teachers, other students, family members—even yourself!

It's not that I'm afraid of failing. In fact, I believe in the power of failure. Rather than being scared of it, I think we should embrace failure as part of learning and growing. What we should be scared of is what happens when we're too afraid to fail.

I don't know you, but I can predict that you're probably a lot like me. You're working hard in school to get good grades, to keep your parents and yourself happy, and to be successful in life. It's not easy. You have so many things on your mind: classes, exams, homework assignments, projects and more projects. I have been feeling very overwhelmed lately; all my friends are too. It seems like no matter how hard we work or how much we study, there is always something else that needs our attention! But I am starting to realize there is power in knowing that we are all experiencing the same thing together

Let me explain. When you fail at something important—something that matters to you—you have an opportunity to learn so much about what works and what doesn't work in terms of your approach or skill set. Failure helps you understand the limits of your abilities and where you need to focus next. It can even help you identify areas where you need additional guidance or support. Failing at something doesn't mean you're a failure—it means there's growth ahead for you!


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Comments

Ok! Really?

It really depends on how you view at it? Your own standards... gauge it from there... Ask what you really want to achieve? Flats A's or just normal... want to be a dean's list? oh! just go for the kill, aim for the "laude's" not with honors.

after all, right after school... Climbing the work ladder is basically how you know how good you are... how you can manage work politics and amiable you are with everyone... extremely good PR will help you climb the ladder and how you can magically pull the numbers your superior wants to get... and truly, many depends on "who" you know and how good your relationship with that person.

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2 years ago

That's a great point!

I agree that it comes down to what your priorities are. There are definitely big differences between the academic and professional worlds, but in both I think it can be helpful to have an idea of what you're aiming for and what that looks like for you.

In school, my goal was to get the best grades possible so I could get into the grad program I wanted. It wasn't about being a "dean's list" student or getting A's. Instead, my goal was to understand everything that was taught as well as possible, because I knew that would help me in my future career.

I think it's somewhat similar when you're going through your career. You want to know what it is your boss needs from you and how you can support them so they can support you back. It's important to be friendly and personable with everyone, because they might not be able to help you right now, but they might in the future.

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2 years ago

Believe me, in our world... now, its best to be good with Excel and theories? oh! You can get by with it, very useful when you're working on top ops, if rank and file... you need to be savvy on the reports.

Grad program you wanted? haven't determined what? it makes a difference if your grade are superb or just normal. When getting straight A's, privileges abounds like academic scholarship and future A list corporation will be at your door knocking... when normal, basically you have to go through entry level jobs...

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2 years ago

You're right, it's great to be good with Excel, and I definitely plan on continuing to hone my skills.

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2 years ago

I so understand your thoughts and overwhelming feelings. Give yourself a break and instead of zoning into the possibilities of failures and shortcomings, focus on your perfections, on the good things. Nevermind the what if's. I can sense that you got so much potential. Things will be okay.

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2 years ago

Hi! Thank you for the kind words and advice. I really appreciate it, and your comment really struck a chord with me.

I feel like I've been in a rut lately, just going through the motions without really taking time to think about what's important and how to get there. It's so easy to fall into these patterns of behaviors when you're trying to establish yourself.

I love your idea of focusing on my perfection instead of my shortcomings—I need to remember that I'm good at what I do, but that doesn't mean I can't make improvements. I want to focus on those improvements instead of feeling like they're demands. And I'm going to take you up on your advice. I'm going to give myself a break, focus on my perfections, and try to let go of the "what ifs" that are holding me back. I appreciate it!

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2 years ago

I hope it really helps. I know the process will not be smooth and easy, of course, but I know surely that the result would be worthwhile. You deserve the best treatment even from yourself. We all do. And btw what I said about focusing on your perfects may sound a bit too idealistic, but it really has a different hit especially if you read "All your perfects" by Colleen Hoover. Have a great day!

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2 years ago

Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm going to try my absolute hardest, for sure! I appreciate all the support and advice; it means a lot. The process isn't easy, that's for sure—but I am really looking forward to seeing what these changes will bring to my life.

Also, thank you for the book recommendation! I've got a long reading list, but this might be a good one to add :)

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2 years ago