Question:
I failed my anatomy midterm and am having a hard time forgiving myself and moving on. I get upset with myself and it's stopping me from learning post-midterm anatomy content.
Response:
I am sorry to hear what you are going through. First year pharmacy is not easy by any means, and anatomy is one of the most challenging courses for you guys right now. A failure does not mean much in the long term, what's important right now is to learn from that exam.
Before stressing about everything, I would recommend trying to unwind. It might sound counter productive, but you won’t be able to improve until you have de-stressed. Take a little time to do what you enjoy doing, get your mind off school and do something fun! After that, your mind would be that much prepared to learn.
What might appear to be a failure right now is just an opportunity to improve. This one mark has given you a great opportunity to learn what has not worked in the past, and provide insight on possibly changing your studying habits. Another great thing to do is to see your exam, and not only look at what questions you struggled with, but also to have a candid conversation with Jamie or Lisa about your exam and they will be able to provide you with much insight on what went “wrong” and how to move forward!
Lastly, remember, you are not in this alone. You are surrounded about 120 peers who are going through a very similar experience, reach out to them, find a group of friends you study well with. And soon, you will have a close group of friends who work together to pull each other through difficult exams/materials.
Please remember that a single failed mark does not mean you are at fault, what it is an opportunity for you to analyze what did go well and what areas you can improve :)
Hopefully this provides a little support!