Waiting for results - how do you guys cope?

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MindBlind
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01 Dec 2012, 4:09 pm

When you guys are waiting for exam results or your final grade for your coursework, how do you cope with that? I've submitted my work, but of course I'm quite anxious over whether I'll pass or not. I think it's something most of us worry about, but I don't deal with stress well at the best of times.

So, is there anyone out there going through something like this right now or have gone through something like this at some point? How do you deal with that anxiety?



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01 Dec 2012, 4:19 pm

On a clear mind, I'm usually able to look at the positive despite the negative. Though the negative could be that I don't do as well as I wanted, the positive could be that at least I have some experience so that later on when I take the class again, I'll be familiar with the concepts. I also reassure myself that I studied and did my best at that since usually, if I didn't study, I don't do well. The only time I failed when I thought I studied hard enough and did my best was my Stats class that I took last year, and that's because I wasn't able to ask for the answers for the study guide, the downside of social anxiety I'm afraid. :/



Nikkt
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02 Dec 2012, 3:58 am

MindBlind wrote:
When you guys are waiting for exam results or your final grade for your coursework, how do you cope with that? I've submitted my work, but of course I'm quite anxious over whether I'll pass or not. I think it's something most of us worry about, but I don't deal with stress well at the best of times.

So, is there anyone out there going through something like this right now or have gone through something like this at some point? How do you deal with that anxiety?

Take your pick:
(a) Exam amnesia. I did an exam? When? Huh?
(b) Think about the worst possible outcome, and come to terms with it
e.g. worst outcome, I fail. Which means I need to sit supplementaries. If I fail that, I repeat the year again. It'd suck but the world wouldn't end.
(b) Do other things to keep your mind off it.
e.g. everything you've been neglecting since you've been studying, like washing clothes, buying christmas presents or watching movies.
(c) All of the above.

I've chosen 'c'.


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MathGirl
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10 Dec 2012, 7:18 pm

Checking my email hundreds of times a day... basically. Or distracting myself by socializing. Reading tends to be bad for my anxiety because it's easy to go back and check. It's sad, because if not for the anxiety, I would be doing far more productive things.


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corastorm
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10 Dec 2012, 8:17 pm

I am dealing with the same anxiety. I had it as an undergrad but had more flexibility with grades then. it is particularly bad now because this is my first semester in graduate school and I have to maintain a 3.0 GPA. I don't have a lot of advice to offer but one thing that helps some is I hang on to the positive feedback I get during the semester. I go back and reread it and remind myself there are people who believe in me even when I don't.



ianorlin
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10 Dec 2012, 9:46 pm

Do something take mind off of it.



Canaspie
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10 Dec 2012, 10:41 pm

A few things. First and foremost, I try not to think about an exam after it's done. I don't talk to classmates to compare our answers on the exam, or talk to anybody else outside of class about it. Often, when you walk out of the exam room at the end, everybody's talking about what they did, asking other people "what did you get for____?, etc. I tune all of that out and leave right away. If solutions get posted by the professor, I ignore them until after the marks come through. I don't even look at anything related to the course until I see that mark.

Also, I've found that, more often than not, calculating the mark I need on the exam to pass the course helps quite a bit - for both before and after the exam. Preparing for a 45-50% exam in a difficult course can seem stressful. But I find it's reassuring when I do the calculations, since I usually find I only need 30% or less on the exam to pass, even if my current mark in the course isn't very good. But honestly, by far the best strategy is to just not worry about something you can't control. Limit yourself to checking to see if the marks up to once a day or less. Don't talk to other people about it, don't look at partial results or solutions, etc. The less you do related to it afterwards, the less stressed you'll be.



corastorm
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10 Dec 2012, 10:45 pm

Canaspie wrote:
Also, I've found that, more often than not, calculating the mark I need on the exam to pass the course helps quite a bit - for both before and after the exam.


I do the same thing! It is so frustrating when professors won't just give you the formula for calculating grades. I had one this term who gave no grades whatsoever the whole semester. I will never take another course with her. Not worth the worry.



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12 Dec 2012, 10:48 pm

I take the amnesia path, lalala.



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13 Dec 2012, 8:54 pm

I can't stand waiting for anything. This song tells the truth. Listen to it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXZIqxrj5E[/youtube]


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Zodai
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14 Dec 2012, 4:51 pm

Nikkt wrote:
MindBlind wrote:
When you guys are waiting for exam results or your final grade for your coursework, how do you cope with that? I've submitted my work, but of course I'm quite anxious over whether I'll pass or not. I think it's something most of us worry about, but I don't deal with stress well at the best of times.

So, is there anyone out there going through something like this right now or have gone through something like this at some point? How do you deal with that anxiety?

Take your pick:
(a) Exam amnesia. I did an exam? When? Huh?
(b) Think about the worst possible outcome, and come to terms with it
e.g. worst outcome, I fail. Which means I need to sit supplementaries. If I fail that, I repeat the year again. It'd suck but the world wouldn't end.
(b) Do other things to keep your mind off it.
e.g. everything you've been neglecting since you've been studying, like washing clothes, buying christmas presents or watching movies.
(c) All of the above.

I've chosen 'c'.


You said B twice.

But yeah - it's a really anxious feeling ._.


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Twilightflame
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15 Dec 2012, 9:44 am

What results?


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