It’s starting. The first exams of the semester are here. I’m sure by now, most of us have already taken our first, or second, or even -*pats shoulder sympathetically*- our third exam.  Sigh, remember that first week when we kind of breezed into class  and nodded absentmindedly while the professor gestured emphatically to the PowerPoint slides? That sense of nonchalance because hey, it was still early and the first exams were ages away? And then suddenly, SLAP! First Exam. Right in the face.

Some of you guys might have aced the first exam and are now laughing hilariously at the test paper because you know you gave up after question two and just guessed the heck out of that exam, but hey! An A’s an A. Some of you guys like *cough this one cough* might not have done as well as you hoped even though you studied until 1AM in the morning and felt tentatively confident about the exam only to get it back and turns out everything you knew about the English language gets thrown out the window because apparently now “Affect” when used as a noun means “Emotion”.

I give up. This madness. I can’t.

Alright people, let’s pull ourselves together here. It’s the beginning of the semester, right? And the wonderful er fortunate? Advantageous? I don’t know (insert your own adjective here) thing about exams this early is that if you do torpedo them into the murky, uncharted depths of the ocean, it’s okay! You’ve still got a couple more lives! You’ve got plenty of time to flex those fingers and start taking notes for the next exam. And yes, you also have time in between classes to review those aforementioned notes. Don’t shake your head at me, you know you can make some time and read those notes over before the next class, YOU KNOW YOU CAN.

In the end though, it’s not about the grades. It’s about the lessons you learn afterwards. Did you get all arrogant after your A and thought you’d own the next exam too without an ounce of studying and then walked out of that classroom sucker-punched in the stomach? Did you get that lower-than-desired grade and then sulked in the corner upset about the unfairness of the world? Or did you rip that paper to shreds, throw the pieces in the air in frustration, and then armed yourself with your notes and your darn brain and prepare for the second battle? Take it from someone who knows. It’s when we’re at a point of success and failure that we learn what kind of people we are. You can plummet from an A in the blink of an eye but you can also march right back up from where you fell and take back what’s yours. It’s all up to you.

So. You know what you should be doing right now, right?

Now go! You’ve got an exam butt to kick!