What if You Got a Low Score?

(5 minutes read)

Each year when results are about to come, students everywhere are on their toes in anticipation. When the results are finally announced, many are overwhelmed with joy. While the marks scored soar higher each year and students break new records, there are many who don’t do as well as they would have liked to.

If you are one of those, bear with me.

So, what if you got a low score?

One thing I would like to tell you – ITS OKAY. It is not the end of the world for, nor will it be hampering with your career ahead.

Do marks matter? Yes.

That is the ground reality. Any amount of people or social media posts saying that they don’t, are far away from reality. Marks do matter, but to only an extent. So this question in itself isn’t complete. Let’s reframes it. Are marks all that matter? NO.

Marks matter to the point of deciding where you will go to college or where you will be ending up spending the next three to four years. If you were planning for a high merit university, a low score may have hit your hopes of getting there but other than that, it is totally up to you to pave out a career for you and these numbers cannot come in your way.

So if you ended up scoring low, or should I say, not-so-good marks, here is what you should do:

GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO PROCESS

You might usually hear people telling you to dismiss bad grades and that they don’t matter or that there is no use dwelling on the past. But I feel, you should allow yourself some time to wallow in the grief and accept it, as this sometimes help you gain the perspective you need to face the next challenge in life. Give your emotions some extra time and then channel them in the best way possible.

• Take a break

What is done is done and you can’t change it by worrying about it. Remember that results do not determine who you are and do not be too hard on yourself. Take a break and distance yourself from the result for a while and do something you enjoy, like going for a hike or watching a movie. Panicking and getting stressed because any situation does more harm than good, so try to avoid it.

EXPLORE AND EVALUATE YOUR OPTIONS

While you are taking a break from all the drama surrounding you, what you can do is sit in front of your screen and do some research. Many reputable colleges and universities admit students on the basis of entrance examinations. Unlike merit-based courses, entrance-based courses consider your score as an eligibility criteria and not one for selection. Another advantage of some entrance exams are that they are more aptitude based rather than subject knowledge based, so if that was your shortcoming in the board exam, this might be your way out.

If you decide to go for this route, put in your best. As this maybe your chance to salvage your year and get into a good institute, so give it your best effort.

You could explore new age or skill based careers, those that don’t always require a formal degree and are more talent-based. Focus on your skills, language and communication, as this sometimes would land you a better career than any degree could.

TALK TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE

You might be having many different thought and emotions at a time like this and it is normal to feel stressed, anxious or even depressed sometimes. Everyone goes through these emotions and it is important to let them out sometimes and let the negativity out of you. So go at talk to people that make you feel good about yourself. Indulge in positive talk.

But be selective to who you talk to, avoiding some people at this time is also important for your confidence and mental health. So try to keep distance from those prying neighbours or relative who would bring up your grade or even that friend who scored very well and could harm your self-confidence.

READ ABOUT INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE AND THEIR STORIES

We have all heard stories of how some of the most successful personalities were college drop outs or failed their exams and then build a road to success for them. While they were inspiring, we never seemed to care much and were busy studying hard as we knew fetching marks was important,

Well, now is the right time to make use of these narratives. Keep yourself motivated and inspired at such times. Well, now is the time to make use of these stories. Keeping yourself motivated and inspired all the time is important. Read about how they overcame academic setbacks in their lives, listen to their speeches and interviews and get inspiration and perspective from them.

STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE

There are two ways to look at this situation. One, life has dealt you a blow and now you have to save yourself in the best way possible or life has given you the perfect chance to explore untested grounds. In whatever you do, strive to excel. Excellence in the board exam may be measure by the marks but eventually, marks will stop. What will count is what people think of you, your credibility and reliability. Once that happens, people stop asking about your makes or where you studied from; you become your own brand.