FAILURE IS NOT FALLING DOWN BUT REFUSING TO GET BACK UP.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the mid-semester break is over, and I am sure that we have all watched a bit too much Netflix and probably done too little study.
Getting back into semester can be exciting, but also terrifying because things are going to be getting tough, fast<\/strong><\/em>. That is if they haven’t already.
Some of you may have your first university test or assignment in the next couple of weeks, and whether it\u2019s the first time you have done it or the hundredth (as for me), it\u2019s hard not to feel nervous<\/strong><\/em>. I don’t know about everyone else, but I always<\/strong><\/em> feel like I could have studied more or edited my assignment one last time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s tough because we all want to do well, after all, that’s why we are here, spending thousands of dollars.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do well.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
But you know what? Life means that sometimes we don’t do well and if anything, these moments of failure define us and our future more<\/strong><\/em> than our successes, or at least I think so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because failure teaches us more<\/strong><\/em>, it’s a hard pill to swallow, certainly, but definitely a vital one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Allow me to tell a story. Back when I was an innocent first year, I received a 50% mark<\/strong><\/em> for my Physics 160 test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was gutted<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now allow me to put some context, first, I was studying Biomedical Sciences, and although I was not applying for Medicine, the pressure of that environment meant that your best never felt good enough<\/strong><\/em>.
Second, I was a high achiever in high school, always had been. It was definitely a case of big fish little pond going into little fish enormous pond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, I worked really hard for that test<\/em>, and when I say really hard, I mean really hard. I attended all the lectures, studied for hours and did all the practise problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I knew the content.
But that didn’t matter.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What mattered was that I almost failed and I was in tears<\/em>.
But you know what?
I got an A+<\/strong> on that paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am not saying this to brag; I wholeheartedly believe that if you are at university, the only thing stopping you from achieving your potential is what you put in and that doesn’t change when you do badly.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what did I do? A few things:
First, I put things into perspective. Was this test the end of the world?<\/strong>
No<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Would I probably care about it in six months time, a year, five years?<\/strong>
No<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Was I getting upset going to change anything?<\/strong>
No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Were there things I could do to try and avoid the same mistakes?<\/strong>
Yes<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, I meticulously went over my test paper and identified the things I did wrong and worked to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the next paper<\/strong><\/em>. For me, that was not managing my time well. So next time I had a test, if there were 50 question in an hour, I designated myself one minute per question. (Actually, 40 seconds, and yes I time myself during tests and exams.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third, I went to all the tutorials and asked for help in content that I knew I was weak in<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fourth, I did loads of practice papers<\/strong><\/em> because while this may not be true for all papers, physics, like maths is learned by application and doing. Although honestly, doing practice papers was also helpful for BIOSCI and MEDSCI papers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, I consistently looked after myself<\/strong><\/em>. I slept eight hours a night, ate really well, exercised five times a week and drank lots of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now was this fun?<\/strong>
I am not going to lie to you, no. But in the words of my wise old grandmother, nothing worthwhile is easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So if things don’t go so great this test and assignment season, and if you don’t do as well as you would have hoped. Don’t worry, you can always recover<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And a final note, university and your grades do not define you, they are just part of the puzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Good luck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bouncing Back from Failure was written by Y.M. from University Confessions. Mental health has always been a problem with the student demographic, which shouldn’t be ignored. Together with University Confessions, we hope to make a positive difference.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FAILURE IS NOT FALLING DOWN BUT REFUSING TO GET BACK UP. \u201cFailure is not falling down, but refusing to get back up.\u201d The Importance of Failure So the mid-semester break is over, and I am sure that we have all watched a bit too much Netflix and probably done too little study.Getting back into semester […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":4524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Person-sad-sitting-by-wall-on-ground.jpg?fit=1920%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4446,"url":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/blog\/health-lifestyle\/dont-let-bad-grades-get-to-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":4523,"position":0},"title":"Don\u2019t Let Bad Grades Get To You","date":"August 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"FORGIVE YOURSELF FOR NOT GETTING 100% IN EVERY SINGLE TEST AND EXAM. FOR NOT DOING AS WELL AS YOU WANTED TO. IT\u2019S OK. You probably read the title of this post and thought \u201cYeah, cool. you\u2019re in med school, they might not matter for you but they definitely matter for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health & Lifestyle"","img":{"alt_text":"Student stressed with laptop","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Student-stressed-with-laptop.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4471,"url":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/blog\/uni-101\/getting-organised-for-semester-two\/","url_meta":{"origin":4523,"position":1},"title":"Getting Organised for Semester Two","date":"July 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"WEEK TWO AND ALREADY BEHIND? SAME... 'All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination'. ~ Earl Nightingale Semester Two is here and while no one really wants the break to end, it's going to happen whether we like it or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "UNI 101"","img":{"alt_text":"Toddler with Glasses","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Toddler-with-Glasses.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4441,"url":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/blog\/health-lifestyle\/four-lies-we-tell-ourselves-in-heartbreak\/","url_meta":{"origin":4523,"position":2},"title":"Four Lies We Tell Ourselves in Heartbreak","date":"September 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"HEARTBREAKS HURT. BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S FOREVER. THIS IS HOW I GOT THROUGH IT. 'Hard feelings. These are what they call hard feelings of love.' - Lorde #1. This Will Never Stop Hurting The problem with heartbreak is that it is both\u00a0physically and emotionally painful.\u00a0 Physical\u00a0because crying literally hurts.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health & Lifestyle"","img":{"alt_text":"Couple Holding Hand in Sunset","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Couple-Holding-Hand-in-Sunset.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4432,"url":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/blog\/health-lifestyle\/how-to-deal-with-burnout\/","url_meta":{"origin":4523,"position":3},"title":"How to Deal with Burnout","date":"October 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cIS THIS ALL WORTH IT; FEELING LIKE A ZOMBIE FROM THE WALKING DEAD?\u201d WHILE CHUGGING BACK ANOTHER CAN OF V. It\u2019s that time of the semester again. General library gets pretty packed. Finding a computer to use on any level in Kate Edgar is near impossible. Money seems to mysteriously\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health & Lifestyle"","img":{"alt_text":"Man sitting on couch stressed","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Man-sitting-on-couch-stressed.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3105,"url":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/blog\/health-lifestyle\/to-exchange-or-not-exchange-the-ultimate-decision-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":4523,"position":4},"title":"To Exchange Or Not Exchange: The Ultimate Decision Guide","date":"February 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"GOING ON EXCHANGE IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST DECISIONS YOU CAN MAKE. THIS GUIDE COVERS THE IMPORTANT ASPECTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING THE LEAP! As the new year approaches, for many it is time to delve into new resolutions, experiences and challenges. One of the biggest decisions YOU can make\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health & Lifestyle"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Exchange-Transfer.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3053,"url":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/blog\/discounts\/11-must-have-gadgets-for-uni-students\/","url_meta":{"origin":4523,"position":5},"title":"11 Must-Have Gadgets for Uni Students","date":"March 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"WHETHER YOU WANT TO SAVE TIME, STAY TIDY, OR JUST SHOW OFF. Whether you\u2019re an\u00a0ex-Year 13 fresh out of high school\u00a0or\u00a0a senior citizen who\u2019s a seasoned pro\u00a0at university life, you\u2019re no doubt eager to upgrade your living area with some much-needed comforts. Fortunately, with all the incredible technology available to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discounts"","img":{"alt_text":"Must Have Gadgets","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Must-Have-Gadgetrs.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4523"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4523"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4525,"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4523\/revisions\/4525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niesh.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}