How to Bounce Back from Academic Setbacks in 4 Steps
By Grant Pass
Spring 2025
We’ve all been there – that moment at the end of the semester where you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders as you try to cram in as many study hours as possible, while waiting to hear back from your professor if there’s any extra credit you can do. Failing a class can feel like a major personal defeat and is an easy way to lose confidence. But it is not the mistake that matters, what’s important is how we respond. Each setback you face is just a detour that leads to a greater destination!
The National Center for Educational Statistics states that the 6-year graduation rate for public institutions was 63% in 2020. Failing a class is not uncommon. 10% of college students retake a class that they have previously failed. In the Fall 2024 semester there were 19.28 million college students enrolled in the United States, that means that almost 2 million students will be retaking a course they failed during that semester. If you fall into that category, know that you are not alone. A study done by the Education for Persistence and Innovation Center showed that 70% of students who failed a course persisted with their studies. Don’t be part of the 30% that didn’t. In this blog post you will learn the causes of academic failure and how to deal with it. Here are 4 steps…
Causes of Academic Failure
A bad semester can come from a multitude of reasons. Throughout my college career I have failed tests, missed assignments, and failed classes, all for different reasons. Here are the most common causes for academic failure:
Lack of motivation
Poor time management (procrastination)
Lack of interest in the coursework
Lack of sense of belonging
Anxiety in the classroom
Ineffective study environment
Financial stress
Health problems
According to a study in The National Library of Medicine, Students believed that motivation, interest in the field of study and self-confidence were the most important factors in the academic failure. Another study, done by UNSW Sydney said that sense of school belonging was the most notable factor. Students that felt a greater sense of belonging to the school performed better academically. Academic failure is often a result of compiling factors, but just one of these can be enough to derail a semester. Students can be proactive in their academic approach to minimize these negative factors. Whether it’s improving study habits, finding support, or adjusting their schedule, long-term academic success is a result of taking action. Good grades don’t grow on trees, you must work to achieve them! Here’s how you start…
Step 1: Acknowledge your setback, reflect on what went wrong
It may be easy to move on and look to the future immediately following a bad semester, but more than likely you won’t wake up the next day and magically change your ways. In my experience I was lucky enough to have a supporting family, and money wasn’t an issue. That’s not the case for most students, so they won’t get as many chances. It is imperative that you reflect on what specific habits you were doing, and what needs to change. The International Journal for Academic Development reminds us that we need to constantly engage in self-scrutiny and ask ourselves difficult questions. Ask yourself:
Was I motivated?
Did I show up?
Am I interested in what I was learning?
Did I manage my time effectively?
Did any external factors affect my learning?
This reflection period is not about beating yourself up. It is about admitting that it went wrong, now how can I fix it moving forward. Once you’ve narrowed down the root causes of your poor performance, it is then time to act. Meet with your professors for feedback, remember they give the grades, so why not hear from the source itself on where you can improve. If you lacked a motivation or interest, ask yourself why and if that subject is what you want to be learning. Don’t waste your own time. Subsequently, find support valves. Whether that be family or friends, be open about it with people so they can help you develop better habits moving forward. When speaking to history teacher Jacob Pass, he said “the number one thing I tell my students is get comfortable with being uncomfortable. When grades are falling, be prepared to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to the resources around you.” Once you’re out of your comfort zone…
Step 2: Flip your mindset: Failure is an opportunity
Once you get past the first step, it is time to flip the switch. You don’t have to make a comeback, you get to. After all the self-doubt, you now have the opportunity to prove yourself and others wrong. Your mindset is something only you can control and it’s necessary if you want to make improvements. If you look at each poor grade as a failure, you will view yourself as a failure. If you look at them as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes, you will give yourself room to grow. An article in StanfordReport references a study whose participants with high stress and believed it to be harmful were at a higher risk of death, than participants with high stress and didn’t believe it to be harmful. Now, good or bad grades are not life and death, but the more you think about bad grades as a failure, the more at risk you will be to become a failure.
You should also celebrate each success you have moving forward and focus on small wins. Success is the big picture but each assignment you do well on should be a proud moment. Focus on one thing at a time and celebrate each win, and it will all add up in the end. Cliff, a friend of mine, and student at St. Francis, said that it was difficult to not look at himself as a failure until he passed a class after previously failing it. He wishes that he hadn’t been so hard on himself and knew how to change his mindset. Lastly, there are two types of mindsets one can have. Fixed mindset and growth mindset. Cornell University says that a person with a fixed mindset believes their abilities are fixed, whereas those with a growth mindset are continuously learning and willing to try new things. Adapt how you think about things to adopt the idea that failure is an opportunity. This leads into setting goals…
If you look at each poor grade as a failure, you will view yourself as a failure. If you look at them as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes, you will give yourself room to grow.
Step 3: Set realistic goals and develop a plan: C’s get degrees.
It’s easy to sit there and say, “If I tried, I would get an A”, or “I’ll put in effort next semester”. Unless you’re some kind of genius A’s in college don’t just come by. Sometimes following a bad semester, it’s okay to just try to pass classes. It sounds cliché but C’s do get degrees. Obviously try your hardest to achieve the best possible grades but if you are really struggling, be okay with the passing grade. Your goals should be aimed at whatever gets you closer to graduation. If you know one of your classes will be difficult, plan your schedule around it, even if it means one of your easier classes will take a slight dip. The ultimate goal is graduation. Believe me when I tell you, when you’re interviewing for your dream job, the recruiter is not going to care whether you got a 75% or 92% in Statistics class your sophomore year.
Before you set your goals, find your motivation. There must be a “why” to what you do. A study on ResearchGate showed that students with higher motivation have a greater probability of success. Once you set your goals (2.5 gpa, 3.0 gpa, 3.5 gpa, whatever you think you can achieve) it is time to create a plan. To start this process, try your best to tailor your schedule to your own strengths. If you absolutely cannot wake up in the morning, do everything in your power to not schedule morning classes. If you know you’re going to be partying on the weekends, schedule your last class on Fridays earlier so you have time to complete your work before going out. Those things are easier said than done depending on the size of your school, but you should work with your academic advisor on making the best possible schedule for you. More on scheduling…
Step 4: Master time management: Creating sustainable study habits.
There 24 hours in a day. You cannot manage time; you can only manage your actions in relation to time. According to UGA Extension, people who practice good time management techniques often find that they:
Are more productive.
Have more energy for things they need to accomplish.
Feel less stressed.
Have more free time to do the things they want.
Get more things done.
Relate more positively to others.
Feel better about themselves
The key to minimizing academic stress is time management. The reason students are always stressed at the end of the semester isn’t because the final is worth 20% of the grade, it’s because leading up to that final they haven’t put forth their best work. Often, it’s due to poor time management. Time management is something you must practice each day; it is a skill that is learned over time. I had never used a calendar in my life until getting to the third school I attended (and still attend), and it helped me completely changed my study habits. Using a calendar will dramatically change your discipline. I recommend writing down your tasks for the week each Sunday, this way you won’t forget anything. Here are 3 calendar tips from Cornerstone University:
Color code your various schedules – work, home, school, etc. – to easily distinguish where you spend your time
Keep your calendar in a location that is accessible and visible
Plan study times at consistent times to encourage the habit of studying
Just show up: Why attending class is necessary to make a comeback.
If you made it this far, this is the part where I tell you a bit about my story. The root cause for almost all my academic failures was due to attendance. Regardless of attendance being graded in most classes, you will never learn anything if you’re not there. College is the first time where you have the freedom to not show up to class, there’s no bells going off in the hall with teachers telling you to go to homeroom. Attendance is a choice. In my time in college there have been many factors that affected my choice on attending. Early on it was my hungover brain telling me not to go, then I decided I would rather play video games than show up. Regardless of the reason, I didn’t show up it always led to anxiety and stress. The anxiety of not knowing what work I need to do for that class or what I missed. Then I would tell myself that I’ll look at what I missed tomorrow. It was always tomorrow. Every little school thing that I missed, I would always just say, “I’ll do it tomorrow”, and it never got done. This led to me dropping out of the University of Iowa and attending community college.
What I’ve learned from my time at North Central College is that all you really need to do to pass classes, is just show up. Even if you aren’t taking the most detailed notes, you’ll hear what’s going on and know where the class is at. I’ve learned that if you are present in class and participate, your professors will be more inclined to help you when needed. If you are underperforming in class and haven’t been there, do you really expect your professor who pours hours into lesson planning, to be receptive to your complaints at the end of the semester? No. If you show them the respect of giving them your time, they will reciprocate it when needed. If you can’t find the motivation for yourself to show up, then do it for someone else. Someone in your life wants to see you graduate, do it for them.
Conclusion: You’re Not Defined by One Semester
Academic setbacks are hard, but they are not the end of your story. Whether you’ve failed a class, missed assignments, or struggled to stay motivated, the most important thing to remember is this: failure is a lesson, not a life sentence. You have the power to bounce back, and the road ahead starts with reflection, a shift in mindset, realistic goals, and better time management. The numbers show you’re not alone, and the stories prove that success is still in reach. Show up, speak up, and celebrate small wins. It’s not going to happen overnight, but every step in the right direction counts. You’ve already taken the first step by reading this, now go take the next one. You’ve got this!
Grant is a senior at North Central College studying marketing. Being at his third college in six years, he understands what it is like to experience academic failure. Having lived through a college experience filled with difficulty finding his way, he is aware of the importance of having a strong support system and a positive mindset to achieve academic success. He is committed to using his knowledge and experience to help other students avoid making the mistakes he made and helping them persevere if/when they do.