Final grade disappointment... why can't I let it go???

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Happy Holidays to all!

Specializes in OBGYN, Neonatal.

I'm thinking she means just empathy that someone has a standard for themselves that they didn't meet. Eventually I think we allrealize that A's are not a big deal in nursing school because its about how you nurse, but we all have goals we set for ourselves, whether it be an A, or a new car by 2005, or lose 10 lbs by the holidays or etc. etc. and when we don't meet it, we can get a bit saddened, even if its doesn't break our situation, i.e. we still passed the class, we still have a car, we gained 2 lbs instead of lost.

Happy holidays to all! :):)

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Specializes in LTC/Behavioral/ Hospice.
It's not so much the teeny tiny mark discrepancy that worries me. It's that she expressed can't shake the feeling of failure. Isn't that worrisome?

Yes of course I'm sorry she feels that way but..........there are worse things than getting an A-.

I can not bring myself to say" Well..next semester make sure sure you study harder because....... holy moly...an A- is totally awful.

I too got upset over my B but I got over it in 10 minutes. I told myself I would just do better. I never let it hang a round me like a black cloud. If I were to tell people about it and say I was preoccupied with my mark ..I would welcome anyone with a different view so I could see the good in it rather than the bad.

The thing is, that not everyone recovers as quickly as you do. I cried the whole day long when I got my B. It would have totally sucked if people trivialized my feelings, rolled their eyes at me and told me to just get over it. Especially coming from the very people who are supposed to be practicing compassion.

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The thing is, that not everyone recovers as quickly as you do. I cried the whole day long when I got my B. It would have totally sucked if people trivialized my feelings, rolled their eyes at me and told me to just get over it. Especially coming from the very people who are supposed to be practicing compassion.

Yes but did you really want to cry all day? Wouldn't you want someone to show you that there is another way of looking at it? Geez..the less stress in my life is ...well........ good! I am in no way rolling my eyes...I am seriously thinking there are some coping skills in need of attention.THAT is not trivializing her obvious distress..I do believe I am emphasizing. Sometimes there are underlying issues that you cant address here on a discussion board and with some things/ situations, agreeing with the person is not the right path to take. I believe in offering 2 sides. Maybe 3! . :o

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Psych.

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate everyone's input and opinions.

I do believe it is hard to understand emotion when reading an email. When I said I was "obsessed" about my grade, come on guys, it's only been a few hours. I think I'll get over it soon enough!

Well, time to unsubscribe from my own thread and start enjoying the holiday break!

Peace,

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No, Hypnotic Nurse, I do not need a counselor. I just found out my grade this morning and after busting my butt for 16 weeks with an A average, I was/ am very disappointed with myself for getting a 90 on my final and bring down my GPA with an A-.

I'm sorry I posted this message. I thought I could come here for support, I did not expect to get some of the replies I did...

Those of you who strive for the best in yourself, understand what I mean; whether your average is an A, B or C. I know I should have done better.

Yes, of course, there are more inportant things in life other than my final grade, but felt I could vent here to my fellow peers...

This was NOT meant as a slam in any way. You stated that you were obsessed and could not let it go, were frustrated and upset. To me, "obsessed" and "not able to let it go" is more than a day of worrying...which was not stated in your original post, or if it was, I didn't see it. I meant only to be helpful, not hurtful, as you are doing very well in school and that grade won't hold you back from anything you ever choose to do; most people would be bouncing up and down to have received an A-. You should be PROUD of your grade.

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Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate everyone's input and opinions.

I do believe it is hard to understand emotion when reading an email. When I said I was "obsessed" about my grade, come on guys, it's only been a few hours. I think I'll get over it soon enough!

Well, time to unsubscribe from my own thread and start enjoying the holiday break!

Peace,

Merry Christmas!

:icon_mrgr

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Specializes in Critical Care / Psychiatry.

I feel for ya Michelle - missing an A by .05 of a point sucks!

I'd be blue for a bit too. Wishing you peace and fun this holiday season.

Indulge in a nice hot bath or allow yourself to buy something special for yourself for Christmas, or just to cheer you up!

I've often found out that missing something like that by a small margin has almost always caused me to rebound to make up the difference even more! In this case, maybe you'll remember the disappointment about the A- and pull an A+ somehow next semester. That would even things out a bit, eh? :)

Just a few thoughts.

Happy Holidays and congrats on finishing your 1st semester!

Shel

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, MICU/SICU.

I'm sorry you got an A- and I'm sorry some people are criticizing you for how you're feeling.

I think you can't let it go (and you will) is because you had that 93-94 average and felt confident that you would stay in the same range on the final. Fundamentals final is tough because you've had all this new stuff thrown at you for an entire semester and then you have a cumulative final, its tough. I also missed an

A in Med-Surg 2 buy less than a point. I was disappointed for about 5 minutes and then moved on. But, had it been in Fundamentals, it would have been tougher. Nursing school is hard. The bottom line is doing well with your patients and having the knowledge you need or the no how to get it to care for your patients. I'm sure you'll be a great nurse and will continue to do well in NS. You just need to learn to not measure your success by a letter grade or GPA.

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Hi Gang,

It's nice to be back! My final was on Monday and I got a 90%. I am so disappointed with myself. I went into the final with a 93.5 and since the final is worth 30% of our grade, it brought me down to an A- (92.45) I cannot believe I missed an A by .05 point!

I am so bummed out right now. All semester, I bounced between a 93-94. I wish I could let it go and be happy with the A-, but it's all I can think about. If I had just answered one more question right!

I know I need to stop obsessing with it and enjoy my break, but I can't.

You're obviously a student who takes pride in receiving very high grades, but you really should just forget about this. An A- is still technically an A, and as an A student who's just finishing up your first semester, you'll have plenty of opportunities to max out on other exams and recover your GPA.

When we started our nursing program everyone here was grade-obsessed, too. And it was easy to score As in nursing Fundamentals. But, as we progressed through the program the material got more and more voluminous and much more complex. They also stepped up the pressure with the exam questions which got more and more ridiculous, to the point that people don't even talk about grades anymore---they're just happy to pass the class. Some questions were so difficult and confusing that the instructors were throwing them out even while we were doing the exams. Everybody got extra credit points because of this, but, even so, I still don't think anyone got higher than a B or B+ during this last rotation.

Chin up, girl. Nursing school will present many challenges to completely stress you out later on, so don't create stress for yourself over this now. Believe it or not, in nursing school, an A- is actually a good thing. Trust me, this isn't anywhere near as bad as you think it is!

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I think she threw in the towel on this thread .

But..fundamentals gets HARDER???????? Yay. :stone

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Specializes in CV Surgery Step-down.

I can empathasize w/Michelle. I was carrying a strong B all semester until the final. I was disappointed in my final exam grade. It didn't bring my letter grade down (we don't have + or -), but I hated seeing change my percentage. I had a small self-pitty party and then realized that I had to pick up the shattered pieces of my life and move on :rolleyes: .

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I can empathasize w/Michelle. I was carrying a strong B all semester until the final. I was disappointed in my final exam grade. It didn't bring my letter grade down (we don't have + or -), but I hated seeing change my percentage. I had a small self-pitty party and then realized that I had to pick up the shattered pieces of my life and move on :rolleyes: .

Good for you! I did the same when I got back my Anatomy final 2 hours ago. :chuckle

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