Here in Canada, the grades you receive on exams are called “marks.” Maybe it’s not just Canadian, but it’s definitely not a New England thing. Anyways, this semester, I had the best set of marks I’ve been able to pull off since high school. They were better than anything I ever did in undergrad and certainly better than last year’s marks. They say C=DVM, and last year I stuck pretty true to that, satisfied with a C, pumped if I got a B, disappointed if I got a D but hey it was still a pass.
This semester I was bringing in the A’s, I got two B’s and was disappointed with myself for those. I don’t know what made me have the change of heart to become an overachiever, but it was a great feeling to be able to study and get the grades I felt I deserved.
I don’t know what I did differently this semester, but I can think of a few changes. Last year, I had moved to a new country. Not to blame my average grades on that, but I hadn’t settled into Canadian living, and it was my first time in my own apartment. There were definitely a lot of times when I was sad, lonely and overwhelmed and maybe this had an impact on my studying. This year I live with two of my classmates, also my friends, in a great apartment with great landladies who bring us muffins when we’re studying. It’s nice to have classmates as roommates because when we’re all delirious from studying, we understand each other and we can also all take a break together. It’s nice to have support in the place you live.
Another change was my seating in class. I sat in the front row this year instead of the back. Maybe it made a difference and maybe it didn’t, but I definitely paid a lot more attention in class. I also started a milking job. It takes just enough time away from studying to get a nice mental and physical health break but not enough time away thatI feel stressed about not studying enough. I’ve always worked around farm animals and that was one of the biggest changes for me last year. I always felt like I was pent up and didn’t spend enough time with animals.
So, who knows what helped bring my grades up? All I know is that I had a great semester and am looking forward to pulling it off again!
