Grades don’t define you.

As you overcome the hump that is feedback week, you’ll no doubt be experiencing some mixed emotions. Good feedback should always be celebrated, but if you didn’t get the grades you were hoping for you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. Grades don’t define you and certainly don’t represent your worth, nor your capabilities as a student or future music professional. Even the best Producers in the world don’t get it quite right all of the time.

Receiving feedback on your work is vital in helping you move forward. Reframe any criticism as an opportunity to learn and improve, helping you to work towards bigger and better achievements. Your feedback will allow you to pinpoint your strengths as well as areas for improvement.

Regardless, if Feedback Week has left you feeling anxious, there are a number of steps you can take to help get yourself back on track.

1. Do something to take your mind off your work. You don’t want to be starting the semester feeling overwhelmed by academic life. Do something completely different for a few hours, or even book out some ‘just for fun’ studio time. Giving yourself some time to digest your emotions is the best way to ensure you come back feeling ready to take on the next semester.
2. Reach out to your tutors. Organise a one-to-one session to go over your feedback in further detail so you can fully understand what you can do to improve next time. This is the easiest way to communicate if you’re feeling anxious about your work and to iron out any areas you’d like a little extra support with.
3. Commit to your goals for improvement. Use your feedback to create positive changes in the way that you work. Set yourself mini-targets to track your progress, making it easier to map your journey to success.
4. Highlight any common themes in the feedback you’ve received and think of practical ways to help you overcome them. For example, if your writing skills are letting you down, visit the newly opened Study Zone where you can receive guidance from a member of the Academic Team, every Monday from midday.
5. Talk to your peers. Your classmates may be able to provide a fresh perspective on your work and offer advice on how they’ve overcome similar challenges.

A bad grade is only a temporary setback. There’s still plenty of time to get back on track before the next assessment period. Learn from your feedback, speak to your tutors and make this your best semester yet.