“I’ll do anything to pass this class!” proclaims the desperate failing student at the end of the semester. Unfortunately, the only option this student has to pass the class is to build a time machine, travel to the beginning of the semester, and actually do all of the assignments they failed to turn in.

This is a common problem facing students and faculty members alike. Despite the multitude of assignments given and grades assigned, college students often wait until the last few weeks of the semester to start paying attention to their grades.

Don’t let this be you.

In order to set yourself up for success, you should care about your grade from day one of the semester. Here are a few things you can do to stay on top of your grades:

1. Any good professor will keep grades updated throughout the term so you always know where you stand in the course. You should check your grades frequently and contact your professor if you have any concerns about earning the grade you desire in the class. For example, if you do poorly on the first test you should talk to your professor immediately after you receive your grade to find out what you can do to score higher on the next test. If you wait until after you have failed all of your tests to ask for help, it will be too late to salvage your grade.
2. Ask for a second chance. This one depends entirely on the teaching philosophy of your professor, but if you request a meeting and ask for an opportunity to revise an assignment for additional points, you may be able to raise your grade. Some professors will even give back some points simply because you took the initiative to meet with them. Just remember to ask politely and respect their decision if they say no.
3. If you haven’t gotten any grades or have numerous assignments without grades, contact your professor. We often fall behind on grading because of our busy schedules, but requests from students sometimes light that fire we need in order to get the grading done.
4. Read your syllabus so you know what the grading scale is for the course. Know how many points you need to earn to achieve your desired grade and track your progress as you go. The last thing you want is a surprise at the end of the semester because you didn’t understand the grading scale.
5. Don’t rely on extra credit to save you. Your class may or may not include extra credit opportunities, but these opportunities are typically not enough to make up for numerous missed assignments or failing grades. Concentrate on the regular assignments, because that is where you will earn most of your points.
6. Don’t beg when it is too little too late. You can’t go back in time and turn in assignments you missed or study for tests you didn’t study for. In the last few weeks of the semester there are typically only a few assignments remaining, and they will not be enough to save your grade. Your professor has given you plenty of opportunities to be successful in the class and it is not their fault if you didn’t take advantage of these opportunities when you had the chance.

In short, you should care about your success in the class from the first day and continue to care about it throughout the semester. Don’t wait until final grades are looming to suddenly pay attention or you may find that it is too late to save your GPA.