Frustrated about school.

[Nanobaby]

Posting this in hopes that somebody else has experienced similar things and can offer some advice.

I am a graduate student and recently received a poor mark on an exam that I needed to do well on. While I passed the course, I didn't pass the course with the required grade (was under by 2%). Basically, I was accepted into the program on the condition that I pass the course with a certain mark and if I didn't then the school may ask me to withdraw. Terrified right now.

The worst part is, I already received accommodation for the exam (got double time to write) and still managed to screw up massively. I feel stupid, and I'm not sure how much MS is to blame. I do know that my processing speed has slowed, and I'm wondering if perhaps my comprehension skills have diminished as well. Additionally, I have been having difficulties concentrating for long periods of time.

That said, I studied really hard for this exam, had no problems with practice questions. I will admit that some days fatigue would hit and I had zero motivation to do anything, but I'm still in shock/disbelief. Especially because during my last grad degree, I still managed to do very well with an insane courseload (5 courses) in a single semester. This past semester, I was only enrolled in 2 courses and still managed to mess up hugely in one of them. Even my other coursework wasn't my best, though I managed to scrape an A-.

My Accessibility Advisor has encouraged me not to give up, that he will advocate on my behalf to my graduate advisor (who I have not told about the MS). Besides my Accessiblity Advisor, no other faculty in the school know about my having MS.

I never thought bringing the MS up was pertinent; I never did during my Master's and I have always considered mentioning my condition seemed like a cheap ploy for marks. In fact, I never contacted Accessibility Services at any of my previous schools. This time, I only reached out a month before the final exam, when I realized that I might benefit from extra writing time.

Just not sure how else to deal at this point.

Thanks for listening.

[Poppy7402]

Changes in cognitive abilities are well recognised in MS. I think you're doing very well to be studying at the level you are. Something that may be worth considering is Neuropsych testing so that you can identify exactly where you're at cognitively. Even if it doesn't show much at this stage, it will establish a baseline level should testing be warranted for other issues in the future.

Cognitive issues are one of my main problems. I can look back to when I was doing my under grad degree and see when problems struck. My grades dropped from an A average to a B average and I no longer seemed to be able to process information very well. I finished my degree, worked in my chosen field for a couple of years and then realized I couldn't do it anymore.

Best of luck

Poppy

[newbie but goodie]

Hi nanobaby,

I am in grad school now and having similarish struggles. I haven't yet scored lower than I needed to on an important exam but in my senior year of undergrad I did have to ask for a retroactive accommodation. It was embarrassing as I felt like I was just asking for a pass on a screwup of mine. I would have been better off being honest and forthcoming with my adviser from the start but even knowing that, I have not spoken with disability services at my grad school. I know I should but it's just a pain!

Is there any way for you to retake the exam? Have you identified anything about the day or situation that was helpful that you could replicate, or things that were not helpful that you could eliminate? Silly things like dressing in layers so you don't get too hot or having a light breakfast or whatever it is for you could make a difference.