All of us were counting down the days until midterm grades were up, logging onto CheckMarq every 10 minutes just to see if a professor posted a grade. I had several professors tell me not to worry about midterms, telling me they weren’t “completely definitive.” This did not ease any of my fears.

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed because of your midterm grades, don’t worry. There is still ample time to be the best student you can be if you follow these steps.

1. Take a deep breath.

While these grades are important, don’t throw in the towel now if your grades are worse than you expected. There’s still time to get your grades up.

2. Talk to professors.

Go to their office hours. You can get individual attention and they can tell you where you are struggling and could use improvement. Ask for advice on studying tips and time management.

3. Set goals.

Figure out how many more assignments, papers and tests you have before the end of the semester. If there are any classes in which you are particularly struggling, focus extra attention on studying for those.

4. Prioritize.

While hanging with friends and going to every club meeting is a lot of fun, you’re here to learn. Before you head out to an optional meeting or to a movie night with friends, make sure you have finished all your work. Getting it out of the way will decrease your stress level at the end of the semester. But don’t rush through homework to do fun things. Quality over quantity.

5. Drop classes only as a last resort.

I would never recommend dropping a course so late in the semester, but if you really feel you cannot fully commit to it at this time, it may be best to focus on other classes and come back to complete this course when you can focus better.