r/PhD • u/Dull_Set5683 • 2h ago

Seeking advice-academic First PhD midterm

I’m in my first year of my clinical PhD program in the United States and I feel inadequate. I took my first ever midterm, studied like crazy despite being at a conference two days before I took it, and I was constantly going to office hours to ask questions three weeks before the midterm. I finally got my grade back and I got a 70. My professor said it felt as if I had put no effort into her exam and the reason behind my grade was because I didn’t write enough in our open ended portion of the exam. I got partial points for getting the question right but I got a good portion of the points taken off for not explaining enough. I feel so stupid and inadequate. Is it over for me?

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 2h ago

It looks like your post is about needing advice. Please make sure to include your field and location in order for people to give you accurate advice.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

9

u/CaterpillarSad6734 2h ago

Feeling stupider than your classmates is basically the whole PhD experience, welcome to the club. That 70 might sting but it means nothing about your ability as a researcher, just means you gotta adapt to that professor expectations for next time. You studied hard and that matters more in long run, one midterm don't decide if you make it or not

1

u/DrJohnnieB63 PhD*, Literacy, Culture, and Language, 2023 1h ago

u/Dull_Set5683

Did your professor give you opportunities to practice answering open-ended questions before that assessment? As instructor of record, I give my students low-stakes opportunities to answer open-ended questions. My feedback from those low-stakes activities helps them to prepare for open-ended questions on high-stakes assessments. Your studying like crazy is moot if your instructor does not give you opportunities to practice and to learn from feedback.

So, please do not "feel so stupid and inadequate." Instead, ask the instructor for specific feedback on your exam performance.

No, it is not necessarily over for you. But you do need to take charge of your education.

https://giphy.com/gifs/l49JHz7kJvl6MCj3G

-2

u/bufo_bufo__ 2h ago

I’ve never heard of a midterm in a PhD program…

2

u/Pseudonym_Subprime 2h ago

All swans are white.

2

u/notnijiatall Political Science, Japanese Comparative Politics, Wayne State 2h ago

What? Is that not common? I have 2 this semester lol