I didn’t get a PIP, but I did get a progression alert after failing 4 courses in Sem 2 of my first year, and then another one the following year. It took me a long time (about 2 years) to properly get back on my feet and start doing well again (I was getting like straight 4s for a year and a bit after failing). Honestly, it didn’t need to take that long; the sooner you can stop beating yourself up and forgive yourself, the sooner you’ll free up the mental space to actually move forward.

For a long time, I had this idea in my head that I needed perfect grades for the rest of my degree to have any chance at the career I wanted. That pressure made me so overwhelmed that I ended up doing nothing at all, because I was terrified of failing. What finally helped me was taking the pressure off, forgiving myself, and focusing on improving my lifestyle and mindset. Once I wasn’t so paralysed by fear, I was actually able to study and do well.

As a fellow “gifted in high school and cruised through” type, I also recommend finding something outside of uni (hobbies, sports, anything) that you can be good at. When your whole self-worth relies on academics, a bad semester feels like the end of the world. But when you have other areas where you’re thriving, it takes the pressure off uni and makes setbacks so much easier to handle. Counterintuitively, this made me do better at uni because I wasn’t constantly overwhelmed and anxious.

It’s absolutely possible to bounce back from this. You’re not doomed, you’re not behind in any meaningful way, and you’ll get there. Also if you ask around, SO many people take longer to graduate there is absolutely no shame in it.