Dealing with 3 MBA backlogs, a UFM charge, and a total loss of motivation. How do I bounce back?
I’m looking for some advice or maybe just some perspective from anyone who has messed up their first year of grad school and managed to fix it.
I started my MBA in August 2025. My first-semester finals were in December, but they overlapped exactly with my sister’s wedding. I made the choice to skip the exams to attend the wedding, thinking I’d just clear them during the makeup dates.
That plan backfired. I ended up with three backlogs from those makeup exams. To make matters worse, I was flagged for Unfair Means (UFM) in one of those papers. I want to be clear: I am taking full accountability for that. It was a moment of poor judgment under a lot of pressure, and I’m not making excuses for it.
The college is giving me a second chance to retake that paper during Semester 3, but I am currently in a dark place. Between the backlogs, the UFM charge, and my Semester 2 finals approaching, I feel completely depressed and paralyzed. I have zero motivation for my current assignments because the "mountain" of exams I have to clear feels impossible to climb.
My current situation:
Sem 2: Exams are coming up soon.
Backlogs: 3 exams to clear.
The UFM Paper: Scheduled for Semester 3.
I feel like I’ve ruined my MBA before it even really started. Has anyone else hit rock bottom academically, dealt with a UFM/disciplinary issue, and still managed to graduate and get a job? How do I stop feeling so depressed and start focusing on my Semester 2 work so I don't add even more backlogs to the list?