We've all gone through it, some sooner than others--you've gotten a C on your college essay. It burns, doesn't it? You look at that half circle on your paper and realize you've been demoted to the bottom of the intellectual barrel: you are completely and unequivocally average.

For the new-comers who have never yet experienced being a Plain Jane or and Average Joe, I'm here to help. You're feeling a lot of things: you're shocked, you've disappointed everyone who believed in you, you're angry. I'm here to make sure these feelings don't last for long, that you get right back on that horse and try again next time. Here are ten easy steps to follow to ensure you return to that determined, hard-working student you were before.

Step 1: You've handed in your assignment. It feels good. Sure, you may have BS-ed your way through it--it's not the greatest essay you've written, not by a long shot--but it's okay. You've had a rough week, the paper was not the easiest to write, it's fine. It's handed in and you know you're a good enough student that you'll get a decent grade.

Step 2: Your professor announces they'll be handing your essays out at the end of class. It is in this step that you sit there for the rest of class like so:

Step 3: The papers are handed out. You hold your fate in your hands, look down at the paper and... there's a C. A C+ if you're lucky.

Step 4: Return to your dorm room and let your friend hold you in their loving arms whilst you sob as though you've just lost Gandalf in the depths of Moria.

Step 5: Acceptance. You've gotten a C--yeah, you were a straight-A student in high school, and even your years in college have been enough to hold up a 4.0 GPA. But you take the C like a champ--and by champ, I mean lying on the couch with a bag of chips clutched in your hands as though it were that sparkling academic record you've just let slip through your fingers.

Step 6: There is some anger. You might end up cursing your professor's name. Or biting your thumb at them as they pass in the halls.

Step 7: You consider dropping out. Goodbye college, goodbye degree I haven't earned yet. Might as well tear my dreams to shreds right now and get it over with.

Step 8 (and this is important): Realize there is HOPE. It's one C--and the paper isn't even worth all that much of your grade. You'll survive, plenty of people have gotten average grades before--and that's just it. A C isn't a bad grade--it's average. Sure, that isn't the greatest feeling in the world, but it's still a light to hold on to, to know that there is still hope of resurfacing.

Step 9: Don't give up. You'll do better next time. You know you have to focus harder, work on the paper sooner, and have confidence that you're that grade-A student that your professors know you can be.

Step 10: Never forget the C, the pain and strife it's caused you--remember its name, curse its existence, vow to triumph over average grades once and for all. Never forget that you now have a greater goal in mind than simply getting a good grade. Never forget what you're working for.

Redemption.