Review the papers or projects in which you have scored a bad grade. Be objective. Take time away from your work to gain perspective. Return to it in a calm and rational manner. Try and identify where you lost marks and pinpoint any patterns, such as poor writing style, a lack of research depth, or weak statistical analysis, which could be contributing factors to your bad grades.
Recognize the reasons why you are struggling with your work. If you are putting yourself through Harvard graduate school by working in a part-time job, it could be that this is limiting the number of hours you can dedicate to your studies. If this is the case, look into the possibility of financial assistance. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard offers a range of financial-help packages, including direct departmental grants, loans and teaching fellowships.
Admit that your poor grades may be due to stress. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard explains that many grad students make use of its counselling services for assistance with a range of issues, including anxiety, stress and career confusion. Getting on top of any emotional or psychological issues you may have could be the key to getting your studies back on track.
Make appointments to see your teachers and supervisors and let them know that you are concerned about your grades. Although this is grad school and the days of 'hand-holding' are over, they may be able to give you advice on where you are falling short and how you can improve. Teachers in any university, Harvard included, are more likely to offer help to students who demonstrate that they are taking responsibility for themselves and actively working to improve their grades.
Talk to your fellow students. Harvard's grad school offers a 'Peer Counseling' service, which you can contact most evenings,holidays excepted. As well as offering support for academic problems, the free and confidential service is also geared toward helping struggling students cope with issues such as financial worries, career uncertainty and even relationship woes.
Work not just harder, but more efficiently. Review the way you structure your working day and see if you could make better use of your time. It may be that you need to give up an extra-curricular activity, or it could just be a matter of realizing you don't work as well at home as you do in the library.
Keep things in perspective. Bad grades or no, making it to graduate school at Harvard places you in an elite band. Remind yourself that even Warren Buffet wasn't accepted into Harvard. As the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Science advises, graduate study at a top university is a "challenging and rewarding journey" and it pays to keep your end goal in mind and not become overly concerned by short-term setbacks.