Facts about getting good grades at college!!!
1.Attend class
and follow the syllabus
Even students with the highest grades sometimes
struggle to stick to the syllabus materials. Although it may be tempting to
delve further into a subject outside the classroom and to try and write
creative, original papers, many professors prefer students to adhere to the
syllabus. Thinking too much outside those guidelines is often a reason students
earn lower grades simply because the final assignment is too detached from the
original prompt.
Though it may be tempting to skip class on certain
days when you feel overwhelmed or unmotivated, remember that just like missing
a workout, the decision will stick with you later. You will have to catch up on
class material, explain the absence to your teacher of smaller classes, and potentially miss vital information mentioned
during class.
2. Take notes in class
. It forces you to pay attention, so you get more
information, so you have less to catch up on or figure out yourself when it
comes to assignments and homework.
Do your homework. If there is something you
struggle with, bring it up in the next class and ask your teacher to go over
it again. Or ask a classmate who understood it to explain it to you. Sometimes
it really helps to have something explained by a different person.
If you know you won’t be able to complete your
homework on time due to external circumstances, talk to your teacher before the
deadline and ask for an extension. Most teachers will allow this, if you don’t
ask too often, are respectful, and have a good reason.
3. Be polite to your teachers
Yes, I know, it doesn’t have anything to do with
the subject itself, but being on good terms with your teachers helps. They’ll
be more willing to help you, and be more sympathetic when you request a
deadline extension. Don’t mess around in class. If you have a reputation as a
good kid and hardworking student, you’ll be far more likely to be forgiven for
(small) mistakes.
4. When you come home from school, spend a few minutes going over what you
were taught in class that day. Make revision / study notes as you go along
. When I was in 4th form, I’d take
my class notes on scrap paper, and then later copy them out neatly into a
notebook. That way, I’d already revised the material at least once, I had
decent notes for studying for a test, and I’d immediately catch on to things I
hadn’t understood. It’ll make life much less stressful in the run-up to exams
and tests. If your friends do the same, swap notes with them. They might have
caught something you missed, and it’s sometimes helpful to see information from
a new perspective / explained in a different voice.
Start studying for tests / exams early. Revising a bit every day is much
more effective and less stressful than cramming the day before.
5. be absolutely present in class mentally
if
you grasp everything what is taught during lectures, half of your work will be
done. And just listening carefully also doesn’t count as being absolutely
present. Try to grasp everything, make mnemonics, imagine things which are
being taught and try to give your 100% during that.
6. don’t take frequent breaks
whenever you take break, you distract yourself and break
the flow and then getting back to study is a challenge in itself. So Just don’t
break the flow if you have managed to focus on books. It doesn’t mean you won’t
take break at all. Just study in large chunks. And take long break in which you
can actually do some other thing and recharge your mind.
7. go through Previous years question papers
these
are must. And also do these before revision (not at last) so you get the idea
about topics around which a particular exam paper revolves. there are always some topics from which
questions will definitely be asked and those must be on your mind always.
8. Be brutally honest with yourself.
Very likely, whatever was working for you in high school
is not cutting it any more at the college level. Identify your strengths and
build upon them. Identify your weaknesses and adjust your habits accordingly
-e.g. start reading the whole chapter instead of just the summary at the end;
or close out your email, browsers, and other apps during lectures so you are
less distracted and catch more of the lesson.
9. If you don't know, ask!
As a former teacher of
mine once said in anticipation of an upcoming exam "Being afraid that I
will think you're stupid isn't a reason for not asking questions. I'll find out
soon enough anyway."
10. Work first, play later.
This will allow time for you to work through and
comprehend the concepts while also giving you a cushion of time to seek help if
needed. Rushing through readings, home works, and projects often results in
mistakes, oversights, poorer encoding into memory, and consequently poor
grades.
10.
Practice, Practice, Practice.
more
As soon as you think
you understand something, DO NOT simply move on. Instead, test
yourself with a different but similar example. Hindsight bias is
every student's worst enemy, which is exactly why math and physics teachers
assign so many practice problems -there actually is some efficacy in
drill-and-kill.
Finally,
procrastination can be your worst enemy during your college years. It is
important to learn early on how to motivate yourself to finish that assignment ,
avoiding the temptation to leave them until the last minute.
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