How to get straight Aās in college. Seriously.
Yes, even if youāre taking the maximum credit load. Because if I can do it, you can do it too. Note: My credit load also included a handful of honors courses.Ā
Side-note: Iām going to be a junior (how??) and an RA (!!!) in the fall. Life moves fast. College moves faster. Anyways,Ā
Here are my top tips:Ā
1. LOOK AT THE SYLLABUS AND WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. This is step number one, and itās not up for debate. If you do this, thereāll be no surprises, and if there are: point it out to the professor (a simple, ??? this wasnāt on the syllabus ??, usually works). Also, you have to check and see what constitutes as an A in that class. Sometimes itās a 90, sometimes itās not. (a 96 was an A- in one of my classes last semester. Iām so serious.)
2. Get a calendar. Not a planner. One of those giant calendars with puppies or something on it and write down everything you have to do for the month. Put it above your desk. This helps A LOT because you can see everything you have coming up for the next few weeks, instead of jus playing it day-by-day.Ā
3. It is OK to use ratemyprofessor. Sometimes it can be really helpful, but pay attention to the more in depth reviews that talk about what the homework, tests, quizzes and projects are like (instead of āher lectures are boring :///)Ā
4. Sit in the front of your class. Youāll be more likely to pay attention and less likely to scroll through instagram. (by the way, mine is @parissdb :) It also grabs your professors attention, so even if youāre shy, theyāll at least know your face.
5. Do that extra credit. A lot of professors offer it in the beginning of the semester, and hardly anyone does it because no oneās thinking past tomorrow. It may be what saves you in the long run.Ā
6. Figure out your best method of note-taking. For me, itās good ol pen and paper. It helps me remember everything. Some people prefer typing it out. This is beneficial bc it makes it easier for you to find exactly what youāre looking for. (Thank you, command + F)
7. Put your effort into the percentages. If an assignment is worth 1% of your grade, do it well, but donāt exhaust yourself. Itās 1%!!!! If it comes down to it, spend more time studying for that exam thatās worth 30% than the group project worth 20.Ā
8. Please. Stop studying what you already know. Weāre all guilty of it. It makes you feel better knowing you have chapters 1-3 down, even if you donāt know 4-7. The key to studying is to learn what you donāt know.Ā
9. Learn how to study.Ā (Yes, itās actually a skill that has to be learned.)Ā Iām the biggest procrastinator I know, especially when it comes to studying. But Iāve found that studying 2 days before an exam usually does the trick for me. I create a master study guide during day 1 and study it all on day 2. Depending on what time the exam is, I may review on the morning of day 3.Ā
10. SAVE SOME TIME FOR FUNĀ ffs. Seriously. You donāt have to study 24/7, and I donāt know about yāall but my attention span was not built for that.
I might add more to this later, or make another post because I could give these tips for ever and ever. But hopefully this helps someone out there.Ā
Be sure to check out my college tab here:(http://thesoontobenewyorker.tumblr.com/tagged/college) and follow me on instagram @parissdb (https://www.instagram.com/parissdb/) for more stuff. :)Ā
I'll definitely need that š
