#studyinpso

11/100 days of productivity

Another day, another cafe.

Almost 24, I have realized that school is a luxury, a privilege that not many people have the opportunity to experience. Up until a few years ago, I didn’t start obsessing about grades like I do now. I am a straight-A, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society member, who enjoys the satisfaction of earning those A’s. You may be wondering what changed and what my secrets are. I’m about to share with you all my tips and tricks!

I learned to make school a priority: If I truly wanted those grades that other students had, I had to drop the social media, the texting in class, the school night partying, and learn that Netflix will be there when I am ready to watch it. If my friends couldn’t understand that school was going to be number one in my life, they weren’t quality friends anyways.

I invested in a Happy Planner or should I say a Life Saver: Everything and anything that is important goes in my Happy Planner, which means my life revolves around this little book. I also put all of my assignments in on a daily basis from my iStudiez app, which I will go over in the next bullet point. This is helpful because I can quickly reference my planner to see what is due, what I still need to do, and cross off what I have completed, which is seriously satisfying by the way. I know my Happy Planner is somewhat empty for the month of September, it was much fuller in the month of August.

iStudiez Pro: IMMEDIATELY when I receive my syllabus for each class I plug in all the test dates and assignments into this app so I NEVER miss a due date or forget about a test ever again! It is the most fantastic app that is available for homework tracking on the app store. I have it on my Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro. It alerts me when I have class, when assignments are due, and when tests are. I also can plug in my weighted grades, so that I know what my percentages/grades are in my classes at all times. This is helpful if you need to get a grade up or if you want to calculate how well you need to do on a test to achieve a final grade to maintain your GPA. I also like that you can check off your assignments when they are completed and put the grades in at a later date.  

Set up chunks of time to complete homework when you’re feeling most productive: Are you a morning person? Do you work better in the evening? Set up blocks twenty-five-minute intervals with five minute rest periods to work on homework when you’re feeling your best! This method is called the Pomodoro Method and you can find printables for it on Tumblr. It is proven to help you remember the most and get the most out of your study sessions. Also, try completing the most difficult tasks first when you have the most energy before you know it you will have knocked out a large chunk of your workload!

Don’t know, ask: This might seem like an unnecessary topic, but I feel like more often than not, instructors have been more than willing and appreciative that I have asked and clarified things. Even recently removed items from a test because they were on a chapter that we didn’t cover. So if you are ever in doubt about something, ask your instructor. They will always be more than willing to help you solve your problem. That’s what they are there for. They want you to be successful!

Participate in discussions: This not only helps you learn and promotes independent thinking, but it earns you your discussion/participation points that most instructors grade you on. I feel the more that I participate in class discussions the less I have to study because I retained more from my lectures. Plus, it demonstrates that you actually did the reading prior to class, brownie points!

The textbook is your friend: Even if the instructor says that you don’t need the book, but it’s recommended. BUY THE FREAKING BOOK! This will only help you! It is full of examples, definitions, and practice problems. It will help explain concepts and help you understand the course material better. There has never been a time where I have regretted purchasing a book for a class. If you can’t afford the book, check with your school library to see if they have a copy. If they do not, google the book with the word free and see if it is available online for free. I found my $145.00 textbook for Organizational Leadership available online free this semester. Lastly, ALWAYS purchase books by the ISBN! You do not want to spend money on the wrong edition!

Check out tutoring centers:  My university offers online tutoring for free and also at the larger campus walk-in and by appointment tutoring for many classes. Know what your school offers and take advantage if you need help. 

Know your instructor’s office hours: If you need help, this is another place where you can go. Office hours allow you to get one-on-one help with your instructor and ask them questions that they might not necessarily be able to answer in class (because they are specific to you).

Know where you can set up a study group: This is especially helpful if you have a difficult class and many students are struggling to understand a concept or chapter. Most student libraries have rooms that are soundproofed for study groups. Know how to sign up for one of these rooms and the time limits you’re allowed to be in the room. This was especially helpful for my chemistry class freshman year.

Please let me know if you have any questions about college success or any suggestions to add to this post. 

Day 6 of 100 days of productivity: Today I did some more studying for my theatre exam, studied for my psychology exam, wrote a psychology discussion post, worked on my blog post, did some minor planning for my next blog post, scheduled a meeting for my blog post, and scheduled my theatre exam. (The longer I can make this list the better, somehow.)

[10/9/17] 46/100 days of productivity