How I Got Straight A’s 3 Terms in a Row
Some people just seem to breeze through school, never study and get all A’s all the time; I am NOT that student. I work just as hard as I need to to get the grades that I want. But the trick to getting the grades you want isn’t just about studying your brains out, it’s about studying and planning strategically.
Prepare the summer before the school year starts. This doesn’t necessarily mean studying. Go online and search for the curriculum for each class you will be taking. In Canada, you will find this information on your province’s Ministry of Education website. The curriculum will tell you EXACTLY what you will be learning. Now you can use this information however you like. You can review last year’s material where you can see it will be helpful. You can make one online document per unit and find links/videos/diagrams online that will help you when you eventually learn that unit, this will give you a preview and now you have a online study guide to help you when you learn it in class. You can teach yourself the material and make in depth notes for yourself.Â
Always know your grade +/- 2%. You should always, always, always, know where you stand in all your classes. Some students are able to check their grades live online, I would recommend checking your grade after every assignment that gets handed back. If you do not have that option, I would suggest having a notebook (or a bullet journal!) with a page (or two) for each class. Record the name of the assignment, the date you submitted it and the grade you received back (as a percentage and a fraction). This is a great way to see how you are doing and where you are falling short. It is also helpful when you have finals, you can visually see where you struggled throughout the year. If report cards are coming out soon and you know you’re a couple points off, make the assignments for that class a priority.
Prioritize. If you’re spending hours doing one minor assignment when you have a big test the next day, you need to reevaluate. Yes I know, smaller assignments are more fun because they’re super satisfying when you finish them, but you must prioritize your assignments. I rank my assignments according to how much it is worth, how well I know the subject, time it will take to complete and how close the deadline is.
Study sessions and homework time. It has been scientifically proven that doing homework in this order is the best to prevent procrastination. Small assignment --> Larger assignment --> Break. Give yourself a time limit on the smaller assignment and your break time. Do not limit yourself on the larger assignment. Make sure your environment is well lit and you’ve chosen wisely whether or not to work in a quiet or loud place. Have water and snacks, try and save your snacks for during your break as an incentive.
Do homework in the library at lunch. This might seem pretty lame to some people but if you can get some friends to join you, even if they’re not doing work, it can honestly be really fun. I find that when I get home from school, I’m usually exhausted and don’t even want to think about homework. If you do your homework while you're already at school and in that mindset, trust me it makes its SO much easier to work.
Grades aren’t what you want? Talk about it. Seriously talk to your teacher if your grades aren't what you want them to be at. Some teachers will omit quiz marks or give you extra assignments. Sometimes if you really beg they’ll let you retest. Do not underestimate what your teachers will do. You don’t know unless you try! Plus teachers will see that you really do care about their class, which means they might mark you a little easier if they know your goal grade.
