The difficulty is to maintain a perfect average. The competition seems to be getting fiercer! And if you wish to enter a dream university, you definitely feel that anxiety and that excitement. How to do? Read here!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Maintain a 30's Lifestyle
Step 1. Get organized
Get a binder for each subject. When everything is simplified, it is less difficult to take your focus away from studying. Get rid of old essays and homework unless you feel you need them later. Put your study program aside, but in a place where you can consult it when needed, and put a pen at hand to make changes and additions!
This also applies to your desk and locker, order! Try to keep all the areas you use to study in order. If you find it difficult to delve into the clutter, you won't even be able to sit down to study. You will spend your days looking for the things you need
Step 2. Surround yourself with intelligent and determined friends
The phrase would be more accurate if it were "surround yourself with determined, intelligent friends, and try to take advantage of them". Many of your friends are intelligent, but when was the last time you sat together and joined your mental powers?
- Spend your free time with them, watching them study. Try to make their best habits your own. If you are taking a class together, meet once a week to talk about the content of the course, not the professor's pronunciation problem or the cute guy standing in the front row.
- Sit in class with them, if you don't already! When their hand goes up in the air to answer a question, you will be less likely to be distracted.
Step 3. Make friends who have already taken the course
In addition to that group of 30 friends you spend time with, look for someone who has already taken the course. Many teachers recycle exam papers, if they have them, even better! It's not cheating at all, it's just being logical.
They can also tell you what the professor is like and what to expect. If you start learning about their tendencies (and maybe the ways you can, erm, work) and you know how they work, you will be at an advantage before you even start classes
Step 4. Manage your time well
This idea has certainly been ingrained in your brain ever since you were in kindergarten. In order to make the most of the day by being able to do everything, study, play basketball, practice the violin, eat well, stay hydrated and sleep a lot (yes, these last three things are very important), you need to develop the ability to manage time in an exceptional way. But… how to do it?
- The most essential thing to do is to create and follow a timetable. Make sure you give more weight to activities that take longer or require more concentration. Set your priorities in order to make the timetable easier to understand.
- Be realistic. Saying that you intend to study eight hours a day is not feasible. It would melt your head, and you would spend the next day in bed gorging yourself on fruit jellies. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but what kills you… kills you.
- Don't procrastinate! If you need to write an essay within two weeks, start now. If the exam date approaches, study now. Sure, some do well under pressure. If that's the case, at least try to do something right now. There is no time on your schedule for panic attack sessions, unfortunately.
Step 5. Go study somewhere else
If you are in your dorm or bedroom, you may hear the TV keep shouting "WATCH ME". Go outside instead. Go somewhere else. Go to the library. Look for a place away from distractions. Have you ever read a book only to find that you hadn't absorbed a single word, and therefore had to go back and read it all over again? A waste of time. So take the books to the library.
At the very least, try to create a particular area at home that is totally dedicated to studying. You don't want to go to bed every night telling yourself that you should have studied! Get a table, desk, or easy chair to use only for studying. It will help your brain get used to it as soon as it makes the association. Be a habit
Step 6. Eat healthy
You know very well that feeling that follows a binge washed down with some chocolate milkshake and a piece of cake. That's right, heavy stomach and head! If you want to stay focused, vital, and feel vigorous (and you want your brain to function well), eat only "for one", and eat healthy. Limit your consumption of sugars and fatty foods. You will be much more prone to withholding the information you learn if your brain, body and stomach are not in jelly.
Keep yourself light at breakfast before an exam. Don't drink too much coffee or you'll have palpitations. Make some toast and eat an apple or whatever you think you need in a reasonable way. Just remember to eat breakfast. It is much more difficult to concentrate when the stomach is rumbling
Step 7. Get enough sleep
Avoid the horror of studying all night. Does it hurt. To feel good and get good grades you need to get enough sleep! When your mental energies run out, it's hard to focus, you can't do it. And all the information that the teacher tries to convey to you goes into one ear and out of the other. Take care of your brain!
Aim for 8 hours of sleep a night, no more, no less. Try to keep the same hours at all times, so that you get used to getting up from Monday to Friday. You can get more sleep on weekends, though. It will be easier to endure the 7 am alarm clock if you are well rested
Step 8. Stay sane
Live joyfully, smile and be optimistic. You have probably heard about the pressure that many students in Asia experience, and the very high suicide rate associated with it. "Stay sane!" it means just that. Studying until death is not a joke. It is a terrible thing. So, for your own sake, reserve a seat on your schedule for "going to a fun party", "seeing a movie", "taking a nap" and so on.
The world doesn't end because of a 7. Sure, you don't like it, but there are many difficult things in this life. You will still be able to enter your dream university. You will still be able to find a job. You still deserve all the love in the world. You are not experiencing the suffering of a cancer patient, a pauper, or someone chased by the mafia. Take it easy
Step 9. Stay motivated
Well, you're reading this because you want to "keep" an average of 30, right? This means that you are smart and that you have your head on your shoulders. The only thing you need to do is keep this spirit! Keep wanting it. This average will make you go the distance, because you will never let go. Remember this every day.
Part 2 of 3: Use Lesson Times to Your Advantage
Step 1. To get started, attend classes
For real. Considering that sleeping on the textbook does not provide any kind of mental osmosis, you will be surprised at how much you can achieve simply by going to class, while not maintaining 100% concentration all the time. Some professors reward students who attend with extra credits or by sharing "secret" information with those present.
- And while you're there, take notes. But you already knew this, didn't you?
- Going to class, in addition to introducing you to the subject and letting you know what will be on the exam, will help you to know the deadlines and dates of the exams. Sometimes professors change their minds at the last second. If you go to class you will know what to expect and when to show up.
Step 2. Participate in the lesson
You know, teachers are as boring with you as you are with them. If you manage to be one of those engaged students who gets an eye on your grades, your grades will be positively affected and you will enjoy the experience. Therefore, participate! Ask questions, make comments, and pay attention. Professors can't stand sleepers.
It is not necessary to explore the boundaries of metaphysics every time you ask a question. Even "answering" the questions the professor asks can make you enter into his graces. Some professors award scores based on participation, or round up grades if you participate. So do it
Step 3. Get to know your teacher
If your teacher has office hours, go to him. Otherwise, try to talk to him after class. Think of it another way: You have to decide whether to give 50 € to an acquaintance or a friend. Who would you give them to? When you take 29.5 on the exam, that extra effort could lead the professor to put you on 30!
You don't have to ask him how his kids are doing or invite him to dinner. No, no, no. Just go to him or her after class time, and ask him to elaborate on one of the things that have been explained. You could also ask him for academic advice (on a potential career path or another university). Talk about you too! You have to know yourself
Step 4. Ask for extra credits
Teachers are people, not machines. If you need something, they may be able to help you. Especially if you are one of those students they know well. If you got a low grade on a waiver or exam, ask for extra credits. Even if he says no, you haven't hurt anyone.
Even if you didn't get a great grade, still ask for extra credits. When you are present at 105% of the lessons, you can try to pull the teacher's jacket a little
Step 5. Take "mattress" courses
You don't need to do seven, one is enough. There are language courses, cooking classes or something relaxing. Use them to cool down and focus a little on yourself. You can't just focus on studying. Too much work and no play makes Jack a bad boy, remember?
You can still pass it with flying colors, you know. So go for it, give the best of yourself. But he goes home without having to study this too
Step 6. Use technology to your advantage
The world you live in is wonderful. There are textbooks on the internet. Thousands of universities post lectures in audio or video format online. There are websites created with the purpose of helping you learn. USE IT.
Ask the teacher to give you the powerpoint presentations. Go to Memrise and make your own interactive flash cards. We are not in the 1950s, you no longer have to scroll through the entire library catalog to find extra resources. Today they are just a click away
Part 3 of 3: Studying Efficiently
Step 1. Get a tutor to assist you
Regardless of who you are, remember that there is always someone smarter than you. Okay, maybe he's no better than you at English or math, but he could be a mastermind regarding the fall of the Roman Empire. Get yourself a tutor! There's nothing wrong. There is certainly nothing wrong with securing a future.
In some faculties, some students have tutoring as part of their course of study. They get credits, you get extra help, for free
Step 2. Study in stages
Research shows that if you take breaks while studying, you greatly increase your attention span. So study for an hour and a half, take a ten minute break, and go back to studying. You are not wasting time, you are recovering energy from the brain.
Also try to study during different times of the day. You may find that you are able to study better in the morning or in the evening. Each of us is different
Step 3. Study in different places
According to another study, the brain gets used to the environment around it and stops processing information (or something like that), when you are in a new place instead it activates and tries to assimilate and remember things better (until you get used to it again). So if you can, find two or three places to do the dirty work.
Step 4. Study in a group
Studies also show that studying in a group can help you withhold information and understand it better. When you have to explain something to another person or hear it explained differently by multiple people, it's much easier to process and remember it. Here are other reasons why studying in a group is great:
- You can break up a frightening amount of lessons into smaller chunks. Assigning each member a chapter to study well.
- Develop the ability to solve problems and create opinions. Great for science and math.
- You may be able to predict exam questions and try them out with others.
- It makes studying more interactive and fun (helping memory).
Step 5. Avoid studying too hard
Studies show that frenzied students get average grades, so don't! The last thing you want is to deprive yourself of sleep, which prevents your brain from functioning well.
Seriously. Study the night before the exam, okay. But don't deprive yourself of sleep or your mind will suffer negatively. Better get at least 7 or 8 full hours of sleep. You've been studying all the time, you should know the subject, right?
Step 6. Learn to learn
For some, taking notes is of no use at all. On the other hand, if they record the lesson and listen to it again, they find it more effective. If you know you are a visual / kinesthetic / auditory learner, you can customize your study method to get the most out of it. It can also be the perfect excuse to get Mom to buy you a new pack of highlighters.
Step 7. Use wikiHow
Really, there are billions of tips on wikiHow that can help you with this topic. For example, did you know that dark chocolate is a great brain food? That people who write in italics generally have better grades? Lots of useful material. Here is a list, just to start:
- Study More Effectively
- Studying for a Class Assignment
- Have fun while you study
- Finding the Motivation to Study
- Focus on Studies
- Make a Study Program
- Get High Grades
Advice
- Finish your homework early so you don't get stressed out.
- Go back to your previous essays when studying for an exam.
- Avoid getting in trouble. Follow the rules. Be respectful and honorable. Be on time in class (don't be late).
- Study at least a month before the exam, don't put it off to the last minute.
- If you have trouble with the lesson material, ask the professor or his assistant for clarification on complicated concepts. It may sound silly, but many students feel embarrassed and never ask for help when they need it. This simple tip will save you precious hours of study, and show the professor how determined you are to do his subject well.
- Don't underestimate your ability to get a higher grade.
- Don't wait until the last moment to finish an essay. The quality of the work would suffer if you started running. Likewise, don't procrastinate by telling yourself you'll do it later. Start early, and take your time.
- Study using flash cards, they are simple to organize. Make a lot of them and put aside the ones you already understand, use summaries that contain all the key topics and read the footnotes.
