Sunday, September 02, 2007
7 Strategies to Raise Your GPA this Semester
Pick the Brain: "Being smart will help you get good grades, but it isn’t required. Neither is studying nonstop. The key to academic success is being disciplined and efficient in your study habits. These 7 strategies will help you raise your GPA while minimizing stress and overall study time."
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I highly agree with steps 4 & 6. As i begin my first year at CMU, I have already experienced the effects of these ideas. It's also funny to note that I have not witnessed a kid inside of Purnell that tries to disobey these rules, ok who am I kidding there's a few...However, i see it far more exemplified in other areas of the campus!
I really can't believe that people think they can get A's without doing these things, i mean seriously, these are just the steps invoied in trying, you cannot get an A I you don't try.
And honestly Anthony, the students in Purnell who don't actively participate in classes, especially the Purnell classes should really not be there. Drama is one of those things that cannot be learned from a power point or notes, but practical implementation of the skills being taught.
Another step in the whole "bettering" myself this semester, is definitely getting more As. I already do steps 1-3, so that's a definite plus. But even so, I can still improve upon these. Going to class and being awake and alert for class are two completely different things. Which my improved sleep schedule plan this year will definitely help with.
Doing a weekly review is definitely something I've always meant to do, but never done. I know it's invaluable, but I just never seemed to make the time to do it. Maybe this semester is the perfect time to start. Ahh...all-nighters. I beg to differ on the claim "All-nighters don’t work!" The DO work. They may not necessarily be the best option, but they do work, and if I hadn't pulled all-nighters last year, frankly I just wouldn't have gotten the work done. Plus one all-nighter every once in a while can be invigorating. Although, they are not a good option most of the time. When you get to the point where you can no longer count how many all-nighters you've had in a semester, you've had too many. This year I plan to have as many nights of sleep as possible and hopefully with following all of these steps, raise my GPA.
I think this list is very practical. It gives tips for not only inside of the classroom and outside. I find that learning not only comes from listening in class, which is why you need to go, but also from how productive you are outside. Yes, I think many of us need to work on reviewing everyday instead of waiting till right before the final. But if thats not a persons strong suit then they can certainly work on their GPA with the other items on the list. Even if we can't escape the all-nighters the others are possible.
I remember in high school the biggest reason why ridiculously smart individuals got bad grades. It was because they never did their homework. I found that I could not do extremely well on tests, but if I managed to do the homework it would turn out in my favor. Also, class participation may seem like a small part of any grade, but it is an extremely helpful increase to have. Sometimes those really shy and reserved individuals are getting straight A's, but I'm almost managing the same grade and not doing as well on tests.
A friend of mine across the hall from my dorm is trying an interesting strategy. He has a large white board set up, and every night he writes down the notes from his physics class on it. It's easier for him to reference and the mechanical action of writing down the information helps to memorize some of it.
For me espeacially, I am paying for this education, and the idea of wasting my money on skipping classes and not working towards my full potential is just ridiculous. I love to learn, and to be in a place where there is hardly a class with more than 20 students is great. I had problems last year with keeping myself motivated, but having the summer to try other things and rejuvinate has made me so motivated to grab school by the horns and work my ass off for all the rewards of an excellent education.
There's a big difference between attending class and actively learning while in class. Class conduct is growing increasingly juvenile. Even if the subject is something you would rather stare at a wall than learn about, that may not be the case for the person next to you, and they are paying a LOT of money to hear what that professor has to say. There are too many gadgets today that people can't detach themselves from. I couldn't agree with the muscle memory method of taking hand-written notes. For some topics I will even rewrite or type up my notes later just to get another degree of familiarity. Not to mention it makes the material clearer the second time around and provides me with good study tools to use before exams. As a subhead to “no all-nighters” it should say plan ahead. Look at course assignments for the semester and find time jams way before they happen – This is one personal goal I am working on this semester.
School of Drama-pay attention to rule #7! Too often has pulling an all-nighter been considered the “cool” thing to do. If you concentrate on avoiding putting yourself in that position than you are more likely to be successful. You don’t prove anything to anyone other than you don’t plan your time accordingly when you boast about the lack of sleep you have gotten while doing a big project or doing last minuet rehearsing. In the long run, your health and mental stability will be better off if you keep a healthy work-load and don’t over book yourself. Don’t accept doing extra projects or go to parties if you know you will have to pay for it in sleep. Plus, your final presentation will reflect your night before. Every one could use improvement in time management... getting rid of all-nighters should be our first step.
This list of seven ways to raise your GPA is not mind blowing. These rules are all common sense. The problem is having the discipline to do them. Every procrastinator knows that by putting off their work till the last minute they are lowering the quality of the work and the educational value they get out of the assignment. Just like all other lists of things to do that will help you better yourself, it comes down to will power.
All nighters never the right answer, and nearly always are avoidable.
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