Many aspects of university life depend on your
ability to maintain your grades. After all, your grades act as the culmination
of your academic effort, including attending class, studying, and completing
exams and projects. As many students know, however, balancing, social,
personal, and academic obligations can make it challenging to maintain good
grades or raise them. Fortunately, these simple tips can help you raise your
grades without derailing your social or personal life.
Ask Your Professors for Help
If you’re struggling or your grades are failing, ask
your professors for help. In many cases, professors are more than willing to
provide extra credit or guidance. All you have to do is voice your concerns and
express willingness to improve your performance. If you’re struggling in
multiple classes, you might also consider consulting your academic advisor.
These individuals can provide tips, support, and resources, including advice
for lightening your course load. Moreover, they could also offer guidance on
how to practice better time management, since this skill is essential to
academic success.
Study Well
Studying is the cornerstone of
good academic performance. So, to perform well, you must study well. Here are some
smart, effective study techniques to consider:
- Review lecture notes and key
concepts daily.
- Study for an exam every day at
least a week before that exam.
- Join and contribute to a study
group.
- Create and maintain a regular
study schedule.
- Use flashcards for fast,
effective studying, which makes it easier to retain and recall
information.
- Find a quiet, comfortable place
to study.
- Highlight key concepts in your
notes and textbooks for quick reference.
- Seek tutoring or help with
assignments when needed.
Be Active and Practice Effective
Notetaking
Actively engaging during class
keeps your brain active, flexible, and better capable of memorizing the
material. An actively engaged student is one who asks questions, attends every
class, participates in discussions, provides constructive feedback, and of
course, listens and takes notes. The more active you are, the more you learn
(from both your professor and your classmates).
Effective notetaking is also a
key component of active engagement. Take notes on the major concepts and
important information, but maintain focus on the professor. You don’t have to
write down every detail your professor provides, as it would shift your focus
away from the lecture, and it’s impossible. Plus, you should leave some space
for thinking about intriguing or complex subjects. Use familiar abbreviations
and schemes for faster notetaking, and since they will be studied later, make
sure your notes are legible.
Get Organized
Being organized alleviates
stress and confusion. It can also help you remember assignments, stay on
schedule, complete goals, and meet deadlines. Learning organization skills and
implementing certain tools can help you become a more organized student. A
planner, in particular, is an important tool to consider. Typically, planners
are used for scheduling and tracking daily activities, goals, assignments, and
obligatory tasks. File folders, binders and organizers, notebooks and labels
can also be used to keep hard copies of your assignments separated and
organized. You can also use flash drives or storage to back up assignments and
organize digital files.
If your grades are suffering,
poor organization could be to blame. So, try getting organized as a part of
your approach to improving your school performance. Strong organization skills
can even extend to other areas of your university life, including navigating
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