In high school, I overwhelmed myself with AP classes, including English, History, Spanish and Math. Though it helped me get some of my college credits out of the way early, I didn't care about my schoolwork, and my grades reflected that.
I made nothing but low B's and mostly C's in my classes. The only reason I worked as "hard" as I did was so I could still be eligible for varsity choir. Other than that, I didn't try.
When I got to college, I was worried that because of my previous academic habits, I would not be able to obtain good grades.
I knew I was going to have to step it up bigtime.
Surprisingly, my grades actually improved significantly once I entered college. During my first semester, I got 4 A's and a B, and I got straight A's during both of my previous semesters.
"How did you do it," you ask? Here are some of my secret study habits that I hope will help you, too.
First and foremost, it's not about how long you study. It's about how you study. It's one thing to study for 10 hours the night before a test by pulling an all-nighter and being too tired to focus the next day, but it's another thing to study for 10 hours spaced out between each day.
Start studying for a test five days beforehand, and study for about two hours each day.
During the last two days before the test, study right before bed. No, that doesn't mean study and then watch Netflix for two hours before bed. It means go straight to bed after studying. Your brain will retain the information much better that way.
Instead of studying all of your notes all at once, break them up into sections. Read each section three times in a row, and then read over all of your notes at the end. This will help you concentrate better as well as remember the information better.
Color code your notes because the brain remembers information in color. Use a specific pen color for each day (red for Monday, blue for Tuesday, orange for Wednesday, etc.).
This way, if you don't remember what day your professor went over certain information, you can look at the color of your notes to determine what day you wrote down what information.
When you read the textbook, take notes as you go. You don't have to write down everything, just the important information. Write down definitions and sentences/points that stand out to you.
Relax, relax, relax. Everyone gets nervous before their exams, but if you freak yourself out, you will more than likely do badly, even if you know the information by heart.
We as human beings are often way too hard on ourselves. We are capable of much more than we think.
I'm hoping these tips will help y'all obtain the grades that every college kid dreams of!
