How to Improve Grades

The semester always starts out well. You're excited about your classes, meeting new people and looking forward to the social events and sports games. But before long, you might find you're falling behind and need to pull all-nighters studying and working on projects to keep from failing. A little advance planning can improve your grades while still affording you plenty of time to enjoy college life.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Get a binder for every class and fill it with looseleaf paper and dividers. Don't write on the tabs until you know more about what's expected of you. If you'd rather use your laptop, create a folder for each class and download or scan any materials into your laptop. Unless you have no choice, don't keep both a binder and a laptop folder.
2. Read the syllabus for each class. Enter reading assignments, project due dates and test dates into a datebook. If you're using an electronic datebook, program it to remind you of upcoming dates.
3. Complete your reading and assignments first, then socialize. You'll miss out on some fun at first, but later you'll amaze everyone with your relaxed attitude about finals.
4. Ask for help early. Don't wait until you're way behind on your work. Enter your professors' office hours in your datebook and camp outside their offices if necessary for help.
5. Join study groups. Make sure they meet regularly and are made up of people who really want to work. Offer to organize meeting times and locations and direct the work that will be done at each session; by keeping everyone on task, you keep yourself on task as well.
6. Start studying for finals on the day class starts. Spend the night before finals sleeping instead of cramming.
7. Learn effective study habits if you are still having trouble. A few hours of instruction can save you hundreds of hours by the time you finish school.

Tips & Warnings

• Microsoft One Note is excellent software for taking notes and organizing schoolwork.
• Take time to exercise. It not only helps keep you healthy and fit, it helps you remember what you learned and stay alert while studying.
• One of the worst things you can do if you want to remember and use what you learned is drink alcohol.
• Don't let other people tell you how to study. If you do best by rewriting your notes, do that even if everyone else is reading them aloud. If you need silence, don't be talked into listening to music. Everyone has a learning style that works for them; stick to yours.