# Those of you that get straight A's...



## rusalka (Jan 12, 2004)

(college students)

What is your secret?

I strive for an A in every course, but it seems I land in B's. The only A I have is in Speech. Then I have B+ in English 101 and B- in French 101.

I think I know all the tricks, like getting to know your professors and etc. So what am I missing?


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## Johnny1234 (Nov 16, 2006)

A in speech? Youre doing just fine


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## person86 (Aug 10, 2006)

Study. A lot. Work hard on papers. Make them long. And so on.

There isn't really a "secret" to it I don't think.


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## missperfection (Jun 21, 2005)

*Re: re: Those of you that get straight A's...*



Cerberus said:


> You need lots of time. I don't have a social life and have few hobbies, so I spend a lot of time studying. I probably over study.


I pretty much spend every weekend studying, since I don't usually have anything else to do. Plus, I've always been an over-achiever when it comes to my grades.


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## Whimsy (Mar 16, 2006)

I'm anal but here goes

I type all of my notes after class and keep them in a binder: color coded by subject, all key terms are highlighted and underlined. Sometimes I print in color paper. Color is a big them for me. My hand writing might as well be hieroglyphics, but I bought a keyboard for my PDA  will make things much easier. 

I make flash cards: I buy them by the 500 pack and use them for key-terms and sets of ideas. I <3 the colored ones. Lots of sharpi colors, glitter pens, high lighters etc. It makes the process fun. Plus the process of making them is a huge chunk of my study time. 

I almost always never read text books unless I 100% have to. Either that or I head to the summary of the chapter. 

Cliff notes are my lovers. 

I sometimes make the class lecture power-point into flash cards by printing them on hard stock paper in hand out form and cutting out. 

Post it notes: another favoriate. In colors (I'm very visual lol) ideal for when I actually do read text books! 

I also love my major, makes things 1000 times easier for me. I have 4.0 in it. What annoys me are useless liberal arts classes. I still have a high gpa but those "core classes" are a head ache. 

As for papers, I like writing them. But I always write an outline I treat it as a to-do list and cross out every iteam i've written about so it seems like progress is moving fast.


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## rusalka (Jan 12, 2004)

Whimsy, that's amazing. So making flash cards doesn't have to be a boring chore. Hmmm. Question - what do you use your PDA for? Do you take notes with it also, in class? If you do, does it make it easier for you? 

Everyone else - thanks as well. I think that's where I fail - studying - because I leave it until the last moment. I come home and don't touch the textbook or the notes unless I "need" to.


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## mserychic (Oct 2, 2004)

Not straight A's but mostly. I'm lucky to have an good memory. I write lots of notes in class because if I write something I remember it. Rarely get around studying but when I do I take notes from the book. A totally obvious one that took me a long time to start doing is keeping up with the reading. Reading something and then hearing the teacher talk about it in class makes it sink in better.


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## vicente (Nov 10, 2003)

Block your 5 favorite web sites from your computer. Delete all your computer games, lock your game consoles away.


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## LNahid2000 (May 23, 2007)

I'm not sure how I do it since I'm lazy and like to do work in as little time as possible. But I'm also a perfectionist so maybe that's it. Before a test I have to be 100% sure I know everything so that I can ace it. And I pretty much have every time except for with those classes I didn't care about.


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## Whimsy (Mar 16, 2006)

Poeme said:


> Whimsy, that's amazing. So making flash cards doesn't have to be a boring chore. Hmmm. Question - what do you use your PDA for? Do you take notes with it also, in class? If you do, does it make it easier for you?


I do the flash cards a little at a time, I figure by making them look pretty it takes the edge off and makes it seem less like a chore. lol I know I'm a nerd. Plus with the colors it helps my memorization.

I type my notes with my PDA in class just because carrying a laptop is big and bluky plus I take public transportation and its not fun carrying alot at the end of a long day. So I transfer my notes to my compter. Its just easier for me. I have a small foldable key-board for my PDA. I love gadgets.


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## katelyn (Jul 11, 2006)

LNahid2000 said:


> I'm not sure how I do it since I'm lazy and like to do work in as little time as possible. But I'm also a perfectionist so maybe that's it. Before a test I have to be 100% sure I know everything so that I can ace it. And I pretty much have every time except for with those classes I didn't care about.


I think I'm like this too. I make a full revision list for every test. Then before the test I go through it and make absolutely sure I know everything. I also do all possible practice questions available. I do have a good memory but to make sure what I learn goes into long-term memory I prefer to use the technique of spaced repetition as much as possible given the time I have - that is, I'll go through the list immediately after reading my notes, then again a few days later, and so on.

I very rarely read textbooks. I try my best to make what I need to know as concise as possible, or else it would be difficult to know exactly what's important. Instead, I make my own notes, use lecture notes if they're good, and get those Schaum's Outlines books that are useful for revision.

I'll have to try the flash cards thing too. I used to use mind maps, but I got too lazy for that when the amount I had to learn became large.


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## kriminator (Jul 6, 2007)

It depends a lot in the kind of courses/professors
I can get As in mostly math courses like calc, discreet math and circuit design/analysis and I don't have to go to all clases
If we go to english, humanities or other similar areas even if I go to class and do all the homework I can't get to a B 
Maybe if you don't have enough classes that make you want to study the hell out of it, then you don't have much motivation to excel


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## Mads (May 8, 2006)

I've found that I get higher grades in the classes where I hand write my notes. I like to type my notes in large lectures, but I inevitably end up getting distracted online. It's better for me just not to use my laptop in class at all. So the big thing for me is paying attention in class, I guess. But that's obvious, right?

Rewriting my notes when I'm studying helps too. Reading through them helps a bit, but if I copy everything down again, it sticks to my memory much better.


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## Kelly (Dec 12, 2003)

I've found through my own experience and also by being a TA that the number one most important thing you can do is go to class _every day_, rain or shine. Don't miss a day. Take notes. Pay attention. The number two most important thing that you can do is read the textbook.

Daily maintenance is more important than cramming for a test and rushing through the assignments. It makes studying and doing the assignments much, much easier.

:yes


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## Squizzy (Dec 21, 2004)

Any tips for notetaking? I am lazy and I write really slow :stu


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## rusalka (Jan 12, 2004)

Guys (and gals) what about courses you're not interested in - how do you get As in them? I mean, if effort is fueled by motivation, how do you motivate yourself to succeed in a class you don't like?


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## Whimsy (Mar 16, 2006)

My GPA for graduate school admissions motivates me. Even if I didn't get into graduate school the honor of Summa Cum Laude flues my fire lol.


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## LNahid2000 (May 23, 2007)

*Re: re: Those of you that get straight A's...*



Kelly said:


> I've found through my own experience and also by being a TA that the number one most important thing you can do is go to class _every day_, rain or shine. Don't miss a day. Take notes. Pay attention. The number two most important thing that you can do is read the textbook.
> 
> Daily maintenance is more important than cramming for a test and rushing through the assignments. It makes studying and doing the assignments much, much easier.
> 
> :yes


I don't agree that you need to go to class everyday. Some classes are just so pointless and not worth going to. Last year, I only went to 3 of my 5 classes and got a B+ and A+ in the 2 classes I didn't go to because they just were not worth getting up for. I could've easily skipped a third class as well, but I enjoyed going to my other 3 classes.

But I wholeheartedly agree that daily maintenance is important. Now that I think about it, that's probably why I did well first year. Every Sunday I'd make a list of everything I'd have to get done in the week and by the next Sunday I'd be sure that everything got crossed off that list. Funny thing is, I got the idea from a friend who made lists every week but never crossed things off and the lists were massive at the end of the semester.


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## Gerard (Feb 3, 2004)

When reading a textbook, browse for concepts, themes, the structure of the material, and read slowly and keep asking yourself questions when you read. Who, what, where, when, why, and how? Reading passively will make information just familiar. Reading actively will enforce conscious thought and understanding. What, why, and how questions are the biggest learning questions. Ask these questions and you will learn a lot far more than the textbook and lecture combined. You'll realize when you do ask these questions, the textbook at a certain point will not give you the answer and you are coming up with new knowledge. Take good notes. Mind map note taking for me works even I'm not completely good at it since it links and relates information together as a whole. Review textbook each day. It just takes a few minutes. Review notes each day. It just takes a few minutes. I use flash cards for terms and concepts. I like Whimsy's process. Review flash cards each day. It just takes minutes each time. Everytime you review you reinforce the knowledge which will sink into longterm memory. Study an hour then a 5-15 minute break. Our attention spans can't go longer unless you are some yogi. Study another hour and again break, and repeat. And like Kelly said, maintenance is key.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

I'm a little late on this topic, but...

I found there was really no trick for me. I just went to all the classes every day, and I studied a lot. People often skip classes but that can often result in poorer grades; hearing things straight from the horse's mouth (as it were) is a great help. My profs would often give tips on how to answer certain questions they would ask, and would tell us what to emphasize while studying and what we could basically gloss over or ignore. So going to class is a big one.

I was able to review notes and study a lot because I didn't have anything else to do.....


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## rusalka (Jan 12, 2004)

Thanks for the replies - this thread is a goldmine of tips!

I'm dying to find out - how would you guys approach this assignment: "read chapter 1". I mean, as simple as an assignment gets. ?


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## LNahid2000 (May 23, 2007)

Poeme said:


> I'm dying to find out - how would you guys approach this assignment: "read chapter 1". I mean, as simple as an assignment gets. ?


Completely depends on what kind of course it is. In my human geography and computing courses, the exams were all multiple choice and most of the stuff was common sense so I'd just skim the chapters. Psych was more technical so even though the exams were MC, I'd read the chapters and take notes. For my economics class, I'd read the chapters and then do exercises in the chapters since you learn Econ by doing. For business, I didn't even bother reading the chapters since I was told that only 10% of the exam came from the textbook.


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## rusalka (Jan 12, 2004)

Wow, thanks Nahid. 

If anyone comes up with any more tips or advice, keep 'em coming.

Would you guys mind if I quoted all these tips (sans nicknames) in my website? It's under construction, but when I'm done it should be good...


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## katelyn (Jul 11, 2006)

LNahid2000 said:


> Poeme said:
> 
> 
> > I'm dying to find out - how would you guys approach this assignment: "read chapter 1". I mean, as simple as an assignment gets. ?
> ...


I agree with this. I think one of the key points here is "don't do extra unnecessary work". I mean, reading many books on a subject may eventually teach you a lot but won't necessarily get you good grades, even if the assignment is to read some chapters. It's important to focus your work for that specific course. With those subjects that you learn by doing, as Nahid said I place more emphasis on the exercises than on the reading.


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## Futures (Aug 27, 2005)

I think a big part of it is just being naturally smart.

I'm willing to admit, that I'm not one of those people. I studied my *** off every night (approx. 4 hours), and I was barely able to maintain a B average. I graduated with a 3.0/4, so I barely got that B. But I feel that the amount of effort I put forth, I should've been been pulling A's.

I hated reading though. I would often times read a paragraph and then stop and not comprehend a single thing I just read. It's like I wasn't processing anything that I was seeing on the page. I usually had to read chapters 2-3 times to even begin to understand anything.

And writing papers...ugh uke I'd get to page 2, and then it was like "oh ****, I'm running out of things to say and I got 8 more pages to go!" I was guilty of making very small changes to the margins. ...Not enough to notice, but it adds up to a significant amount over the course of a 10 pager. :evil


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## ardrum (May 13, 2007)

I strangely found "difficult" classes more easy than the supposedly "easy" classes. I would get A's in both, but the "easy" classes were always a hassle for me. I graduated with my bachelor's degree with a 3.95 GPA, and I primarily attribute it to taking thorough notes and studying excessively the day before a test (or starting two days before if it was a big one). I didn't read the textbooks too often unless it seemed necessary to clarify my understanding on a certain point.

I paid attention in class, and I have a pretty good audio memory (less so for visual memory). When I'd go over my notes when a test approached, I would actually hear the professor talking (voice inflection of HOW he/she said certain things) about the subject when I arrived at different parts of my notes. 

I say I thought the supposedly "hard" classes were easier because I am better at understanding complicated interactions of systems/variables than simply memorizing hundreds of items (yuck on that). I was always more interested in learning about the complex relationships between things rather than rote memorization of distinct items, so I preferred the classes that catered to this (Economics major, mostly interested in cost/benefit analysis of all human behavior). 

I didn't usually have my interaction with my professors, so I know I didn't get many brownie points in that regard.

Good luck.


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## numbsmiles (Jan 2, 2005)

I'm a very good student as long as I'm not required to speak much then I chicken out and drop the class. I'm currently majoring in accounting and have a 3.7 GPA.


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## ardrum (May 13, 2007)

I remember I was taking a quantitative business analysis course along with an accounting course, and my professor publicly asked people who were taking both to raise their hands. A few did, and she was rude enough to say that we were committing academic suicide by taking them at the same time. Yeah, then I got A's in both of the courses. Screw her! :lol


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