This may come as a surprise, but you’re not going to get good grades in college by going college parties every night of the week. It’s easy to get caught up in extracurricular activities and forget the main reason you’re in college in the first place. Four years is a long time, and college costs serious money. All that time and money is a waste if you don’t get the grades in college you need. Whether you’re doing everything you can just to pass, or you’re trying to go from honors to high honors, here are some tips that will help you get college grades you’ll be proud of:
1. Go To Class
We know it’s unreasonable for anyone to expect you to attend all your classes since they take up a whole 15 hours a week (hopefully you’re picking up on the sarcasm). C’mon, that’s nothing! Missing a class here and there due to personal issues is unavoidable, but missing class because you’re too tired or hungover is pretty bad and will ultimately hurt your grades in college. We don’t want to come off as preachy, but you’re paying a lot of money for the privilege to go to those classes, so take advantage of it by getting the best college grades you can.
2. Grab The Extra Credit
It’s amazing how many times people let extra credit opportunities go to waste. Not only does extra credit boost your college grades, it shows professors you’re willing to put in the extra effort, which can pay dividends down the road. Not all teachers offer extra credit. The ones that do are giving you a gift… a chance to make up for a low test score or a late paper. Who cares if it’s on a Saturday morning? Staying in one Friday night won’t kill you, and the impact it will have on your college grade will be well worth it.
3. Make Review Guides
Go through your text book and write down all the major topics and appropriate sub-topics in a notebook. Then go through your notes and add as much in as you can. Put all the applicable information you can into this one concise document. Once you do that, study the heck out of it. Review it between classes, during lunch, during work, etc. You’ll absorb a lot of the information just making the review guide itself. This is a must for getting good grades in college.
4. Study In Groups
The benefit of studying in groups is being able to collaborate notes, study guides, and insights. You’re going to miss things no matter how much you pay attention. Collaborating with people from class will help ensure you pick up anything you may have missed to help you get good college grades. Groups are also helpful when preparing study guides. Find classmates who are serious students, and divide the chapters with them. The key here is picking people you know will carry their weight… just make sure to carry yours as well.
5. Pick Smart Times To Study
Something that helped us get good grades in college was studying in smaller, more frequent sessions. One hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon, two hours at night, for at least a week before the exam. You’ll be much less likely to get overwhelmed, annoyed, or bored by the content if you break it up into smaller pieces. For most people it’s a lot easier to focus for short amounts of time. Everyone is different though. If you’re a nine to fiver in the library, stick with what helps your grades in college.
6. Double Check All Your Scores
Teachers are only human. When grading stacks of papers, tests and projects, they’re going to make mistakes. It’s your job to make sure these mistakes do not affect your college grades. When you get something back, take the time to understand every point that was deducted. We’ve both had several instances of finding mistakes with our scores during our college experience. Sometimes it was only a point or two, but a few times it was more. Also, understanding your mistakes will help you understand the material better and prepare you for future tests which leads to good college grades.
7. Know What You’re Being Graded On
Check the class syllabus to see what composes your final college grades. For example, if your professor is placing a significant portion of your college grade on classroom participation, be sure to raise your hand. Also, make sure you’re clear on the attendance policy, and keep your own record of your days missed. Your professor will base your final grades in college on your overall performance. Don’t expect to get an “A” in a class just because you aced the tests and quizzes, when they only account for 70% of your grade.
8. Take Notes Effectively
Computers, note pads, highlighters, flags, short hand, long hand… There are several different ways to tackle this chore. This is something that comes with time. Through trial and error you’ll come up with your own system to help your college grades; however, there are three things about notes that we can say unequivocally: 1. They are, in fact, important. 2. They force you to be engaged in the lecture. And 3. Illegible notes are useless.
9. Ask Questions
Don’t be shy about stopping a teacher to ask a question… your college grades are at stake. They won’t know when something doesn’t make sense to you, unless you bring it to their attention. Also, don’t be afraid to ask them to clarify, or expand on a point. You may understand the material, but not its practical application. Make sure you’re satisfied with the explanation… if not, ask more questions. The added benefit of asking questions is that it shows the teacher you’re paying attention and taking the class seriously which will help you get good grades in college.
10. Think Actively
For 40 minutes, or however long your class is, TURN YOUR BRAIN ON. Don’t sit there passively scribbling down notes, looking at the clock, or thinking about how hungry you are. Engage yourself in the content. Think about how things connect. Ask questions. Instead of going home and having to re-learn everything for yourself, you’ll have a great base of knowledge to start with. This will make your homework, papers, and exams, much easier… and will drastically improve your college grades.