How do you ensure you get only A's?

Started by cystapharm
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cystapharm

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What are some strategies used by students to increase their likelihood of getting A's only?

I'll start:

-study ahead of time before taking the class
-rate professor sites
-get old exams if professor recycles them
-Kiss professors ass all throughout college

Anything else you SDNer's would like to add or anything you have used yourself that helped you increased your chance of an A besides studying hard and not partying.


🙂
 
I definitely do the second one, the third one sometimes. But i'm too lazy for number 1, and the 4th one is only necessary when begging for LOR's.

Otherwise, I just make sure I understand everything before the test and study until I do.
 
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cystapharm said:
What are some strategies used by students to increase their likelihood of getting A's only?

I'll start:

-study ahead of time before taking the class
-rate professor sites
-get old exams if professor recycles them
-Kiss professors ass all throughout college

Anything else you SDNer's would like to add or anything you have used yourself that helped you increased your chance of an A besides studying hard and not partying.


🙂
Click to expand...
that actually does make a difference, b/c you would be surpised at how lazy some profs, ie they will sometimes use a carbon copy of past exams.

also, just study all the time, and you should get As. i mean, there is no real mystery, it just takes a lot of work.
 
You can't kiss too much ass. Some of my professors have openly complained about it. They can tell if you're smooching to smooch or to get something out of it.

If a professor recycles exams he or she more than likely does not release them to the masses. If this is true, you can be penalized under your conduct committee depending on how forceful the professor pushes it and the precedent against cheaters on campus.

Take ratemyprofessor.com with a grain of salt. The people on that site absolutely adore the teacher or absolutely hate the teacher, usually. Those that are in the middle rarely post their own comments.
 
cystapharm said:
What are some strategies used by students to increase their likelihood of getting A's only?

I'll start:

-study ahead of time before taking the class
-rate professor sites
-get old exams if professor recycles them
-Kiss professors ass all throughout college

Anything else you SDNer's would like to add or anything you have used yourself that helped you increased your chance of an A besides studying hard and not partying.


🙂
Click to expand...

I have followed exactly 0 of those suggestions. I study, but not all the time.

My tip is being smart enough to attend my lectures and not have to study incredible amounts before exams.
I party even during finals... and guess what I may have gotten a B, but I doubt 1 is going to hold me back much.
 
Bacchus said:
You can't kiss too much ass. Some of my professors have openly complained about it. They can tell if you're smooching to smooch or to get something out of it.

If a professor recycles exams he or she more than likely does not release them to the masses. If this is true, you can be penalized under your conduct committee depending on how forceful the professor pushes it and the precedent against cheaters on campus.

Take ratemyprofessor.com with a grain of salt. The people on that site absolutely adore the teacher or absolutely hate the teacher, usually. Those that are in the middle rarely post their own comments.
Click to expand...

I was talking about finding exams that are in public domain on the school's website, eg from the same class websites from years past. If you find those exams there, and then the teacher decides to put the same questions on the test, they have no recourse b/c the material was in public domain. also, while obtaining copies of old exams expressly to cheat on the exam is unquestionably unethical, I don't see exactly on what grounds you could be penalized? I mean, is it against the law to give your old coursework to someone else?
 
This was my strategy (3.95GPA from my non-prestigious state school)

1. Attend every lecture, writing meticulous notes (even if there are print out slides, physically writing helps you/me remember)
2. Never read the book, but do answer suggested questions during cram sessions, AND DO ALL THE PRACTICE TESTS IF PROVIDED
3. Start cramming the day/days before the exam. Although I'm talking serious, serious cramming. Poopsock cramming.

It's sort of like PBL I think.
 
In the context you said, no. However if you acquire tests from upperclassmen in a course where tests are not returned then it is blatant cheating and the professor, if he or she chooses, can report you. Let other students get wind and they may as well. Public domain = fine. Anything else = bad.
 
Score higher than everybody else in your class....then the teacher is all but required to give you an A.
 
I highly recommend the cramming strategy. It has worked for me, but it definitely is not pretty when you have to walk into class for the test after studying all night in the library. Just remember to bring your spare toothbrush and some deodorant, your classmates will thank you!
 
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harposnarpo said:
If I were a transcriptase and your posts were DNA, I would not bind to your promoter.
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haha, sorry. How many ppl were in the class? I think its ridiculous for a professor not to give out a single A, especially if its full of a bunch of bright students.
 
Study a little bit of the material ahead of the lecture and it will come to you very easy.
 
Bacchus said:
If a professor recycles exams he or she more than likely does not release them to the masses. If this is true, you can be penalized under your conduct committee depending on how forceful the professor pushes it and the precedent against cheaters on campus.
Click to expand...

They'd have to be pretty uptight. I've heard/seen hundreds of students trade old exams from previous classes and they're right out in the open about it. You would have to find an extremely (cant stress extremely enough) uptight person to try and make any sort of trouble out of it.
 
i just wanna throw out there that yo u can do all those things you mentioned, and you can do everything that everybody else mentioned...and you still probably won't get ALL A's. How many 4.0s do you see? Very few.
 
ryserr21 said:
i just wanna throw out there that yo u can do all those things you mentioned, and you can do everything that everybody else mentioned...and you still probably won't get ALL A's. How many 4.0s do you see? Very few.
Click to expand...
So are you saying, if no one is perfect and Im a no one....therefore im perfect?
 
it can be difficult to avoid a B in english
'specially if you have a nit-picky teacher (;
 
3.97 from liberal arts school well known for grade deflation...I had 3 A- and otherwise all A or A+ (curse you amcas for not caring about the latter).

honestly, most of the things mentioned in this thread are terrible ideas for learning, which is more important for mcat/life in general than getting all As. there are no "gimmicks" for getting good grades -- work harder than you imagine possible, don't get behind in the work, read the book, do the problem sets and half the problems NOT assigned (super important in physics / math / orgo), turn everything in early...this isn't rocket science, just be dedicated to what you're doing.

only on sdn could this thread exist...🙁

and for those bemoaning english classes, do well in them and learn from them, because being able to write well in med school is extremely helpful when it comes to publications.
 
cystapharm said:
What are some strategies used by students to increase their likelihood of getting A's only?

I'll start:

-study ahead of time before taking the class
-rate professor sites
-get old exams if professor recycles them
-Kiss professors ass all throughout college

Anything else you SDNer's would like to add or anything you have used yourself that helped you increased your chance of an A besides studying hard and not partying.


🙂
Click to expand...

The key is knowing your classmates. Understand exactly where everybody else is in the class, and do just enough to study a little bit more than them. That's all it takes. Somebody's going to get an A, and this method virtually assures it will be you. This involves:

Going to class everyday and taking notes the entire time
Turning in every homework assignment (pts you can control vs. pts you can't (quizzes and tests))
Going to all review sessions
Meeting with the professor in office hours at least once

This is what I did and I got a 4.0. It's really not that hard. If you are willing to put the time in, you can almost always get the A.
 
NoMoreAMCAS said:
They'd have to be pretty uptight. I've heard/seen hundreds of students trade old exams from previous classes and they're right out in the open about it. You would have to find an extremely (cant stress extremely enough) uptight person to try and make any sort of trouble out of it.
Click to expand...
All of our professors that collect exams consider it cheating. But then again they bash professionialism into our heads with a shovel everyday.
 
Crazy pre-meds and their 4.0s... 🙄

Give it a good effort, but don't sacrifice your dignity to kiss *ss.

Don't become a freakin' machine. Numbers aren't everything. I didn't have many A's (fewer than 25% of my grades were A's).
 
yea sucking up doesn't work on professors as much as it did with hs teachers. In fact one of my professors said on the first day of class that sucking up did nothing for your grade but you were welcome to try.

I study ahead of class. That's because if my brain is hearing something for the very first time and can't relate it or find a way to relate it to something it already knows it seems to go in one ear and out the other. If I read ahead however when the professor is teaching it I already have an inkling as to what he/she is talking about and am excited to have him/her explain it to me their way.

I've never gotten old exams so I don't know how it works. I found out that my professor for organic chem this fall "gives" students copies of his old exams and class notes so he obviously doesn't recycle it (the exams not the notes) so I'm hoping that'll help.

I don't really go by ratemyprofessor.com, to me it depends on the student sometimes more than the professor. I've read ratings where they say that the professor is an a$$ and can't teach the course and I've learned and had wonderful experiences with those professors. You have to take what they say with a grain a salt.

In reality I found that I get As in classes that I am genuinely interested in. If I'm taking a course just to fulfill a gen ed requirement and I don't really care about that course then my grade will reflect that. Try to find some way to enjoy the course.
 
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We recycle tests/quizzes all the time. This is in a group of 5. Some profs know and others don't. I just can't see this as cheating if a prof is lazy enough never to change it up. So far no one has used the same exam twice so really all it is is a study guide.
 
calnation said:
it can be difficult to avoid a B in english
'specially if you have a nit-picky teacher (;
Click to expand...

This is too dam true. I've only received A's in my science classes but got stuck with a B in English 2. It was only because I had an uber-anal teacher. He told me that if I had taken it with a different teacher I would have gotten an A. I'm sure he was right too because I had friends barely putting any work into their english classes and they had no problem getting A's.

English classes blow, there is no "right" answer. Just another reason I love science. You either get the right answer or you don't, you aren't sorta right.
 
atomi said:
The key is knowing your classmates. Understand exactly where everybody else is in the class, and do just enough to study a little bit more than them. That's all it takes. Somebody's going to get an A, and this method virtually assures it will be you. This involves:

Going to class everyday and taking notes the entire time
Turning in every homework assignment (pts you can control vs. pts you can't (quizzes and tests))
Going to all review sessions
Meeting with the professor in office hours at least once

This is what I did and I got a 4.0. It's really not that hard. If you are willing to put the time in, you can almost always get the A.
Click to expand...

Hells yes. That's how I approach every class, especially the harder ones. I don't have to do my best, I just have to be better than most of the students and i'll have an A.
 
-go to lecture; pay attention and write notes
-study more than you think you should, better to study too much than too little
-conceptually understand whatever you are learning
-score better than everyone else (stay ahead of the curve)
-prioritize your time/classes; this is why i believe the first round of midterms is always the hardest.
-in any english class, GO TO OFFICE HOURS and make sure you have the TA/teacher read your essays before you submit them. take their feedback, and USE it.
-pocket full of four leaf clovers
 
dienekes88 said:
Crazy pre-meds and their 4.0s... 🙄

Give it a good effort, but don't sacrifice your dignity to kiss *ss.

Don't become a freakin' machine. Numbers aren't everything. I didn't have many A's (fewer than 25% of my grades were A's).
Click to expand...


God I hate pre-meds sometimes. You DONT need a 4.0 to get in med school. In fact, most people DONT have them. If you want A's, theoretically you're a smart person---you should be able to figure it out for yourself. Be smart, study, etc...do you need a forum to tell you how to make an A? And if you do need a forum to help you, then you probably will NOT be making A's in upper div science courses...
 
Mr Cookie Pants said:
God I hate pre-meds sometimes. You DONT need a 4.0 to get in med school. In fact, most people DONT have them. If you want A's, theoretically you're a smart person---you should be able to figure it out for yourself. Be smart, study, etc...do you need a forum to tell you how to make an A? And if you do need a forum to help you, then you probably will NOT be making A's in upper div science courses...
Click to expand...

Unless were talking about upper level biology classes. They're cake, cruise to an A with minimal effort.

Stay away from the upper level chemistry and physics classes though. Especially those like Physical Chemistry.
 
nVictus said:
bang the TA, worked for me :laugh:
Click to expand...

just the TA? I go to the top of the food chain playa - im talking bout rolling up to my professor's office hours with dom perignon...

oh and do liberal arts schools really inflate grades? and what is grade inflation is it just easier tests, or like a 30 point curve on every test?
 
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