How do you get good grades?

[acetabulum7]

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Sometimes I don't understand the system here at UNLV. Our tests are composed of random, specific questions that really don't assess your knowledge of the material. I could study like a hermit and teach an entire lesson to someone and still fail the exam.

It's a moral victory when 5 people out of 100 get As. It's also a moral victory when ONE person gets an A in lab. My frustration is without words.

What is your method of studying? Be specific.

 

[IcanSEEanOD]

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[eyestrain]

My advice is quit whining and study harder. For some reason people on this forum think its always someone else's fault when people get bad grades.

 

[Chrissy7]

You just need to find what works for you. Maybe 5 people in a class of 300 get As at the school I go to (and they are the weirdos). I wouldnt transfer, optoemtry school is intense, so at least with a hard school you can learn the most efficient ways to study, and you'll be more prepared for optoemtry school. Just make sure that you get As in all your electives and strive for Bs and B+s in the tough classes. Good luck!

 

[acetabulum7]

My advice is quit whining and study harder. For some reason people on this forum think its always someone else's fault when people get bad grades.

Yeah, that's why I'm asking about other people's methods because mine doesn't work. I think it's more of being able to retain the information, and going that extra mile can go a long way. Thanks for everyone's advice, though. Keep 'em coming. 🙂

 

[JeffChou]

Here's what helps me. Keep in mind this is just my method for the classes I have here. I think the most effective and important but hardest advice to follow is to start studying early. With distributed learning (study early and spread it out), you retain more of what you learn than massed learning (cramming). This rule applies to all subjects.

Bio: I've found that for many bio classes, you just gotta start studying early. Review your material weekly and just keep studying or writing out notes (whatever helps you remember it).

Chem Ochem: do EVERY PROBLEM IN THE CHAPTER. Find solutions for wrong answers and work them until you have them right.

Physics: do plenty of problems and try to understand the concepts. Knowing your teacher's testing style is also essential.

Calc: Do every problem until you have the right answers.

I pretty much have the same strategy for the problem based sciences, I just do a bunch of problems and redo anything I get wrong until I FIGURE out the answers. After up to even 20 minutes of trying and not getting it, then I'll peek at the solution and redo it. You'll learn from each mistake.

Good luck!

 

[CarltonBanks]

Repetition is the key.

 

[Chrissy7]

haha ya i didnt really give you any advice..heres what i do
Biology: draw everything out...pathways, structures or organelles, processes I find this really helps...usually try to use similar colours for things that are related
Physics: try to understand what is going on...ive taken this course a couple of times and just doing a bunch of problems didnt help until I could think about real life situations and how stuff really works
Organic Chem: understand where electrons go for mechanisms..itll make the OAT waaay easier
Chemstiry: i hated chem...dont remember much of it
Hope this helps!

 

[pienfoo]

sorry to say, but this is an incredibly stupid quesiton. unless you're in 1st grade. (yes there are such things as stupid quesitons)

welcome to post-junior high! exams often test you on your critical thinking and problem solving skills, not just whether you can memorize whatever was presented in class.

also, if all tests are "fair" in your point of view, then everyone would get an A+ assuming you're not in class with a bunch of idiots. but hey, there's gonna a curve, so people who get a 95 would end up getting an F. at the time, people like you would be crying about how you got an F while you really "deserve" an A. ='(

all classes/ professors require a different method of studying. you need to be flexible and figure out what works for you. but in general, just study hard (with minimal time spent on facebook/myspace/aim). If you still don't do well, then study harder, and more and more and more. if you're still failing then you're either 1. not trying/ concentrating hard enough 2. wasting too much time 3. an idiot.

anyway good luck!

 

[JMU07]

I make flash cards for every test I have to take. Go through all of your notes and put them on flash cards.. this is not difficult if you do it every day after class instead of waiting til the week before the test. The only classes I couldn't do this for were chem and ochem, which I got C's in because I hated them so much. For those you just have to do the problems over and over and over again.

 

[Colonel Mitchel]

Hey. I think that that was a good question. There's no point in trying and failing or doing too much work due to a mere lack of information. If you think someone else knows something that can help you, then you should ask. Personally, I appreciated the tips presented here. Unfortunately it's now too late for them to help me in undergrad, but I would have loved to have read these when I was a freshman. It would've boosted my GPA and allowed me to have been closer to having an actual social life.

 

[CaribbeanEye]

We can all give our opinions about what you should do, however this is your career. I look at it this way. It doesn't matter how hard or easy the school is. It's how you FEEL about how YOU fit in. Also what matters is how much you are learning. If you don't like or don't feel comfortable where you are going with your academic career at a certain school, then it may be a waste of time for you. If you have given yourself a chance to succeed and feel you aren't going anywhere, why not transfer to a school you would be more successful at.

I don't prescribe to the theory that if it's harder it's better. If you are in a situation where you just don't get it, you're grades will reflect that. It may also hurt your chances of actually getting into opt school. Everyone has their own style of learning and personalities. What works for you might not work for me or others on this forum and visa versa.

There are tons of schools with great biology programs in the west that beat the pants off UNLV. A lot of them smaller too. For example Weber State in Ogden, UT comes to mind as one of them. Point being a student from Weber State with A's will get the nod over a student at UNLV with B's. Hope this helps.

 

[curiousbush]

my response:

open your book and read, re write notes, and re read again, and then do chapter quizes/tests in your CD if your textbook comes with it. It really helps. Dont read all of the sections in the book, but only what your professor will cover on the test.

and if you have time then you should meet up with your professor and just chat for tea

 

[RegularGuy]

It's better to study smart than to study hard. I try to maximize my learning/grades while minimizing the work I have to do!

One thing I do is try to figure out what the professor thinks is important. Look at old exams. Identify themes and the types of questions they want to you figure out. Personally, I don't do assigned readings much. Why? Because most professors tend to explain what they think is important (and what they will test you on) in their lectures. Therefore, if you master the material covered in lectures and homework problems, you'll do well on the tests. (I do use my book as a reference when I don't understand something said in class, though.)

Also, try to see how the professor tests the class. Are the tests multiple choice? Then you don't have to know every word, you just need to be able to IDENTIFY the right word. Are they applied logic questions? Then, focus on understanding the fundamentals enough to apply them to new situations. Are they "speed" exams? Then work on solving problems fast. At my school, you can look at the web pages for previous classes (the chem department goes back like 10 years) and you can find multiple tests written by the same professor. Those are useful, and you'll sometimes find questions that are the same or similar to questions asked in the past!

And find study buddies who are just as smart or smarter than you. Ask each other questions. Teach each other stuff. If you can't explain something, then you probably don't have a strong understanding of it. Make your study sessions short but focused. When you start goofing around, it's probably time to leave.

Also, sleep well and eat a nice meal before your test.

Hope this helps!

 

[RichardOD]

My tips for getting good grades are pretty simple.

I came up with my own little method.

1. You become who you hang out with. If you notice in college theres always a group of people who ends up dropping certain courses. The other people in that group tend to drop too, because they studied together. I really truly believe you are most influenced by the people that surround you. The people that make A's in the class, Study with them or study on your own and ask them questions. Reasoning behind this is, if you have a question on a certain topic, you can always ask your friend to explain it to you in 5 mins. Whereas if you have to look it up in the book, read the whole section over it and than comprehend it on your own. You get much more efficient studying if you bounce questions off each other.

2. Old tests. Old tests help so much, it helps you grasp concepts and also lets you know what kind of questions your professors like to do. Some professors even put a small number of there old questions on your test and the more pool of old tests you have the better in the scenario. Old tests are great. I find that I learn reversibly from old tests sometimes, like when you come across a question you don't know, you look it up and you end up reading over the whole section on that subject, so when the teacher makes up new questions on the same subject, you are prepared to answer.

3. Know which professor to take for which coarse. If you go to a big school, there usually are multiple teachers for one coarse. Use rate my professor or pick a prof to see which teachers are better or which teacher you have a better chance getting an A in. If you have friends who have taken that coarse you can ask for tips in doing well in that class. Talk to your professor alot, about what you need to know to prepare for tests and this helps later on when you ask them for LORs because they remember you.


This is my 2 cents.... I didn't do exactly outstandingly well in undergrad, but I practically did this and it worked for me and got me to where I want to go. I had alot of my own free time, which makes me believe that this is the most efficient way of getting through school. I know alot of people who would study alot more than me in certain coarses and I would still come out on top with studying less than half. Smart Friends, Old Tests, and Good Professors.