Tips / advice on how to get an A every time

[medibot]

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What are your all-time best tips and advice for achieveing A's in every class. I only recently learned what it takes to get an A (for me) and I am curious if its simlilar for everyone else here? for example, i completely killed procrastination by keeping a spreadsheet of my study time each week --that has helped bigtime.. what do you do to ensure that you get your A??

 

[SnappleApple]

What are your all-time best tips and advice for achieveing A's in every class. I only recently learned what it takes to get an A (for me) and I am curious if its simlilar for everyone else here? for example, i completely killed procrastination by keeping a spreadsheet of my study time each week --that has helped bigtime.. what do you do to ensure that you get your A??

For me, during my undergraduate years... I relied on earplugs both during studying time and during test-taking.

You won't believe how much easier it is to focus on a test when all the rustling of paper and people breathing is filtered out!

 

[trojanman217]

For me it's recording lectures and re-listening to them. While I would re-listen I would take notes as if I were in class. This is very time consuming but it works for me.

 

[mipp0]

Be born a genius.

I'm sorry, was that arrigent?

 

[Double Trouble]

For me it's recording lectures and re-listening to them. While I would re-listen I would take notes as if I were in class. This is very time consuming but it works for me.

Wow.. that must take a huge amount of time. I take good notes the first time around, and just re read them and take practice tests when the exam rolls around. I always study alone in my dorm room, with some light classical music on in the background. When I'm taking the test, to calm my nerves, I think about how badly everyone around me is going to do. That usually helps.

 

[music2doc]

Work harder. Be smarter.


What do I do? I go to class, then complete most (if not all) assignments. I also usually take a look at the test material sometime the day before the exam. On exam day, I walk in and confidently take the test. Then I walk out with a smile and promptly proceed to forget 95% of that information (since it probably won't matter after the exam anyway). (Honestly, I find these posts a bit silly, as what works for me probably won't for you. You need to figure out what works for you most consistently.)

 

[Jnet389]

Don't underestimate the power of your textbook for most classes. I notice some people expect to learn everything from lecture, but that rarely works. Personally I like to read and outline the chapters!

 

[Neurosis]

It really depends on your approach of each class.
For classes with a lot of reading = memorization = flashcards
For classes with a lot of math = understanding = practice
That's really all you need to know 😎

 

[Double Trouble]

Don't underestimate the power of your textbook for most classes. I notice some people expect to learn everything from lecture, but that rarely works. Personally I like to read and outline the chapters!

Outlining is a waste of time.. just like highlighting. I guess if you take a few notes that's all right, but usually when people highlight/outline they focus on their system more than the actual info. Subconsciously, at least

 

[Jnet389]

Outlining is a waste of time.. just like highlighting. I guess if you take a few notes that's all right, but usually when people highlight/outline they focus on their system more than the actual info. Subconsciously, at least

I actually agree with you it is important to concentrate on understanding what you're writing instead of thoughtlessly copying words.

 

[ucsfstudents]

Not procrastinating is key when you're trying to get an A in a relatively difficult class.

 

[bdrensch]

Love the sarcasm. 🙂 Dedication is what does it for me. I can't take notes in most of my classes as it distracts me from actually learning, so the most important thing is to get ahead of the game and stay ahead of it, then of course reviewing before an exam or quiz.

For instance, I often will email my teachers before a semester starts to request a syllabus so I can study before the semester even starts. If you're given a head start. Take it.

Knowing when to understand vs. memorize is HUGE too.

 

[Jnet389]

it really depends on your approach of each class.
For classes with a lot of reading = memorization = flashcards
for classes with a lot of math = understanding = practice
that's really all you need to know 😎

+1

 

[MyBffPutin]

If you have a class that's power point heavy, don't try and scribble it all down during lectures. If the professor says anything that's not on the slide write it down and then get print out or PDF of the slides and re-write them in your own words. It can be timing consuming, but this is just what I found that helps me.

I can't study for crap at home, its just to distracting. So I make it a priority to get my butt to the campus library.

I found listening to Micheal Jackson helps me concentrate and relax a little bit. Really random, but when ever I get frustrated with studying I listen to music to sooth me.

 

[Knocked Up]

Be born a genius.

I'm sorry, was that arrigent?

No, but your spelling is

 

[Dr Wiley]

no, but your spelling is

+1

 

[ShoTyme]

What helps me is breaking down everything I need to do into bite sized chunks. I make a TO DO list of everything I need to do. Read Ch X in chemistry, do end of Ch problems, do prelab, etc. Then I cross them off as I complete my assignments. That way, I feel productive at the end of the day. It also keeps me motivated to do "one more thing" on my list because there is ALWAYS something to do.

 

[Aaron151]

Wow, this is almost exactly what I do. (classical music = 😍)
I also agree that it's a "state of mind" thing. I'm always convinced that I will post the top score in the class. During finals week, I try to pretend I'm behind(even though I never really am) to get myself into a near panic mode of study. Hey, it works for me. (caveat:
my friends think I'm nuts )

Haha
Wow that sounds exactly like me. Always freaking out right before a test, but the adrenaline of pre-test studying makes me retain the information so well!

 

[hiyaman]

Dont procrastinate

 

[iPost]

Before every lecture do a cursory review of the material so that the class just reinforces what you already know.

 

[sunflower18]

I practice problems to no end if the class has math in it. I also go through every quiz and test multiple times and retake them to try and master the problems that I struggled with initially. I take really detailed notes, and I sometimes make a comprehensive study guide (basically typing up my notes and adding additional tidbits that I've learned) to have a clean way to review things. Something that really helps me with math problems and chemistry memorization and such is personification. I come up with a story that represents all of the different variables and changes and such, and give everything personalities. It is kind of silly, but works really well for me! Especially because I'm a creative writing major 🙂

As for the music bit -- I listen to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. It makes me feel as though my studying is SUPER INTENSE, which is always awesome.

 

[ucsfstudents]

I agree. The key is not procrastinating. That in itself is half the battle.

 

[Rezonance]

👍 Very nicely said friend!

It's so true though, I mean we make such a long list of things that we need to do that we only get to perhaps only 5 out of the 25 things we have written down - that's why its completely right to go ahead and do things in "bite sized chunks" and then progress by adding one more thing - there is definitely always something to do 😎

What helps me is breaking down everything I need to do into bite sized chunks. I make a TO DO list of everything I need to do. Read Ch X in chemistry, do end of Ch problems, do prelab, etc. Then I cross them off as I complete my assignments. That way, I feel productive at the end of the day. It also keeps me motivated to do "one more thing" on my list because there is ALWAYS something to do.

 

[Jarudy]

Read before class! Went from a 3 flat to a 3.93 doing that thIs semester

 

[Barcu]

Not procrastinating is huge.

Also, many professors are readable. Many times, it's easy to tell what is important and what is less important so that you can focus on the important concepts. This is especially true for essay tests. In ugrad, there frequently were larger essay questions that were worth more. It was pretty easy to predict what they would be and prepare accordingly. This doesn't always work, but it helped me a ton. Still works somewhat in med school too (though not nearly as well).

 

[studmuffin]

It really depends on the class. Being in school long enough hones your skill of creating a study strategy perfectly suited to each class. When I was a freshie, i didn't know how to do this, and as a result had to work much harder than i do now as a junior. My classes are harder, but i put in less work because I have honed my ability to study perfectly for each particular class. Some would consider my strategy as doing the "bare minimum" to get the A, but I would say that unless you plan on getting a letter from the prof, you are hurting yourself if you do anything more than the bare minumum to get the A.

Common mistakes:
you have 4 finals, lets say Ochem, Physics, and two easy ones.
Say you only need like a 60% on the physics to get the A, and everything else you have to watch out for. A mistake here would be putting equal time into every class. Skimp on the physics, giving more time for the classes you don't have in the bag.

Getting into too much detail in the sciences: Say for Ochem you have a test on rections of alcohols. You wan't to make some alcohol from some ketone. You figure, hey, i could reduce that bad boy with NaBH4 or LiAlH4. For a simple problem like this, you don't really need to have the mechanism for ketone/aldehyde reduction memorized, you just need to know the consequences of such a reduction and the conditions under which it is going to happen. So for NaBH4 you want to use a solvent such as methanol, while if you use LiAlH4 you need an ether solvent, followed by protonation of the alkoxide. This is just one (poor) example of what i mean, but the point is, you need to be able to identify essential and non-essential information. This will vary depending on the prof, but nonetheless, identify what the guy with the PhD finds most important and fuggettabbout erthing else.

You can either work your ass off and get the A, or work moderately hard and get the A. Call me lazy, but i have more time to you know... have a life and all 😉

 

[studmuffin]

Not procrastinating is huge.

Also, many professors are readable. Many times, it's easy to tell what is important and what is less important so that you can focus on the important concepts. This is especially true for essay tests. In ugrad, there frequently were larger essay questions that were worth more. It was pretty easy to predict what they would be and prepare accordingly. This doesn't always work, but it helped me a ton. Still works somewhat in med school too (though not nearly as well).

This is so true, but only comes with experience i would assert

 

[studmuffin]

I would also refrain from underestimating the power of your mindset. A positive mind is very powerful for me. I'm a believer that one's performance is also dependent on their confidence/cockiness/determination/unwillingness to give up. Sometimes i can't understand something, i'll sit around and just clear my mind, put on a positive mindset and refuse to not understand it.

 

[aranza]

I go for understanding the concepts until they are drilled in my head. After every lecture/reading assignment I will write CONCEPT in red at the end of the page and write 1/2 lines about what I just learned. At the end of the semester I read those red concepts and piece them together...it comes together and creates a jigsaw puzzle of the course. This helps for those "thinking/application" questions the ones that your peers couldn't get because they memorized the whole textbook lol

 

[235788]

just do the work and go to class.

 

[Danlee07]

I would also refrain from underestimating the power of your mindset. A positive mind is very powerful for me. I'm a believer that one's performance is also dependent on their confidence/cockiness/determination/unwillingness to give up. Sometimes i can't understand something, i'll sit around and just clear my mind, put on a positive mindset and refuse to not understand it.

This is a big one, but one little aside: cockiness is just insecurity projected as confidence... so just be confident knowing that you can do it.

Some of these techniques must work, but they seem to take forever. I don't think you have enough time to outline or read chapters in any form of graduate level school. I aim to review the slides/notes taken in class and synthesize them by formulating questions. Then, I'll answer in as much detail outloud or in writing. Do this two or three times.

 

[idontcaureuknow]

I tend to try and turn anything into process then understand that process. I learned to love organic chemistry by understanding the mechanisms to get all answers. In anatomy I learned a "basis set" and applied everything from there. Easy A for me at that point.

Also for testing mindset, mine is a tad bit different. I often spend pre-test adrenaline studying blaring whatever music is speaking to me (electronica, hip hop, metal/hard rock, classical, jazz, ect.). Then about 30 minutes to an hour before test time, I stop caring. Don't ask me any test questions cause I probably won't know. While taking the test, I just don't give a darn. I quickly write what I know and check work before turning it in.

However, there is a downside to the not caring mindset I employ. If there are lots of essay questions which I find really easy, I start shorthand-ing the answers and turn in sloppy work.

 

[PantherPride]

Start the semester strong. If you score high As on the first couple exams, it will be easier for you to secure your A come exam time. Instead of worrying about scoring a high grade on the final exam just to get an A while still studying for your other finals, you'll have a lot of room for mistakes and your exam week will be less stressful

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

Read the chapters or try to do problems before the lectures. Read the chapter again, do problems, etc in under 24 hours after the lecture. Make plenty of flashcards, but most importantly - study in a quiet place free of distractions! I like to listen to music while doing homework, but I most certainly do better when I don't! 🙂

 

[circulus vitios]

If you go to a school where labs are not a separate grade, then do well on labs.
If you're presented with the opportunity for extra credit, take it.

 

[Lindsayvarkula]

For me it's recording lectures and re-listening to them. While I would re-listen I would take notes as if I were in class. This is very time consuming but it works for me.

This is exactly what I do for memorization based classes such as biology. It helps solidify what I have learned in class already, and allows me to catch what I missed the first time around.

 

[Lindsayvarkula]

also, I have found that attending a prof's office hours is extremely beneficial. Go in with questions after you have done a first sweep of the material yourself. Prof's will often ask you questions in return to "test" what you know... it really helps! Later on during the exam you are more likely to remember what you learned, especially if that piece of information is something you tripped up on when answering your prof's question.

... by going to office hours you are also building a good relationship with the prof, so they might bump up a borderline grade if needed or they could at least be a potential LOR writer for the future 🙂

 

[MissMed]

also, I have found that attending a prof's office hours is extremely beneficial. Go in with questions after you have done a first sweep of the material yourself. Prof's will often ask you questions in return to "test" what you know... it really helps! Later on during the exam you are more likely to remember what you learned, especially if that piece of information is something you tripped up on when answering your prof's question.

... by going to office hours you are also building a good relationship with the prof, so they might bump up a borderline grade if needed or they could at least be a potential LOR writer for the future 🙂

Took the words right out of my mouth!..Going to office hours is helpful in so many ways

 

[varsityblue]

For humanities and social sciences classes, I go to office hours twice a week with prepared questions until the prof and I are on good enough terms to talk about current events, my interests, etc.
For foreign language classes, I prepare extra compositions and try to converse entirely in the target language. I stopped taking language classes at the end of frosh year but usually went to office hours at least four days a week.
For life science classes, I read articles related to the discipline and go to office hours once a week with prepared questions based on the articles I read.
For physical science and maths classes, I show them the work I did for the hardest questions in the book and ask them prepared questions. I typically go once every two weeks.

 

[ShynZ]

words cannot describe how much i agree with this post because i did the same and it helped so much!

 

[CoolWhipp]

Always skim before doing any studying.

 

[frickengeniusMD]

Learn how to spell arrogant genius.

 

[HughMyron]

In a science class, go to office hours (few people take advantage of them!), get a tutor if necessary, and just do the work! You'd be surprised at how far that takes you.

In foreign languages, look for resources the foreign language office offers, also try to talk to your friends who are native speakers.

In a humanities class, slack off until the end of the term. Then go to the professor's office, and tell them that you'll do anything for an A.



(not srs on the last one)







(kinda srs)

 

[circulus vitios]

Learn how to spell arrogant genius.

Good job bumping a year old thread to reprimand another user on his poor spelling when you yourself fail at using commas.

 

[ANATOMYgirl22]

It really depends on your approach of each class.
For classes with a lot of reading = memorization = flashcards
For classes with a lot of math = understanding = practice
That's really all you need to know 😎

yup

 

[BigBlueBear]

Good job bumping a year old thread to reprimand another user on his poor spelling when you yourself fail at using commas.

Especially when two other people already reprimanded it a year ago 😛

 

[bluedevil777]

The key for me was to not focus on the grade, but really invest myself in the topic. Learn for the sake of learning, not for the sake of an A. It'll make nearly all your classes more enjoyable.

 

[siffster]

For me it's recording lectures and re-listening to them. While I would re-listen I would take notes as if I were in class. This is very time consuming but it works for me.

Works well for me as well. Glad to see that I'm not the only time-waster here, haha. Auditory learners ftw!

 

[Mel Belle]

I actually have a question. Last semester I had 12 credits and this semester I have 18. So pretty much, my study habits from last semester are too time consuming. The classes I'm taking...

-- General Bio II (I barely need to study for that) + Lab
-- Chemical Principles II (I need a faster/more efficient way to study) + Lab
-- Statistics (Easy, just the homework is tedious)
-- Philosophy (I figured out I don't have to read the book because my professors tests are his notes)
-- Anthropology (I only have it once a week and during class we usually either discuss or watch a film. I have to teach myself all the material, and there is a LOT of reading to do.)

Even though I'm having no problems with my classes other than chem and anthro, I do get a decent amount of homework from all of them... Except for chem. So part of my problem is that I focus on getting the things with due dates done first and generally chem is left somewhere in the dust. Not good. Obviously. I got an easy A in chem last semester doing the same sort of thing, but now that I'm onto the more difficult semester of the class while having a full schedule plus work... Now it's just not working anymore.

So does anyone have specific tips for studying more efficiently with chem?
Maybe some tips on how to consume the insane amount of reading/self-teaching in anthro?
Or perhaps even ideas on how to get my other work done more efficiently so I can devote more time to chem and anthro?

Thanks so much! I'll certainly try some of the tips in this thread but I was hoping to see if there are methods people find better for my specific problem areas.

 

[eleveneleven]

I actually have a question. Last semester I had 12 credits and this semester I have 18. So pretty much, my study habits from last semester are too time consuming. The classes I'm taking...

-- General Bio II (I barely need to study for that) + Lab
-- Chemical Principles II (I need a faster/more efficient way to study) + Lab
-- Statistics (Easy, just the homework is tedious)
-- Philosophy (I figured out I don't have to read the book because my professors tests are his notes)
-- Anthropology (I only have it once a week and during class we usually either discuss or watch a film. I have to teach myself all the material, and there is a LOT of reading to do.)

Even though I'm having no problems with my classes other than chem and anthro, I do get a decent amount of homework from all of them... Except for chem. So part of my problem is that I focus on getting the things with due dates done first and generally chem is left somewhere in the dust. Not good. Obviously. I got an easy A in chem last semester doing the same sort of thing, but now that I'm onto the more difficult semester of the class while having a full schedule plus work... Now it's just not working anymore.

So does anyone have specific tips for studying more efficiently with chem?
Maybe some tips on how to consume the insane amount of reading/self-teaching in anthro?
Or perhaps even ideas on how to get my other work done more efficiently so I can devote more time to chem and anthro?

Thanks so much! I'll certainly try some of the tips in this thread but I was hoping to see if there are methods people find better for my specific problem areas.

Best advice for Chem would be to get your hands on old tests if at all possible. Studying old tests often tends to be the best way to maximize your study time. For Anthro, I would say it depends on the grading-if it's primarily an essay-based class, then I would imagine you could get by without doing all of the reading. If grades come primarily from exams, though, the story is different.