Blog 11: The Secret to Good Grades: It's All in the Details

Every college student can pull a 4.0 grade point average. You may want to wave your fist (and transcripts) at me in protest of this statement, but I have always believed it to be true. I have learned many valuable lessons through my tumultuous relationship with higher education (see Blog 3), but the one that I feel may actually be worth something to other students is this: the easiest and most effective way to succeed in school is to establish healthy academic habits, which anyone can do.

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Confession: I generally consider myself a poor student. I’m often late or absent for class, I have a tendency to push assignments to the last minute and I may rely a bit too heavily on my BS skills to get by. Yet with my spring semester at Cal State Northridge standing as the only exception (a semester that was impeded by extenuating personal circumstances), I have consistently held a 3.0 minimum GPA since freshman year of high school. Despite my failings as a student, it seems I must be doing something right.

Only recently have I taken a close look at what that "something" might be. Turns out, there are quite a few "somethings" -- habits and processes I have refined over time, mostly unconsciously, that have given me a much-needed edge in school. However, I am hardly a model student. My input, while potentially valuable, isn’t entirely sufficient.

So I also spoke to two of my friends who have had great success with college: UCLA graduate student Jon Kemal (astrophysics) and UC Berkeley graduate student Marissa Perez (molecular biology). Pulling from the advice they divulged and my own experiences, below are some habits that stand to improve your academic career.

Get to know your professor. As the final arbiter of your success in his or her course, your professor is someone worth investing time and interest in. Pay close attention to what your professors talk about frequently, or lecture on with great passion and emphasis. These things are likely to pop up on tests or assignments.

“It helps to try to read the professor, figure out what's likely to be on an exam,” Kemal said. “Don't spend your study time for a midterm redoing homework problems that took you three hours … You need to make sure you understand how to setup a wide variety of problems, and pay attention to the types of things the teacher seems to like.”

Establishing friendly ties with your professors doesn’t hurt either. I try to connect outside of the classroom with all of my professors. It makes the learning experience more enjoyable as a student, and professors often think higher of students who take the time and interest to come by their office hours or ask questions outside of class.

Test-taking is a skill: learn it! Everyone takes them, nobody likes them. But exams are an unfortunate fact of college life. While the best way to do well on any test is to become familiar with the material beforehand, there are some tips and tricks to aid you through mental blanks or difficult questions.

“Simple prioritizing techniques are important -- deciding what's worth the most points,” Kemal said. “That also needs to come down to study habits. Don't just study for the upcoming thing no matter what it is. Know what EVERYTHING is worth the whole quarter, and prioritize.”

Even if you encounter a question you do not know the answer to, remember that something is better than nothing.

“Don't be scared to write down something from memory that doesn't seem to make sense if you've got nothing else,” Kemal said. “Exams are graded quickly. If professors see something that looks somewhat right you [could] get more points. They don't have the time to try to figure out exactly what you were thinking.”

Find the study strategy that works for you. Everyone has their own study style. Find your study groove and run with it. Some students get a head-start on their studying, while others prefer to cram.

“I’m very fortunate that I pick up a lot of stuff in lecture the first time around,” Perez said. “I mainly study lecture notes starting two days before the test.”

Perez takes a three-part approach when studying for a test. She reviews her lecture notes, goes over homework assignments or study questions and reviews past exams from the course. Generally, she stays away from study groups.

“I study alone. I rarely do group studying because I can’t concentrate at all,” Perez said.

Others prefer the group effort.

“Study groups help, of course. Sometimes people come up with things you don't,” Kemal said. “And teaching things to other students is the best way to make sure you understand it yourself.”

Get friendly with your pen and paper. If you still have not mastered the art of note-taking, you better get on it. Just like tests, taking good notes is a skill that requires active practice. Identifying and documenting key information presented in lecture allows you to recognize the topics you need to focus on when reviewing for a test. Plus, taking notes helps keep your mind from wandering in class.

“I need to write, mostly because I'll fall asleep,” Perez said. “But even if they are printed notes, I’ll make notes on them as the lecture goes on.”

Connect with your classmates. Aside from making your time in class more enjoyable, forging connections with your fellow students can really help your academics. If you miss a class, or forgot the homework, being in contact with your classmates outside of the lecture hall can greatly benefit you. You can also turn to these people for questions, study groups or peer reviews.

Reward yourself. Even the most disciplined students suffer cramming exhaust. Studying for hours on end without relief can actually work against you by ebbing away at your powers of concentration. Take short, frequent breaks to keep your mind sharp and reward yourself for the hard work you’ve done. Take a walk around the block, hop on Facebook, have some coffee or indulge in some sweets.

“I study at home, so I’ll make brownies or cakes or cookies,” Perez said. “There is always a ton of baked goods around midterm time, and even more during finals!”

Everyone has different habits and preferences when it comes to school. What works for some students may not be as effective for others. Regardless, your success in school largely depends on your daily habits. Refine your habits and you may very well see that GPA rise!

If you have other suggestions or ideas, please share!