10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades

 

The author of “10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades” is Thomas Frank, the founder of College Info Geek. In this post you will see a short summary about the book and the key takeaways. This book is FREE to download, you can download it by clicking on the following Link

Link To Download:  https://collegeinfogeek.com/get-better-grades/

Step 1: Pay Better Attention In Class

·         Don’t Overload The System- The most important part of the game is your game piece. So be deliberate about Eating Healthy, Working Out Regularly (Doing Exercise daily will help you to concentrate on your work, study, etc.), Getting Enough Sleep (At least 6 hours a night).

·         The real difference is that sitting up front and making a deliberate effort to be present actually does help your focus, attention, and energy levels. And it all starts with choosing that row the moment you walk into the classroom.

·         Come Prepared- Do your homework. Before you do or take help from your professor, ask yourself this question: What is it that I don’t understand? So try to understand is there any difficulty which you cannot solve or find the answers on your own and after that if you can’t solve it ask for help. First you Must Try Then You Must Ask.

Step 2: Take More Effective Notes

·         Five Excellent Note-Taking Methods-

1.      The Outline Method: To use it, you just create bullet lists out of the lecture material or book you’re reading.

2.      The Cornell Method: To take notes in the Cornell style, you divide your paper into three sections 1. The Cue column 2. The Note-taking column 3. The Summary column.

3.      The Mind Map Method: Mind mapping is a fantastic method for creating a tree of connected ideas.

4.      The Flow Method: “Flow-based note taking is a creative process, not a recording process. Instead of just writing down what the professor argues, you’re also going to come up with your own ideas, examples, and connections.” - Scott Young

5.      The “Write on the Slides” Method: Preparing Topic-wise presentations.

Step 3: Get More Out of Your Textbooks

·         Learn And Apply Technique- First you understand and learn a topic then you try to apply in real life.

·         There are two categories of reading

1.      Primary readings:

Primary readings generally include the required textbook for the class and possibly other readings based on what you’re learning.

2.      Secondary readings

Secondary readings are things like smaller books, articles the professor wants you to read, case studies, etc.

·         Don’t Read Textbooks Like Newspapers- Summarize what you read.

Step 4: Plan Like A General

·         Plan out your entire education- Use various tools like MS Excel, Calendar to plan your week. Plan Your Week on Sunday. Create a Daily Plan.

·         Set the priorities of Tasks:

a.       High thought-intensity work

b.      Low thought-intensity work  

Step 5: Build Your Optimal Study Environment

·         Location- Choose your study location wisely. Go nuclear if the external environment is distracting you from your Study.

·         Study Music- Some people think Listening to music while studying hurts your concentration, some think it helps.

·         Limiting Real-World Distractions- Distractions are your worst enemy when you’re trying to study. They pull you right out of the flow state, break your concentration, and impede your progress.

·         Limiting Technology-Based Distractions- Make it difficult to reach you.

Step 6: Fight Entropy and Stay Organized

·         Organize Your Files the Right Way- Learn how to organize your files properly.

·         Build a Quick Capture System- Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. Get a Second Brain (Journalize or write down your ideas)

·         Use a Task Manager- List your tasks as per the set priorities

Step 7: Defeat Procrastination

·         Get Over “I Don’t Feel Like It.”- But I’m going to do it anyway

·         Build Strong Habits- Learn to say NO for fun Things

·         Use the Pomodoro Technique- To use this technique, follow these steps:

1. Commit to focusing on one task

2. Set a timer for 25 minutes

3. During that time, do as much work as you can on the task. Don’t let yourself do anything else.

4. After the timer rings, give yourself a short break (3-5 minutes)

·         When All Else Fails, Bring the Pain

Step 8: Study Smarter

·         Replicate the Test Conditions-Here’s a simple process for doing this:

#1: Gather Your Materials

#2: Identify What’s Important and Build a Study Guide

#3: Get to Studying

·         Emphasize Active Learning

Step 9: Write Better Papers

·         Do a Brain Dump- This entails thinking about your paper’s topic, and then vomiting out everything that comes to mind onto a piece of paper (or an Evernote note). Include:

a.      Everything you know about the topic

b.      Questions you have

c.       Points you think you might like to cover

d.      Outside sources you’d like to research

e.      Quotes from others that come to mind

·         Develop a Focus and Key Questions- You should first take some time to do two things:

a.      Develop a well-defined focus for your paper

b.      Come up with several guiding questions that you’d like to answer

Step 10: Make Group Projects Suck Less

·         Make Good Use of the First Meeting

·         Avoid the Bystander Effect- The Bystander Effect is a curious bug in the human brain that makes it less likely for any individual to pitch in where help is needed if other people happen to be standing around.

·         Use Great Tools to Be More Effective