NM TIPS FOR GETTING GOOD GRADES

qhese tips are universalK poI if you are struggling with grades and interested in raising your grade point averageI take a close look at these NM tips for getting better grades.

NK ATTEND ALL YOUR CLASSES

kowI you might think this was an obvious oneK But f speak from experience when f say that many students skip classes for one reason or anotherK But if you want good gradesI there are several reasons why you should attend all your classesW

Absorb classroom materialK bven if the professor follows the textbook pretty closelyI sitting in the classroom and listening to the lecturesLdiscussions will help you absorb the materialsK jake presence knownLparticipateK lne of the benefits of going to college should be that you form a mentoring relationship with some of your professorsI and thatDs not going to happen if you donDt attend the classesK And often faculty have participation points Eor bonus pointsFI so beyond just attendingI make an effort to be involved in the class discussionsK barn attendance pointsK jany professors have attendance policiesI so you can have a direct impact on your grade simply by attendingK

aonDt forget to sit close to the front JJ historicallyI those who do are usually the best studentsK

OK MASTER YOUR PROFESSORS

bvery professor has a different personality and system for running hisLher classesI so it makes sense as early in the semester as possible to learn what the professor wantsK eere are some ways to master your professorsW

rnderstand course expectationsK jost professors give out a class syllabus during the first week of classes JJ and it is your

responsibility to know deadlines and all the requirements for the courseK rnderstand professors on personal levelK oather than viewing the professor as some figurehead at the front of the class who decides your fate in some abstract wayI get to know your professor as a personK sisit him or her during office hoursI or stay after classK Communicate with professors when you are strugglingK bspecially at larger colleges and universitiesI the professor wonDt know when you are strugglingI so if you are having problems with the course work or the testsI schedule an appointment to meet with the professor and get the help you needK

PK GETLSTAY ORGANIZED
vou may have been one of the lucky few who has never needed a planner beforeI but college is all about multitaskingI and you can easily get overwhelmed with due datesI team meetingsI and other demands on your timeK eere are some tips for getting organizedW

rse a planner or other organization systemK fDve had my dayJ planner for years and cannot go anywhere without itK lthers are that same way with their personal digital assistantsK ptay current with due datesLcourse calendarsK ftDs not enough to have a system JJ you have to use it! po once you have some sort of systemI get in the habit of using it Eand it will soon become second natureFK heep homeworkI testsI and class papers in central locationK aonDt just throw old homework assignments or tests in the back of your car or the floor of your dorm roomK vouDll need these for studying for future testsI for meeting with your professor to discuss themI and for figuring your grade in the class soI keep all your class materials in a central locationK

4K USE TIME WISELY

bven if you do not procrastinate and are the most organized person in the worldI time can be one of your biggest enemies in collegeK eere are some tips for using time wiselyW

qackle harder work firstK vesI tackle the harder stuff first so that you are sure to have enough time to complete itK vouDll feel a greater sense of accomplishment completing the work in this orderK qake breaks as reward for workK oeward yourself for completing a major task by taking a break and chatting with a friend or watching some televisionK kot only are the breaks good

motivation to help you complete somethingI youDll also be more refreshed to tackle the next bit of work after a breakK Break larger projects into smallerI easyJtoJaccomplish piecesK ff you have a massive term paper due at the end of the semesterI break up the work into smaller chunks and assign deadlines to each partK ao not overextend yourself; learn to say noK Besides all your academic workI you will also be asked to get involved in all sorts of clubs and organizations while in college JJ and at some pointI you will have to learn to say no to some requests of your timeK tork hard to play hardK lne of my favorite students used to say that she worked hard so that she would have the time to play hard JJ and thatDs a good balanceK gust make sure you do the work cfopqK

RK BECOME "NOTEWORTHY"
Another reason for attending class is recording the class notesK qhese notes are vital clues to what the professor thinks is the most important material for you to learnI so besides taking notesI learn how to better use them to your advantageK eere are some specificsW

Be an active listener in classK aonDt read the newspaperI gossips with friendsI or text your roommate during classK fnsteadI listen attentively and actively JJ and ask for clarification when you need itK qake good notes in classK thether taking notes from scratch or following a professorDs outlineI the key for you will be to get the most important details down so that you can refer back to them when you need themK oewrite or organize notes on your computer outside of classK qhis suggestion may sound a little extremeI but the writingJtoJlearn literature shows that you can increase your understanding and retention of material by rewriting itK

SK USE THE TEXTBOOK

mrofessors assign textbooks for a reason JJ and itDs not to make you broke; itDs to supplement the lectures and discussions from classK ao buy all the textbooks JJ and follow these tips for using itW

oead all assigned materialK pounds obviousI right? then a professor assigns a chapterI read the whole thing Eunless told otherwiseFI including the opening vignettesI the case studiesI and tables and exhibitsK hnow whatDs criticalK At the same timeI know what parts of the text are most criticalK cor exampleI in one of my classesI the

vocabulary is most criticalI and the textbook emphasizes the point by having all the terms and their definitions printed in the margins of every chapterK rse outlining system to help comprehend materialK oeading and highlighting the material in the text is just the minimumK qo get the most of what youDre readingI you should also take notes and outline the materialK

TK FOLLOW GOOD RULES OF WRITING

jany classes require one or more writing assignmentsI from short responses to term papersI and youDll do better on these assignments if you follow these rules of good writingW

lrganize your thoughts before writingK ptream of consciousness works in a diary or journal Eand may have worked in high schoolFI but itDs best to map out an outline before you start the actual writingK rnderstand requirements for paperK bvery professor has a specific way he or she wants a paper organizedI and itDs best to know them before you start to writeK Be sure to understand the reference system and all the mechanics of the paper EfontI marginsI cover sheetI footnotesI etcKFK trite a draft Eand get feedback when possibleFK bspecially for larger papersI youDll have a higher quality paper Eand a better gradeF if you can show the professor a draft early enough before the deadline to make changesK oewriteI editI rewriteI editI rewriteK iearn that editing and rewriting are your friendsK ko one is a good enough writer to whip out the final draft in one sittingK qhe best writers go through a processK mroofreadI proofreadI proofreadK ppellcheckers catch spelling errorsI but not other problemsI so learn the art of proofreadingK lr betterI have a buddy system with a friend in which you proofread each otherDs papersK

UK STUDYI STUDYI STUDY

Another obvious one here? merhapsI but the rule is you should be spending at least three hours outside of class for every hour in itK And for some classesI youDll find you need a lot more time than that to master the materialK poI here are some suggestionsW

ptudy early and oftenK Breaking your studying into shorter periods of time will make less of a chore JJ and give your mind time to absorb the material before moving onK aevelop and practice good study habitsK jake it a habit and studying will become second nature to youK

hnow how you best studyI learn materialK pome people need complete silence to concentrate while others like a little noiseK cind what works for you and stick with itK ptudy with friends to gain supportI but donDt turn it into a social eventK A study buddy can be a great toolI as long as you actually get some studying accomplishedK jake sure work is done before socializingK ptudying is critical to learningI which is critical to better grades JJ so do the work before heading out to have funK

VK BE A GOOD TEST-TAKER
gust about all college classes have examsI and sometimes the exams are the major portion of your final gradeI so itDs important to become a good testJtakerK eere are some hintsW

hnow what to expect on examsK bvery professor has a style of test developmentI so obtain old copies or ask the professor directlyK hnow the types of questions that will be asked JJ as well as the content that will be coveredK oead questions carefully and plan answersK qake your time at the beginning of the test to read through all the instructions and make a plan of attackK mace yourself so you have plenty of time to complete all partsK And know the point values of questionsI so you can be sure to complete the most important ones first in case time does run outK Ask questionsK ff you donDt understand somethingI or need clarification of the questionI ask the professorK aonDt wait to get the exam back and find you answered a question the wrong wayK

NMK POLISH THOSE VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS

jany classes include a presentation componentI so use these tips to improve your verbal communications skills and maximize your gradeW

mractice speechesI presentationsK qhe best speeches and presentations are the wellJrehearsed onesI so complete your script or outline early enough to have time to practice the presentation Eand to make sure it falls within the specified time limitFK ff using technologyI always have a backJupK qechnology is greatI but sometimes it failsK ff you have a mowermoint presentationI make copies of it as a handout in case you need itK hnow the presentation situation JJ and plan accordinglyK bvery professor has a set of guidelines when grading presentationsI and

many classroom setJups are differentI so know the situation before going into the presentationK