You have just finished a semester, and your grades were not what you had hoped for. Do you pack up and leave? Shrug them off? Or, do you improve your grades?
If you said yes to the last question, you are ready for some tips on how to improve your grades at college.
Study longer. – How much time have you put into studying? In high school you likely had 8 classes a day for 50 minutes seven times a week with perhaps an hour’s worth of homework each night minimally. That is a good 38 hours a week of school work. In college you have 5 classes three times a week for an hour. That is equivalent to 22 hours a week. The difference is 15 hours. Are you using those extra hours to read, research, study, and practice?
Find the best place to study. – You need to focus to learn. There is no such thing as multi-tasking to retain information. Turn off your music, your phone, your social media. Get away from friends and noise. Find a place with the least distraction. If you are not excited about math, it won’t take much to turn your attention from it. That is why you need to find a secluded and quite place to sit for an hour or two to study math.
Be more attentive. – Sit up front in your class to hear and get away from others who may not be paying attention. Also, anticipate what will be on the test while you’re in class. Professors tend to emphasize what they think is important in the texts. When you do read the text, take notes or underline. That will help you retain what you read. You can also visit your professors during office hours to ask questions and get help with what may confuse you.
Finally, think about why you are in college. – You most likely went to college to prepare for your future. Getting a job is much easier when you have good grades. Potential applicants for jobs are more likely to get an interview, the first step in the process, with good grades. If you understand why you are in college, it may help to focus you on the tasks at hand.
College should be fun, and many experiences in college outside the class room are important. However, what is on paper and defines your record in college are grades. If you don’t have the grades, all the other growing you do may not help you.