Hi, i am a freshman highschool student who made A’s all through middle school, but now i’ve started making B- and C’s more than i do a’s. I meet whith teachers when i don’t understand things and study a lot, but nothing is working for me. This has been really frustrating because i’ve always been a good student, and it’s hard for me to see my grades drop like this. Any suggestions for transitioing to highschool or study tips ect. would be greatly apreciated.
Sometimes when you go from MS to HS, or HS to College, you find that the level of the work has increased. If you were in “regular” MS classes but then went to honor classes, then you may find they are more difficult and need to study in a different way.
Also if you are involved in Extracurriculars that are more time intensive (Cross country practice every day) then you may have less time for studying.
Here are my hints:
I agree with @bopper - the transition between MS and HS is hard. One suggestion is study smart; you need to learn how to maximize the time you do spend studying instead of doing more ineffective studying. If you want more specific tips on how to study in your classes it would be helpful to know what classes you are struggling in and what you’re currently doing to study because suggestions will be different depending on what you need help with.
Also, if your high school offers it, take advantage of free tutors and/or writing centers! Sometimes these are staffed by your high school peers who can relate to your struggles and really help you to better understand the coursework – sometimes just having a different approach to the subject from a peer helps!
I honestly know how you feel, as I was an A+ student in middle school and became a A-/B+ student during freshman year. I don’t know your curriculum, but I do have some advice.
- When you hear of a test coming up, always stay after school. Unless it is something you are really strong in, like math, I could not recommend it more
- Welcome to high school, quizlets are now your best friends. I used quizlets sophomore year and my gpa went from a 3.55 to a 3.95 (3.75 average).
- Have someone to review yours essays. I had my mom look at my essays freshman and sophomore year and it helped a lot! By junior year, I didn’t even need my mom to look at them because I had seen my mistakes!
- When studying for a quiz or test on a book, read the pages necessary first and then use sparknotes to confirm that you understand the concept. I hate how teachers denounce sparknotes, especially when it is the best way to get the information you may need to know for a possible test.
- Create a study group. I always thought they were unnecessary, but I quickly realized they weren’t. It can cut down on errors and stress, especially when you have multiple people to stress to.
- This is mainly for topics like math and biology, but watch the Khan Academy videos, as they allow you to absorb a lot of information (Just don’t use the site for SAT studying, as it is useless).
Follow these tips and you will see a major improvement.
Thanks for your feedback @BiologyMajorHere ! Can you also share with us links to quizlets study sets you’ve used and would recommend ?
@BiologyMajorHere I thought the SAT studying was pretty helpful but to each their own. I really like your other tips though!