How to get straight A's or a 4.0 (just read please)

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Hey thanks for reading this</p>

<p>Ok, so I am currently a sophomore at a pretty competitive public school in Connecticut (it's the best in the state) </p>

<p>The classes are hard, and I am taking 3 honors, but will be taking 2 honors next semester. </p>

<p>I was wondering how to get straight A's in my core classes, which are as follows:
A=regular level, not the grade
1. English II Honors
2. U.S. History Honors
3. Chemistry Honors (switching to Chemistry A in 2nd semester)
4. Pre-calculus A
5. Spanish 2A</p>

<p>I know some of you will say it's an unnecessary question, and that I should enjoy myself, but please I just really want good grades to get into a good college (I have fun in high school too XD)</p>

<p>So, what are your study habits, techniques, do you do anything unique? Also, how do you'll pull yourself together when faced with a big project or paper to concentrate on it and get the A?</p>

<p>Thanks, this is much appreciated</p>

2

<p>Ok, well first, there's nothing like waiting to the last minute to get an A on a project XD.</p>

<p>Well..let's see, let's take it subject by subject</p>

<p>English = If read a page in a book and don't understand anything you just read, annotate the books so that you can look back to remember if you forget what just happened. They are also good studying for book quizzes and tests. For essays, have your essay read over by your friends, your parents, your dog (if he can read, lol). Peer-review helps alot, because a fresh set of eyes can always catch mistakes in the paper you thought was perfect.</p>

<p>U.S. History = Take extensive notes, so that you can review often. Ask questions in class if you don't understand something or are confused, because otherwise, you won't get it, and the teacher usually is the one who explains it best. </p>

<p>Chemistry = Well, flashcards help ALOT for vocab and memorizing stuff like activity series and polyatomic ions and such. For parts that involve math, such as stoichiometry, just do practice problems over and over, and eventually, it'll click. Remember, repitition is the mother of memory. </p>

<p>Pre-Calc = Umm..well I'm taking Algebra 2 as soph, but I'm sure studying applies the same. Basically, again, ask questions in class if you don't understand something and do problems over and over until it clicks. Maybe form study groups if that helps.</p>

<p>Spanish = Look at the vocab and various words, and repeat them over and over again until you can actually repeat them without even looking in the book, both word and translation. It definitely helps, and you go super fast on tests. Also, try throwing some random spanish into daily speaking or try practicing by speaking with friends in order to study. Speaking it definitely helps sticking it to your brain.</p>

<p>Projects overall = Make sure you choose people you KNOW will work hard and do their part, trust me, best friends aren't always the best option. Just make sure to work together and put most of the project together a few days before the thing is due, not the day of. It doens't work, =]</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

3

<p>My trick, I'm not getting straight A's, cause I don't do this all the time, plus I don't have a ton of time, but it is rather simple...</p>

<p>Just EVERYDAY sit down with ALL your classes and review what you have learned, and make sure you can do that, and review previous topics so you don't forget them for finals. </p>

<p>I find for Spanish, just copying down vocab helps me remember spelling. I highly recommend buying your history book. I did and I highlight all the important stuff and such...</p>

<p>Hoped it help...</p>

4

<p>Pay attention in class, take good notes (try the Cornell Notetaking Method). </p>

<p>While studying, remember that WORK = TIME x INTENSITY. Lock yourself in your room, or go to the library. Don't bring anything except your books and some music. I usually just read over a book, and on a rare occasion make an outline. If you are into flashcards, try quizlet.com</p>

<p>Remember that getting A's is not much more than doing homework and recalling information for tests.</p>

5

<p>For Pre-Calc (or any math class) and Chem (or any science class, like physics): Make a review sheet with all the formulas you need. For example, if you have a test on trigonometry in pre-calc, you review sheet might include "Law of sines --> sinA/a = sinB/b = sinC/c" with a labeled diagram.</p>

6

<p>Try really really really really HARD not to procrastinate!
Procrastination is my foremost enemy.</p>

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<p>I second hirokee's message.</p>

<p>The worst procrastination is going on CC looking for ways not to procrastinate.</p>

8

<p>Do your homework.</p>

9

<p>Agree with Invoyable: Do your homework.</p>

<p>Refer to it religiously when studying for tests.</p>

<p>One of the things I do when studying for my APUSH class is type up a massive study guide of what I think I need to know from that chapter. When I say massive, I mean massive--some of them are 10+ pages; my exam guide was almost 11, in size 8 font with 0.1 inch margins. But I got an A in that class last tri, which is hard to do, so I'd say it worked.</p>

<p>I don't recommend this if you're a slow typist.</p>

10

<p>Go cheat at life. No honestly, if you really want to guarantee good grades you do the thing everyone knows they shouldn't do because it is as I dubbed it cheating at life. You borrow notes/quizzes/tests/handouts from the student with the highest GPA in said class with said teacher (matches yours). You also actively transfer into classes with easy grading teachers. You study em over the summer and you study again during the year. This is how you win at life. I doubt you can do this, most people are very possessive of their stuff either because they know it's cheating. btw you can't tell me it's not. It is very much so. It gives you an implicit advantage for every assessment, but if you don't actually do the work throughout the year you will fail the final. How much this affects you depends on your teacher. If your teacher weights the final as X% of your final grade, you're screwed if you didn't work all year. If you have a nice teacher who is naive and maybe misinformed, s/he will overlook your bad final and give you an A+.</p>

<p>In conclusion, do your work, don't sleep in class. Never miss a word or concept. If anything is in over your head speak to your teacher immediately. </p>

<p>Lastly study for your tests. Doing all this is crapshoot if you don't retain anything. </p>

<p>Inevitably unless you use the cheating at life method you'll have to do some work. Question is when not if. So do your work. Ultimately there's no way around this step. </p>

<p>The better way is to not cheat at life, do your work, have a stab at subj XYZ over the summer, plan to get a tutor if you think you'll uber fail immediately, and you should be fine.</p>

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<p>@phanatic: That's how I study for my IB HOTA tests. 12-13 page notes of everything we learned in size 10 font. It's tedious and it takes a long time, but trust me it works.</p>

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<p>Cal Newport's blog is really helpful:
calnewport.com/blog
or his book, which has some of the same stuff.
I think it's called How to Be a Straight-A Student?</p>

13

<p>Prioritize, everything.</p>

<p>USE YOUR FRIENDS to help you. I can't say how much asking/talking to my friends has helped me get straight A's. I haven't gotten a B yet for a semester grade, and i've just really figured out how much everything will impact my grade. I give up a lot and do much during school so I can study more for classes I need (Alg II, AP World). I hate to say the negative things I do, but I do skip class if I have to, like, iF i NEED to get something done i won't go to my elective law studies, etc.</p>

<p>:)</p>

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<p>"While studying, remember that WORK = TIME x INTENSITY." - barrythebrassman</p>

<p>Not really buddy. Work = force X distance X cos(theta). Get your formulas straight.</p>

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<p>Bro if you dont listen to anyone please listen to me... I graduated from Paxon SAS one of the nations top highschools currently ranked number 8 in the nation by newsweek. I've never taken a class that wasn't either AP or Honors For English II practice writing enhance your vocabulary which will make essays easier. Read the books assigned
I took APUSH for that I used Cornell notes and read my textbook it gives more indept information than the teacher gives.
For Chem flash cards will work just fine that and remembering formulas and equations
Oh Pre- Cal... lol I slept during the class and still managed A's and B's on the test. Just pay attention take good notes and refer to the notes everyday to keep them memorized.
It is impossible to learn spanish unless you practice. I took Spanish II and French II at the same time find someone thats really good at it and use them as a study partner Flashcards also work well for espanol. have basic convesations with people in espanol even when you're not in class that will give you practice. and STAY ORGANIZED!</p>

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<p>Just wondering, are straight As (4.0 unweighted) essential? Meaning, if one does not get a 4.0, is he or she out of the running for top universities (Stanford, Yale, Harvard...the big names...etc)? I'm a sophomore right now, and last year, as a freshman, I really screwed up. I didn't get any Cs. But, I got quite a few Bs. 2 Bs first semester, 3 Bs second semester. My unweighted GPA for last year was over 4.0, at least, but unweighted, I shudder at the thought of it. This year, I'm focusing more, and I have a shot at straight As, but it's a possibility that I may get a B in my only AP class (AP Euro). So it's impossible for me to get a 4.0 overall, but if I don't get only As from here on out, am I out of the running for big name schools?</p>

<p>Sorry, I'm not trying to hijack this thread, I'm just curious.</p>

<p>On a more relevant note, I think the most important thing is to get off the computer. I tend to find ways to avoid my work by getting on the web. I think you should limit yourself to only 30 minutes on the computer every night, and only after you've done all your work. The most important thing is to retain the information. So never slack off in class and try to remember all the stuff your teachers tell you. When you do your homework, put time and effort into it and absorb the information. Then, after that, just spend about 30 minutes going over everything you've just done.</p>

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<p>I have gotten straight A's for that past three years, (i'm currently a senior). All AP's and honors, and the biggest thing that has worked for me is to PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS. I find that relatively easy to do since I go to bed around 10 every night because homework, studying etc are really easy once you've paid attention in class. It doesn't take 3 hours to do one assignment; I take about 10 minutes for a subject, and it becomes this NON vicious circle. Seriously, pay attention in class!</p>

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<p>Whoops. Ignore this please</p>

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<p>Sleep with the teachers!!</p>

<p>No, no. Well, maybe.. </p>

<p>But, uh.. get review books. Here in New York, we have regents and nearly all of the teachers use those type questions for tests. So I get Regents study books (ie; Chemistry Regents Review) and go over the chapters a few nights before the test. They come with around 80 questions per chapter and really sharpen me up for the test. I ace 'em all.</p>

<p>Do all your homework, too. :)</p>

20

<p>
[quote]
Just wondering, are straight As (4.0 unweighted) essential? Meaning, if one does not get a 4.0, is he or she out of the running for top universities (Stanford, Yale, Harvard...the big names...etc)? I'm a sophomore right now, and last year, as a freshman, I really screwed up. I didn't get any Cs. But, I got quite a few Bs. 2 Bs first semester, 3 Bs second semester. My unweighted GPA for last year was over 4.0, at least, but unweighted, I shudder at the thought of it. This year, I'm focusing more, and I have a shot at straight As, but it's a possibility that I may get a B in my only AP class (AP Euro). So it's impossible for me to get a 4.0 overall, but if I don't get only As from here on out, am I out of the running for big name schools?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It's important. 4.0s are definitely common among decent colleges. The top 25% of Northeastern kids had 4.0s. Middle 50 were 3.5-4.0. Which.. honestly.. That's pretty intense for a school that's not even top 50. </p>

<p>Just.. keep the grades up. The Bs won't kill you. If anything, colleges will realize that you bumped it up.</p>