<p>Well for me, I have basketball after school so I get out at 6, after that I come home and usually hang out with some friends and go get some dinner, and come home about 8, then watch TV till about 1030, and from there, depending on how much homework I have, I start. Most of the time, I do homework in classes before they are due. People get to stressed out about doing homework at home. Just relax. And to my surprise, I still have all A's.</p>
<p>i guess im mecha procrastinator... whenevr i have an essay to write for either history or english i find i cant do it in the night cuz im tired so ill go to sleep and wake up at like, 4 in the morning and write it. </p>
<p>just so everyone knows about standardized test scores... the body works on 48 hour sleep cycles. How you perform on saturday and how rested you are is a direct correlation of how much sleep and how good ur sleep was on friday. one time coming back from seeing a cross country meet in new york i got back home at 2 in the morning sleep at 3 woke up at 8 but that day i had a big meet. i ran teh best time of my life cuz the day before i had gotten amazing sleep. im telling you people 48 hour sleep cycles</p>
<p>HAHAHA! I love the question !_!</p>
<p>It's knowing what YOU need to do to get the As. For math, I usually stop the hw as soon as I know that I can do this unit. It's just NOT necessary. I do take extensive notes, but that is when I decide to type fast and don't double-check. I'm also a MAJOR procrastinator (I should be studying for my Bio test...tomorrow). Anyways...I usually have a very good short term memory so I know I can depend on it.</p>
<p>Of course, last year I had one week, where I was home for literally under 48 hours in 12 days (I was often at tournaments...). Thus...the monday after these 12 days, I bombed my french quiz (40%). Yep...so that's when you say, time to work my butt off and get that grade back to an A and yep, that's what I did. You have to learn to rise to the occasion.</p>
<p>I honestly don't know why I get good grades. I have to be one of the biggest procrastinators of all time. However, I always do really well when I procrastinate. For example, I had a research project due a couple of weeks ago. I failed to start the project until the night before the due date, so I pulled an all-nighter. I managed to get a 108, 2 points below a perfect score, and the highest score in the class. </p>
<p>However, I do motivate myself a great deal. When I got my progress report for Honors US History I freaked out because I had an 84. After that point, I started trying a bit harder and raised it to a 97. I still haven't figured out how in the world I raised it 13 points, but I have no complaints.</p>
<p>My daily routine after school:</p>
<p>Every Day Except Tuesdays and Thursdays:
I get home from school, relax for about an hour. Then, I change into my work clothes and go to work at about 4:15. I usually work until 9. After getting off work I come home and relax or get on the computer for about 30 minutes. After that I usually do my easy homework, which is usually Algebra 2. Then if I feel like it, I will stay up and do my Chemistry and Honors US History homework. But most of the time I am exhausted from work and go to bed. If this occurs I wake up around 5:30, shower, and finish my homework.</p>
<p>Tuesdays and Thursdays:</p>
<p>My schedule is completely different on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I have an online class and I am off work. I get home from school, relax for 30-60 minutes. After doing so, I do some of my homework. At about 5:40, I eat dinner, and relax until around 6:45. My online class, AP Environmental Science, starts at 7 and lasts until 8. I then finish up my homework after class is over.</p>
<p>Wow.. that was really long, but that pretty much sums up my daily routine.</p>
<p>My method is a bit unorthodox. However, take note that my classes are not as difficult as those seen above, etc.
It involves minimal studying:</p>
<p>1) During class, focus * your mind on the lesson. It should be clear of everything else;
follow what the teacher is saying with every ounce of energy - you should be able to note grammatical errors in your teacher's speech.
2) In your homework, do not use the textbook. Do not use any other sources as well. Try to recall from memory the teacher's lesson - if he or she is an effective teacher, you should've seen most of the material on the homework from class. However, if it is a research project, *research. :D For me, this gauges [somewhat] my focus in class, and perhaps shows me how much more I need to work on. If you are at the brink of your wits, take note, use the textbook, and pay attention in class the next day again.
This way, I embed into my mind the lesson, and from there it is a matter of recall. Rarely do I actually 'study', pretentious as it seems.</p>
<p>Do any of you straight A'ers go to to an extremely hard/competitive school?</p>
<p>I'm not a straight-A student.</p>
<p>But it's not my fault. I don't think most school systems realize how many kids actually CAN'T focus in class. If someone's tapping a pencil, I tend to focus on that and I really can't learn. I don't know .. I guess it's ADD. But nowadays, everyone seems to have ADD...</p>
<p>It really has to do with habits, concentration, motivation, and how long all these things last. If you don't pay attentiont in class, you're missing out on something, and you'll have to make up for it later. I know a lot of people (including me) who're really paying the price for not paying attention in middle school and elementary. I didn't learn my Japanese cause I didn't want to. Now I want to, but I'm waaaay behind. But if you are always concentrated, you really don't have that much homework. Teachers usually do some sort of revision. In that case, you barely even have to study at home.</p>
<p>Of course there're times when you can't concentrate in class. I have it all the time, and until I decided to do something about it, my grades went doooown. Sleep and keep healthy. Be in a state where you don't have to worry about anything. If the teacher's seriously boring, then just write. Writing helps you to keep awake while helping you remember stuff. If worst comes to worst, just revise while the teacher isn't looking or read the textbook. </p>
<p>One thing about sleep: if you ever do find yourself in the situation where it's 2am, you still have homework, and you're really sleepy, sleep for 20 minutes. No more. then wake up and do your homework again. Chocolate/Sweet things can help relieve stress as well. But stay away from caffeine cause it takes away your concentration.</p>
<p>Doing ECs can mean 2 things as well. It can mean taking up time and building up stress, or it can mean relieving stress and gaining energy. If you're an extrovert, you probably gain a lot of energy from the interaction in ECs. Even if you're an introvert like me, ECs can be a huge stress relief. Sports makes you healthy too. </p>
<p>Scheduling is important, but so is being able to stick to them. I know you won't be able to have a relaxed, laid-back life most of the time, but you will have free time on weekends. Be careful of over-pressuring yourself though because sometimes, when you have too much pressure, you start procrasinating and fooling around. </p>
<p>Also, I find it helpful to have motivated friends who have a positive attitude. It keeps you from thinking stuff like, your foreign language class is useless.</p>
<p>after going to school for awhile I figured out what classes were more relaxed. this meant that I could study/ do a bit a homework in them with the teacher not caring. I also did some work over lunch. by senior year, i was definitely staying up later, and i did just keep working into the night sometimes. try and get as much done as you can, but know how much time you'll have to do stuff during school itself. for example, i would maybe just glance over notes for a test in my last period class because i would study for it during lunch and my elective.<br>
As for study methods, it changes for each person depending on your learning style. Flashcards are always helpful. But by figuring out your learning style you might find out what works best for you.
For balancing activities, I learned the hard way that too much computer/TV is bad, and that's probably why I went to bed fairly late.<br>
also, if you have a night with no work, start work for the next night. think ahead.
this is what would work best in my experience. unfortunately though, i didn't always follow my own advice and i procrastinated which led me to stay up late, so don't go down that path! it's definitely helpful to be awake in class.</p>
<p>Here's what I always did:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Maximize your study halls. If you have friends there you can study with them.</p></li>
<li><p>Go in early and talk to your teachers. Most of them are willing to help.</p></li>
<li><p>Take advantage of down time. For example, if you're on the bus to your baseball game, read a chapter of history or something. One of your teammates may be a classmate so you can ask him questions if need be. If you're doing musical, you can usually do work when you're not on stage (at least at my school you could).</p></li>
<li><p>Don't discount the power of AIM. If you miss/don't understand an assignment talk it over. I've studied with people and also proofread parts of people's papers via AIM.</p></li>
<li><p>You can also review with people at lunch.</p></li>
<li><p>If you have really annoying/distracting people in class tune them out by focusing in on something else. I used to do homework for the class in some of the classes (and still do in college). Since it usually related to the lesson (especially in math) it would often work. Sometimes one of the sample problems in a class like chemistry is actually a homework problem with a different element in place!</p></li>
<li><p>Find comfortable work hours. Plan around your schedule. For me, the majority of my Monday through Thursday nights on which I had something after school saw me getting home around 4:30 PM or 8:00 PM depending on what it was. Sometimes if I got home later I would be home first before heading out again. With this in mind, I'd always use that 8:00 PM to 11:30 PM slot for homework and would go over if I needed to. Then I'd cool off until 1:30 by writing or something. When I'd wake up at 5:45 the next morning I'd be good to go. With a study hall in there I rarely went past 11:30, the one exception was my senior English paper.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Maximize ur z's in study hall</li>
<li>Use ur time wisely; do not waste time attempting to kiss @ss</li>
<li>rofl hw on bus... hit bumps, look like shyt.. team is singing B-eyed-peas cant think at all... got ball-busting meet ahead... lol gl wit that</li>
<li>try to avoid bsin ppl on aim and wastin time on internet</li>
<li><p>Enjoy ur lunch. If ur go-go-go then u will go insane.</p></li>
<li><p>go to bed by 10-11 dont be a hero. if u dont punch >6,7 hours per night u will get rocked. maybe first day fine, but try 2-5 hours for two nights in a row. U will be dead.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>hi im in high school and im taking a second language class but i really cant seem to be able to memorize things well. can some one tell me how to do better in a second language class?</p>
<p>note: it's late so i'm not going to read the whole thread at the moment. instead, i'll just try to address some of the questions raised on the first page.</p>
<p>PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS. if you learn the material in class, you don't have to waste time learning it on your own. this is my biggest point, and it helped me a lot. it's a 45-90 minute block of time when you're with a teacher and don't have the option to do much else. USE IT. listen to the lesson, ask anything you need, and please pay attention. it's really, really, reeeaaallllyy helpful. you can talk to your friends, sleep, or contemplate the universe later. for now, you learn.</p>
<p>system for learning? my system was to not have a system. i found they were never worth the effort. this goes back to my first point. just learn what you're supposed to, don't waste time with extensive notes, tables, synthesizing things (what the hell? i can't even imagine how that term applies to what we're talking about. sounds like new age learning crap). write down what's important, look at it when you can't remember what's important. if you need them to get by, use them, i guess, but don't waste time on things that you don't need.</p>
<p>as for time management and personal hobbies, i'll attest that during the average day of my senior year, i spent more time on cc and ytmnd than i ever did doing work. six ap classes, too.</p>
<p>scheduling ECs, i'm not the best example. i only had on varsity sport (but during ap season, so can't that count for extra? heh...), a varsity competetive activity, a couple more activities that didn't require much time, and a part-part-part time job. then again, who needs ten hours of ECs a day? don't do everything for the sake of doing it, just do what you really care about. i thoroughly enjoyed the activities i participated in, and i think i was happier that way than dividing myself between a dozen that i wouldn't care about.</p>
<p>standardized tests? uhhh.... be smart. no tricks to them. if you're not smart, take practice tests until you look smart. then, take the actual tests a bunch of times. it's misrepresentative, but most people do it anyway. that's why i like ap tests, because you only get one shot. am i sick, or what? test taking strategies (thinking about what a question wants from you and remembering that they're probably trying to trick you at the same time combined with a firm understanding of the past 5-6 years of schooling)</p>
<p>personal hobbies? cool, do them. not enough time, but you still want to do them? saturday! friday, even!</p>
<p>personal projects? those are more a matter of devotion than time. they usually don't happen because we don't actually care about them that much. after all, why self study now when you can get a real education in an obscure (i.e. not one of the three languages that most high schools teach) language in college? history research is a different matter, but this is another matter of devotion. i don't know how one would go about this kind of thing, but i can say that it's something you CAN do if you really want to. just be sure that you really want to.</p>
<p>sleep... try to get it. if you can't, oh well. try to plan ahead so that you don't stay up until 2 [s]lurking on cc[/s]doing homework, but don't sweat it if you need to. it happens. catch up when you can: take a nap when you get home if you're tired, sleep in on the weekends. damn, i have work due in 4 hours. i guess i'll have to put off sleep today. oh the irony...</p>
<p>actually, instead of reading my post, go read chaostheory's (#65). it's the same idea expressed better and in fewer words. if you already read his, go read it twice.</p>
<p>uhhhhh.....still doesnt answer my question</p>
<p>To get an A in the class, you need (usually) about 93% of the points availible each semester. Take advantage of the easy stuff -- namely, homework grades. Getting full credit on HW for a quarter is often equivalent to a 100 on one test. Likewise, missing a simple HW assignment can be a big grade drop for no good reason. Getting all the easy points takes some of the pressure of your tests.</p>
<p>I dunno how your school weights stuff, but hw is usually about 10-15% in our AP classes :(</p>
<p>Memorization is partly genetic, and partly methodical. </p>
<p>For example, would you remember what you ate for dinner last month, or what you ate for dinner in an expensive restaurant last month? Dinner is dinner; else you were eating jewels at the restaurant. What made it memorable? The experience, correct?</p>
<p>Similarly, lets say you are trying to memorize words and their prefixes; perhaps 10 words a night. Not a Herculean task to begin with, but let it be for the sake of this example. The first step would be to memorize in chunks; usually blocks of two and three work well - that is what I did with pi(e). :D 3.14159265358979 - 32 - 384 - 626 - 433 - 832.. etc,.
So first, memorize word one. Good, you've got it down, and you can recite it's definition, roots, prefixes, and parts of speech in an instant when needed. For me, my blocks of two are 'transition blocks', where I use them to lead into the next 'block of three.' For example, 32 is a 'transition block.' Anyway, without getting too technical and lame, memorize the next two words, and think of them simply as the 'transition' into the next three, not as words that you had to memorize themselves. Then, after the first 4 or so words, stop. Look around; take two spoons and bang them together very loudly. Create an event that is different from the normal; this way, you can flag it in your mind, and whenever those two words come up, recall will make you think of the spoons. This usually works for short-term. Afterwards, you continue as normal with block memorization.</p>
<p>Hope that helped. :D</p>
<p>Vaserv, well do well on the tests then! I was referring mainly to my math and chemistry classes. APUS for me is 95% tests and the rest pop quizes...</p>
<p>i do fine on the tests.</p>
<p>i was pointing out a flaw in your reasoning: many difficult classes do not place as much weight on homework. </p>
<p>in many cases, the difference between a difficult class and an easy class is the amount of homework given - other than perhaps in rare, extreme cases. if you're given plenty of padding AND practice, it should be relatively easy to get an A in the class as long as you're qualified to take the class.</p>