<p>do any of the people who get all A's and take tons of AP classes and join clubs and do sports and get perfect SAT scores date? seriously? it appears to me that none of those people have relationships. (which i personally think is very wrong, but just my opinion)</p>
<p>Great posts guys! Definitely helpful, I hope you guys continue to post your great insight. I'll jumpstart some more discussion with a few questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What do you guys do when you have tons of homework, and have 2 hours to finish it all?</p></li>
<li><p>What do you do when its the middle of the first marking period and you are getting some mediocre grades in some classes... and if the grades closed this day, you would have straight B-'s?</p></li>
<li><p>How do you prioritize what you will do for the day? For example... every day we have a journal for AP english, with like 10 pages of reading and a full page response required. How do you handle this? Usually, this would take up all your time if you had only 2 hours to do all your homework.</p></li>
<li><p>Do you have any speedreading techniques? Or special techniques for reading textbooks and books? Do you use sparknotes and other study guides for your classes heavily?</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>This really depends -- if you have a total of two hours, at home and in school then you'd have to really prioritize you work. If you have two hours at home, then focus on the most important thing, and finish the rest on the train (or whatever commute) and in school. Also if you knew you were getting a lot of hw you might wanna manage your time better so that you dont have 2 hours to do that hw. Finally, if everything must absolutely be done -- all nighter seems appropriate.
2.Acknowledge that you need to do better(if you're not satisfied with B- that is) and work harder next marking period. Talk to your teachers about what you can do to do better in their class. Teachers like to see students who really care about the class.</li>
<li>generally based on what i can do at home and what I can finish tomorrow at school.</li>
<li>No - use sparknotes/pinkmonkey/etc + good notes in class discussion -- i wrote one english essay just using class notes (there were no online notes anywhere) and got a 5.5/6 on it, so keep that in mind too.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>First off, I try to do hw at school. If I have to bring it home, I do it in increasing levels of difficulty. That way, by the time I get to school, I'd have the worst of it over. If I still hadn't finished, I'd work on it during breaks and stuff.</p></li>
<li><p>My mother would ferociously berate over and over again for getting less than A on anything, so my grades wouldn't be able to get to that point. If they were straight B-'s hypothetically, I guess I'd just work harder.</p></li>
<li><p>I'd order by class importance to me. Sorry, but some classes are jokes for me. Honors Geometry? Riiight. If that's not an option, I'd see which is worth more in my grade.</p></li>
<li><p>I naturally just read faster. All those years of reading the Caldecott and Newberry Medal books really paid off. As for other texts that are dry and aren't able to be immediately understood (like Dickens for me), I read it, summarize it in my head, then look at Sparknotes if it still isn't clear. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>.-_-.</p>
<p>Homework is worth WAY more than most people think. If your teacher doesn't tell you the grade breakdown (ay my school it is frequently 40%Tests, 30%Quizzes/Projects, 30%HW/Attendance), ask them.</p>
<p>At my school it varies between classes, but homework is only worth 10-15%.</p>
<p>.-_-.</p>
<p>Time management is overrated. It's helpful, but it is not the end all. I go to a very comepetitive public HS in NYC, and take a challenging coarseload.</p>
<p>Getting you HW done in free periods is bery helpful. (It's not something I can do for most subjects.) But if I have a lot of read, I usually pull out my book if I am not socializing. </p>
<p>Different teachers in my schools had different policies on HW, basically if it wasn't counting towards my grade, I sort of neglected doing it, because I am personally not an individual that needs to write things down to commit them to memory. (Unless it's foreign language.)</p>
<p>I'm on a varsity team in the spring, and through out the year I am on an academic team that takes up a lot of my time. Those are my two major extracurriculars beyond school productions, and minor student government roles. Basically do what you love to do, and actually will spend time doing. You don't need a list of clubs the length of your arms to get into college.</p>
<p>I also do HW/study on the commute to school, or make up lost sleep there...since I have about 45 minutes.</p>
<p>I need to wake up at 6 on most mornings, I know that if I don't get to bed before 12:30 I will cease to function in class. Ideally I would get more sleep. If you have a huge exam the next day, trust me, sleep is more important as long as you have studied a bit. It's more important to maintain for of a moderate attention span all the time, rather than to do an all out cram. (What am I really saying, I do cram, but there comes a point in the wee hours of the morning where you have to realize, sleep is so much more important.)</p>
<p>Well, participate in class...and try to have a real interest in what you are learning, or it's really just a lost cause. If you don't want to be there, it's going to show both to yourself and the teacher. So if you obviously don't belong in AP Calculus and don't have the passion for it, don't take it. Save yourself the tears.</p>
<p>Sorry, I've realized that my response is rather incoherent because I did not plan it out. I basically limit myself to an hour or two of television a day, sometimes less, sometimes more--but if I have work to do, the tv is obviously secondary. I limit my phone calls, I have a tendency to be on the phone for hours. You just have to realize these things and say, I need to stop wasting time and get back on task. </p>
<p>Generally I don't hang out except on Fridays and on weekends. And even if I do, I try to get some work done before I allow myself to go out. I try to think of everything as sort of an incentive program, finish this and this will happen!</p>
<p>I have to be completely honest that back in my sophomore and junior years, there was a week or two in the term where I felt like I was about to have a breakdown due to sleep deprevation and needing to be at so many places at one time. (My commitments to my teams and other activities started overlapping.) At that point, I just really start to realize...you need sleep. Never, never go to school with like 2 hours of sleep.</p>
<p>Exercise? When I don't get enough sleep, I drag myself out to run or to do some invigorating physical activity to get your blood following...and those great endorphins. :) </p>
<p>EAT...small snacks to keep you awake. Try to eat actual food, I still definately snack on junk but be sure to have a balanced meal, you don't know how much that affects the way your function physically and mentally.</p>
<p>I guess for my last two points, I was not fortunate to have these options until Senior year, since my three years of HS, I have been taking a full coarse load, and have a set lunch period. But when I am dying, and I have a free, you'll probably find me on machine in the gym, studying or even power napping.</p>
<p>POWER NAP!</p>
<p>Just to add my case among other people's examples-</p>
<p>I go to a competitive private college-prep high school. I'm taking two APs, two honors, and two regular (required) classes, and I have a study hall. After ECs, I get home about 5:30 PM every weekday, Tuesdays and Thursdays an additional EC takes up 6:30-7:30 PM block, so I eat, shower, do homework, then bed. Saturday mornings and 4:00-5:00PM Saturday afternoon (and 1:00-4:00 PM Saturday afternoon but only once a month) are other ECs. I sleep by 11:00 PM average. </p>
<p>I don't watch TV. I make a lot of use of downtime -ex: homework while eating. I'm pretty self-disciplined about distractions (this is my first time on CC in a while). I relax <em>during</em> one of my ECs, which is dance. It takes a lot of physical tension out of me, frees and relaxes my mind from academics, and ensures an exhausted/well-worked body for a good night's sleep. Dance also forces me to take care of my physical body and food intake, so I'm pretty healthy and happy. "True" relaxation happens on Sundays or days I have off from school. I catch up with friends, write e-mails, clean up my room.</p>
<p>I get straight As in my classes because I'm actually interested in all of them. I WANT to participate in class discussions, I WANT to hear what the teacher is saying. I WANT to learn the concept, I do the work, I study. I learn for my curiosity, not for numbers or letters. So if one morning, or late night, an assignment comes up that I don't have time for, it's not a big deal. It wasn't important enough for me to prioritize it, and one grade will never determine my life. </p>
<p>That being said, priorities are pretty key. I know English is a difficult subject for me, so I might write papers before doing systematic math homework. Really, if you know yourself and your desires, everything falls into place. I spent a lot of time the last two years discovering pieces of myself, and I'm finding I'm a lot more content than some of my classmates, who define themselves by their activities and sign away pieces of their lives to look good on paper. </p>
<p>Strict parents wouldn't let me have a social life anyway, although I keep in contact with a LOT of people via e-mail, which almost always lead to some kind of time to physically see them every six months (I have a lot of friends who live far away from me). I'm not too attached to the people at my school, so I don't want a social life with them. The way my life works out, I haven't really had the chance to meet a guy, although I've had boyfriends over summer - and found that unless he's really a worthwhile guy, you should spend your time somewhere else, regardless of physical loneliness. </p>
<p>I've gotten straight As my last two years, this year my grades have mostly come out close to As, a few in the A minus range. I'm not concerned, classes now are far more challenging than they used to be.</p>
<p>Bottom line: Get to know yourself, habits, effective study methods, actual wants. Make your own decisions, with conviction, and with that, take responsibility for the outcome, whether good or bad.</p>
<p>Okay, now about all those people with the perfect SAT scores. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember that less than 250 people in the country got perfect 2400s last year (at least on any one date). So getting perfect scores and perfect grades and having lots of sports and leadership ECs isn't easy and isn't all that commonplace.</p>
<p>Some of the teachers in my school give you the avg of your test/paper/project grades as your grade - then the final marking period, they add in "a couple of extra points" if you have good class participation</p>
<p>One thing that I am simply convinced of is that generally Valedictorians, the kids who have the very best grades in the school, are simply good at memorizing. The majority of our grades are comprised from tests, and many times most of our tests simply involve some wrote memorization of dates, events, processes, terms, etc. Furthermore, most anyone can tell if A=B and B=C, then A most likely equals C. </p>
<p>Ultimately, it is a combination between time management, ability to memorize, and ability to prioritize that helps kids get As. DEFINITELY DO NOT try to overschedule yourself - I did that 1st semester junior year where I had to struggle to get everything done by 3AM (with no procrastination). When you do that, your grades will suffer, and it really won't look that great that you took that extra class when you didn't do too well in it. [Don't worry though, I only got a B+ in that extra class ;-)]. </p>
<p>Oh, and in terms of ECs, try to find something that you love doing - so when you need to take a break, you can do that activity. For me, I love music, so when I'm not doing homework I'm doing something music related. This method has helped me get some nice awards for my work/play.</p>
<p>I'm a "valedictorian" (we don't rank but I have the highest QPA), and although I wouldn't like to admit it, I think fhimas may be on to something... I have a pretty good memory.</p>
<p>I don't study, because I'm ridiculously lazy, and all my time is spent on ECs and/or watching TV, AIM, etc. I find the look-over-notes-quickly method works. Listen to lectures... take notes, don't read them, necessarily. Don't ever study from a textbook, it's terribly inefficient. Speed-read. Call it quits when you're tired.</p>
<p>I completely agree with both fhimas and Lackadaisy. I'm a valedictorian, but I don't study. Ever. I get up at 4:45, 3 days a week to work out, go to school, then I'm usually at school with activities until about 7-9 every night, with some breaks in between. Like on wednesdays this month at least I have play practice, then speech practice, then marching band rehearsal all in a row until 8:30. But I do most of my homework during play practice and during class periods throughout the day, right before bed, and then when I get up on the mornings I don't work out.</p>
<p>I think it naturally has to do with memorizing. My brain works a bit differently, and I know how many people can't understand me, just I can't understand them when they don't get things. I hear/see something once and I basically remember it forever. Like in math, If i do it in class, then do it for homework I'm set for life and I'll get it on the test without ever studying. I learned last year with my AP classes that I didn't know how to study for Calculus when I needed to, but I didn't and my grade in that class suffered, but nothing terrible (just a B first semester, my only B ever). </p>
<p>If you don't work this way, then don't. You can only be the best person you are and don't ever try to push yourself past your own limits in terms of school. Eat breakfast every morning, get sleep, and just pace yourself. last year, my junior year, i hardly slept because of my even more intense course load than this year (harder APs last year, Calc BC and Chem). I've learned to go to bed no later than 12, and I shoot for 11 every night. I don't get to do any personal reading, but I still get to talk to friends on AIM/Myspace/Facebook, etc. at least a couple nights a week and I get time to watch TV definitely (Grey's Anatomy and House are musts), even if I tape them at watch them when I get home. </p>
<p>You just have to schedule time and go at your own pace. So...this was really long, but I hope it made sense and/or helped :)</p>
<p>If you know you have a hard test later in the day, ask one of your friends what to study in studyhall/lunch. Can work wonders. Not necessarily cheating if they dont give you the answers directly. Works on the same principle of only studying what is necessary.</p>
<p>Well getting straight A's starts off by going to a relatively dumb school! Over half of my school failed the FCAT at least once, so you can only imagine the level of stupidity that exists at my school. I swim year-round, am president of NHS, captain of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and a representative in SGA (not to mention I was an officer in marching and concert band all the way up through my junior year) and I still make straight A's! All my classes except for a couple every now and then are pretty easy, though this year it has finally gotten really gruelling. I did have to cheat on a quiz in AP US Government (I will have taken 11 AP courses by the end of this year) but that was the only time I ever have in my high school career. </p>
<p>I guess you also have to make sure to get your work done. Right now it is 12:38AM, and though I should have finished my 3 papers I was supposed to write, I haven't. But I will stay up until I do, and then I will get up after only a couple hours of sleep to go to morning practice. Then tomorrow night (well tonight really lol) I will study on the bus on the way to my swim meet for a government quiz, while I also try to plan out what I need to get done when I get home, which will probably consist of making flyers for FCA and sending out emails for NHS. Wow, I really don't know how I do it. I guess it takes a lot of drive, prayer, and compromise. And doing your homework in every spare second you have at school! I have not done ANY math homework (including this year's AP Calculus BC) ever at home since 7th grade. I've always had my best grades in there too!</p>
<p>people with straight A's are just way too smart
or maybe its grade inflation or something</p>
<p>It's not that we're smart, it's just that you're stupid.</p>
<p>Kidding :) But there's really no other way to respond to that. In regards to getting A's, I second knowing your limits and sticking to them. I don't mean "limits" as in what you're comfortable doing - yes, you should be pushing yourself intellectually, and yes, you should have times when you're stressed and ****ed and upset and have too much homework, because if you won't be proud of what you accomplished in retrospect, at the least you'll feel super hardcore. I mean that you should know how you react under certain situations, know what you're tempted to procrastinate on, know your weaknesses and work on them, know what happens if you don't eat breakfast or pull an all-nighter and either work around it or only do so when necessary.</p>
<p>And yes, I do think that there is a degree of natural talent there; however, at the high school level, it's not something that can't be made up for through work. Being interested in the material helps.</p>
<p>Oh, and I don't study other than last-minute panicked cramming the period before, so there's that.</p>
<p>Natural talent? Hehe, I doubt I could agree with that. Doing well in school seems to simply mean that you know how to learn, and how to manage time. Anyone can do well in school, you just need the motivation, confidence, and the direction - as in, how to do it. All the advice in this thread is definitely helpful, I've always wondered how straight A students actually do it. Thanks for all the replies everyone, and keep them coming! :D</p>
<p>some ppl do have just natural talent (photographic memory, auditory memory, etc) that helps, but a bit effort is always needed.</p>
<p>Yeah, essential what stupak said - I don't mean natural talent in that if you aren't already academically intelligent, then making straight A's is impossible. I mean that if you retain information well inherently, are naturally intelligent and it doesn't take you work to understand concepts, then you don't need to spend as much time studying which allows either for a wider bearth of subjects to cover or more in-depth study, both of which assist grade-wise.</p>