<p>I am a sophomore now guys and before this year I set my goal to have straight A's...i just couldn't do it. I ended up with 2 B+'s and 1 B this semester alone...</p>
<p>how do you guys who get straight A's (4.0) remain consistent? </p>
<p>What if you get terribly sick during the semester which makes you behind? I got sick this semester but not terribly sick, but I didn't have enough energy to keep trying so I kind of slacked, then my grade went down to an 82. then after i recovered after all the mental/physical stress I managed to get it up to an 88 but couldn't get it back to an A</p>
<p>Can any of you guys help me?? I keep losing self confidence after not being able to get straight A's. and i try very hard (unlike some of you who just are geniuses and get all A's no matter what)</p>
<p>Pace yourself so you don't become overwhelmed at any one time. Do things ahead of time to decrease stress. In fact try to decrease stress as much as possible</p>
<p>Being sick can be tough. I'm sick constantly, this spring I had influenza and an ear infection one after the other. Its definitely tough to keep up with school when stuff like that happens</p>
<p>You remind me of a friend, TruthfulLie. Where are you from?</p>
<p>Anyways, to get straight A's, you would need to study and keep in touch and updated with your teachers. I had a friend who, um, 'skipped' like 40 days the entire year, yet ended up with a 4.0. (yeah, he didn't deserve it, but he talked his way throughout. He even went on vacation 2 weeks before school ended lol). I should have ended with a 4.0 as well as I have so every year. Try, try, try next time, and don't feel so down because there's always next year.</p>
<p>Is organization your problem? If so, perhaps you should try keeping an agenda and keeping your notes organized. And please don't listen to lil_killer129's "advice". Cheating is unethical and unfair. Don't let yourself fall victim to debauchery. </p>
<p>Do you have a hard time paying attention in class? I dunno, perhaps you could improve your listening skills. There's a myriad of factors that could be leading to your so-called adverse condition. So, I suggest you identify it first before acting on anything.</p>
<p>Know the teachers' grading systems, do the necessary work, pay attention in class, prioritize the work that you know will be collected/graded, study hard for tests, because that is usually what counts the most. Homework is optional(unless they collect it, in which case do it. But if they just check it, then you don't spend too much time on it) Don't do any more work than you have to. Don't bother taking notes, you can always ask to see someone else's if you really need to review. Before each test or quiz review the textbook, and borrow someone's notes to look over just to make sure you haven't missed anything.</p>
<p>This results in an A, minus having to take notes, doing homework, stressing out, etc.</p>
<p>^ Definately figuring out the way each teacher teaches, grades, writes their exams, etc is important as it could save you loads of time.</p>
<p>I had one teacher who lectured on and on repeating things, and pretty much rewrote the textbook on his powerpoints. And his questions were "multiple true/false" and a few essay ones. The first test, many people failed. 2 As in the entire class. As the year went on, everybody started figuring out that the best way was never taking notes, not paying attention in class, and memorizing everything in our textbook the night before the test and pretty much paraphrasing pages of the book for the essays to get a good grade (the teacher is rather weird). Result: end of year, most of the class got As on their tests.</p>
<p>So definately figure out the best thing to do for each class.</p>
<p>Make sure to be nice to all your teachers and have them like you, so if you get sick, they might be nicer in making special arrangements.</p>
<p>I found that keeping track of my grades and finding my average at the end of each week helped me improve my grades. I knew where I stood in each class, and I knew what subject I needed to devote more of my time to.</p>
<p>Bribery can be quite effective. Genetic engineering is also helpful.</p>
<p>Okay, really.... I find that getting to know teachers really helps, as they'll get the idea that you really care about the class and won't want to give you anything less than an A if they can help it.</p>
<p>Go to public school. At my school, nobody has a 4.0- nobody. All my public school friends seem to get 4.0's easily, so if you go to a good private school- switch. </p>
<p>The ironic thing is, though, that even though none of us have perfect averages, a lot of us get into really good colleges, like Penn (24/115 kids), Columbia (8/115), Princeton (3/115), Harvard (3/115), and more. </p>
<p>So if you go to a good private school, and you're not getting straight A's, don't panic.</p>
<p>You just work hard, get your work done thoroughly, and be done with it. The way I think of it is: I wake up everyday a 6am, I might as well do the best I can possibly do. As much as I hate school, I still get the work done, as I know I'll come out better in the end. Keep a good eye on your grade. Study for tests and understand everything that was covered. If you get sick, talk with your teachers and explain the situation, and they may give you sometime to make it up.</p>