Tired of being the "almost" kid. Advice?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>This goes for all classes...</p>

<p>I always get near- to perfect marks on my homework. I participate in class discussions and feel like I know the material very well. When I take exams, the results are different. I almost always do considerably worse. My exam grades are, what I consider, "almost" grades. They are always on a (max) 4 point fringe from being higher. I feel like there is a "leap" that I cannot take from scoring well on my homework to scoring well on examinations.</p>

<p>I consider myself the "almost" student. Last semester for <em>three</em> of my classes I was on this "fringe." For example: in my Biology class I was .7 points away from getting an A. </p>

<p>I want to go from being the "almost student" to the AWESOME (haha) student. How do I do this?</p>

2

<p>eat your wheaties and study 1.2 hours more for each test</p>

3

<p>Study more and ask your professors about questions that you're getting wrong.</p>

4

<p>take some adderall</p>

5

<p>^</p>

<p>agreed</p>

6

<p>Im the opposite. I dont do homework but I get almost all As on tests. So i'm an almost student because i refuse to do most of my homework, which stops me from getting a 4.0</p>

7

<p>^^^ Worst thing i've seen in a while.</p>

8

<p>I've considered Adderall... for two seconds and do not plan on taking it. Ever.</p>

<p>For the record, I study a hell of a lot. At least I'd like to think so... so putting in more hours really isn't an option (as I already do). </p>

<p>I also go to office hours and schedule extra office hours if I need to (this is regularly). I know that there has to be "something" that I'm just not doing.</p>

9

<p>have you had an intelligence test? perhaps you have the motivation but not the innate intellect. (don't take that as an insult)</p>

10

<p>^Hmm, that's a good point. I haven't take any IQ tests, but do consider myself to be fairly smart. I'll get back to you on that one.</p>

11

<p>I don't think this is something you can change, besides not many a couple stupid mistakes on an exam or something like that. Honestly, I think you just have bad luck...</p>

<p>Of course, there's also...do you have test anxiety? I'm a horrible, horrible test taker, which absolutely sucks for things like placement tests. You can think of ways you can battle test anxiety or seek out a counselor/service about it.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
take some adderall

[/quote]

i concur .</p>

13

<p>^ I'm not sure if it increases performance but in my case I think it may have helped with one imporatant test that starts with an A and ends with a T(only three letters)</p>

14

<p>Adderall is horrible for you. It makes you dependent on you, and thus lazy. It gets to the point that you need it in order to work, instead of it being an aid for while you're working. I know this through the experience and warnings of a couple of my friends.</p>

<p>Also, I read an article in TIME about how people prescribed medication for ADD before their brain fully develops (before 18-21) are often diagnosed with ADD just because certain parts of their brains have developed much slower than most people their age. Thus, with a medical dependency, those parts of their brains often never develop.</p>

15

<p>^</p>

<p>That's why you only take it for large papers and exams that you need it.</p>

<p>My friend is a big track guy at UVA and his situation was that he had a 10 page paper due the next day. So he took some adderal and crunched out the 10 pages no problem and then passed out on his bed.</p>

16

<p>i read in a book that its not necessarily how long you study but just how you study that can make the difference. i don't know your study habits but the difference between getting an A may be spreading out your sessions, or writing some vocab cards.</p>

17

<p>i'll take my chances...</p>