The Lazy Student’s Way to Get Good Grades

in college life by Margo Smith — March 18, 2011 at 11:50 am | 0 comments

Get Back In the Game

Are you struggling now that you’re back from spring break? Are you wishing you were still on vacation? Do you have papers and tests looming in you near future? You’re not alone. Students of all ages struggle to refocus and get back into school mode after a break. Did you know there is even a Facebook group called After spring break school feels like a JOKE?

Of course you don’t want all the work you put in before spring break to be wasted, so here are some quick tips to help you keep – or boost – that grade. Follow these steps and you’ll be glad you did when grades come out. Good luck!

10 Ways to be a Lazy College Student

• Create a to-do list to save you hours of wasted time

• Now that you have your list, prioritize it. You can choose to prioritize by assignment due date, or importance of class. If you have a project for a tough class that isn’t due for 2 weeks, and another for an easy class that is due in 4 days, begin the difficult one first. Just put in a little time and you will have already done the hardest part – starting. Now put that down and whip out the easy task. Done? Good. Go take a study break. Play Frisbee. Go out for pizza.

• Become a good skimmer. Being able to skim the text of all those dull books you have to read will save you oodles of time and energy.  Skimming allows you to pinpoint the main ideas in your readings. Perfect for those times when you have procrastinated until the last moment.

• Review. I know, I know, but you just got out of class – who wants to go over that stuff again? If you review right after class while the lecture is still fresh in your head, you are saving yourself time in the long run because you will remember it better. Your retention will be better and you will have to study less when test time rolls around. It’s true!

• Form a study group. You will cut your study time in half and improve your comprehension if you get involved in a group where you are helping to teach other students the concepts. The best way to learn a subject is to teach it. You’ll find that you understand the material far better when you explain it to a classmate.

• Don’t study too late. Staying up late to study makes you an ineffective learner. Study while you are fresh and you will have to spend less time because it is more efficient.

• Relax! Don’t stress out too much. Worry can keep you from doing well just because you psych yourself out about a hard class or demanding professor. So practice breathing deeply. Deeper…Deeper…ZZZZZZZZZZ….

• Always study for less than an hour at a time. Set your schedule to study for 20-50 minutes, but don’t go over that. You will be more prepared after you take a 5-10 minute break and then come back.

• Take notes. If you find yourself nodding off in a lecture, taking notes will make you pay attention and keep you awake.  You won’t have to work as hard later if you take good notes in class. You’re there anyway – why not make it count so you can really enjoy your free time out of class?

• Don’t let other things take the place of study. We’ve all done it. We clean the stove or exercise or do anything to put off studying. While keeping a balance is important, don’t let yourself be so easily distracted by other things that you waste the money you’re spending on school. Study when it is time to study, play when it is time to play. You’ll do better in school – it’s a promise.

 

Tags: class lazy lecture schedule spring break study test tips