HOW I GOT A 4.00 GPA- AND HOW YOU CAN TOO!
4.00- the golden number. Every student wants it, but how to get there? In this post, I’ll be giving you my best advice as to how I got my 4.00 GPA, and how you can get one as well. The post will be split into 4 sections- before school, during school, after school, and overall. Hope you enjoy!
BEFORE SCHOOL:
MAKE SURE YOU’RE COMING TO SCHOOL PREPARED. I can not stress this enough. Your school day begins before you even step inside a classroom. If you use a device to take notes, make sure you charge it overnight. If you use notebooks, make sure you’re bringing them all with you. Be prepared for the day that’s about to come.
EAT A GOOD BREAKFAST. Eating poorly literally diminishes your ability to think well. Have a balanced breakfast- keep yourself well fed throughout the day as well.
BE ON TIME. Starting your day late can sometimes put the whole day out of whack. Teachers can also take points away from you if you have poor attendance and punctuality, so make sure you’re always on time!
DURING SCHOOL:
ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS. Make sure you take advantage of the lesson time you have. The teacher is there to teach you, so try your best to learn.
GET THE IDEA INTO YOUR HEAD THAT CLASS TIME IS WORK TIME. I know it can be tiring to always be working. But, associating class time with play time is dangerous (and a hard habit to snap out of). You will have time to rest later- now it’s time to work.
PRACTICE SMART NOTE TAKING. Don’t copy everything the teacher says- that’s not effective. Be succinct, try your best to assimilate the information before you write it down.
YOUR TEACHERS ARE RESOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE- USE THEM AS SUCH. Ask them questions. If there’s a concept you didn’t quite understand during class, try to ask them about it later. This will show you are dedicated and have the desire to learn.
ACKNOWLEDGE DISTRACTIONS, AND AVOID THEM. If your friends are distracting you during class, don’t sit near them. You’ll have time to hang out later. If your phone is distracting you, turn it off or don’t bring it with you. Know what your distractions are and make an effort to avoid them.
AFTER SCHOOL:
REVIEW WHAT YOU LEARNED THROUGHOUT THE DAY. You’re more likely to remember what you learned that day if you look at it more than once. Reinforce your new knowledge.
REST. It won’t do you good to just study your way into exhaustion. It’s not good for your mind or your body. Take care of yourself too.
STUDY REGULARLY AND EFFECTIVELY, NOT DAILY. You don’t have to study every day. I repeat- YOU DON’T HAVE TO STUDY EVERY DAY! That is not the best way to learn. 3 hours of productive studying are way better than 8 hours of ineffective studying.
GET YOUR HOMEWORK DONE WITH. I know, homework sucks for the most part. But teachers can discount points from you if you don’t hand in assignments on time, so just get it over with.
OVERALL:
GET GOOD SLEEP. Only about 15% of teenagers get enough sleep on a school night. Try your best to be in that 15%. Sleep deprivation can decrease your ability to concentrate and solve problems, so sleep well!
UNDERSTAND THAT SOME DAYS WILL SIMPLY BE BETTER THAN OTHERS. It’s ok if you’re not doing too well on one day- don’t beat yourself up because of that. Vow to come back stronger tomorrow. Stay motivated and don’t lose hope because of some bad days.
KEEP TRACK OF YOUR STUDY SESSIONS. Keeping track of my study sessions is my favourite way to organise my studying. Since I struggle with hyperfocus, I time myself while doing a certain task so that I don’t lose track of time. I strongly recommend the app Focus Keeper for this!
WORK ON YOUR WEAKNESSES. You don’t have to just accept not being good at something. For example, I struggled with History for the longest time, and it was always my lowest grade. But after months of working and working, I now do well in all of my exams because I dedicated myself to it.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, REMEMBER THIS AT ALL COSTS: NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, IS UNLEARNABLE. As much as some things are harder to learn than others, this does not make it impossible. Keep in mind that you can do anything by working hard and being dedicated.
That’s it for today guys! I hope you found this post helpful!
