Returning to college after a 4-year “break” was probably the best thing I could have done for my GPA. When I first went to college, I was young, cocky, and cared more about chasing boys and having fun than I did about actually learning. I was burned out on school, and I had no idea what I wanted to do professionally. So I explored my options. I left college (after injuring but not debilitating my GPA) and had several jobs. I tried everything from a 911 operator, a character performer at Disney World, to eventually a stable job as a Personal Trainer. And I am still a Personal Trainer. I love my job, but I don’t want to do this for eternity. I want more. So I decided to go back to school.
Coming back to school I have noticed a lot of my fellow students making the same mistakes I made my first time. Staying up late and getting up early, partying hard on the weekends, etc can really hurt your grades, because you aren’t creating a conducive learning environment for yourself. I realize this may go on deaf ears, but I am hoping that I can share some of the wisdom I had to learn the hard way so that others don’t end up having to go back to school later and waste precious time and money. I’ll get off my soap box now and just deal them out to you.
How to Make an A in Math Class:
#1. Get enough sleep. 3 hours of sleep is not enough. I’m not just talking about the night before the exam, I’m talking EVERY night. Your brain sucks on too little sleep, and the nights of not enough sleep add up to a sleep deficit. If you don’t sleep well for more than a week, it’s almost as bad as coming to class drunk. You can’t learn this way.
#2. Do Your Homework. Homework is an easy way to raise your grade, it also happens to be assigned for a reason. If you cheat on your homework, you are cheating yourself out of learning, and you are not going to make a good grade on the exam. Do the homework, take the time it requires to make sure you understand the material. It will pay off.
#3. Keep your Cell Phone OUT OF SITE and ON SILENT/VIBRATE. Texting in class = not listening in class. Our Professor actually mentioned this last class and it’s so true. Even if all you are is distracted for a few seconds to answer a quick text, it disrupts your learning time and you won’t be nearly as focused on the lesson. It’s an hour class, just wait till you get out of it. I can’t even keep mine in my line of vision because once I see the thing vibrate I’m distracted SIMPLY because I want to know who texted me and what they want… and that distraction can keep you from getting an A.
#4. Learn to Enjoy Learning. Complaining about school and whining about studying is annoying. We all have to do it. Anyone who gets anywhere in their career has had to do it. If you spend your time hating learning, you won’t learn. You have to want to learn. If you’re in a major, you better enjoy learning about it, or you are going to HATE your job. Learning is a beautiful thing! Knowledge is power. Allow yourself to enjoy learning new things and force yourself to get excited about it! Calculus will help us science majors do well in our future classes, so we might as well enjoy it now while it’s still relatively simple.
#5. Sit closer to the Professor. Studies have proven that sitting closer to the front of the classroom improve your grade. This is probably because of many factors. First, you are right up in the action, you’ve got a great view of everything on the board or overhead projector, and you won’t have any giant heads in your way. Second, you are not going to whip out your phone or start talking to your buddy if your teacher is eyeballing you at the front of the classroom, and being so close makes you much less likely to risk being called out by the professor.
#6. Study, don’t cram. Just force yourself to do this. And do it early. Don’t try to cram. In Math studying can be more difficult because it’s like… what do I study? I know the formulas and I can do the math… so what else is there? Maybe you think you know the formulas but it can’t hurt to write them out and make sure they’re memorized (flashcards are useful for this). Go back and do old homework problems. If you feel a bit shaky on a particular area, LEARN IT and don’t stop studying it until you can write a blog post about it without having to look at any notes of any kind.
#7. Don’t be afraid to get HELP. If you aren’t getting something, and you feel completely frustrated, it’s time to seek help. Go to your professor, or a student in class who is doing well. Go online and watch tutorials. Hire a tutor. Whatever you do, don’t give up. You paid big money for this class, a little extra on a tutor is worth the price. Most departments will actually assign you a tutor for FREE if you go speak to an adviser and ask.
#8. Back off on the Partying. If you want to do well, keep your partying limited to 1 night a week (Saturday nights are good for this). You don’t want to show up hung over in class, you won’t learn. You don’t want to skip class, you won’t learn. You need a clear head to learn this stuff. Alcohol brain kills grades. Parties during the week are ESPECIALLY destructive to your learning process… so my advice? Keep it to once a week or less.
#9. Get Exercise. Yes, I’m a trainer, so I’m biased on this issue. However, I know I learn better when my mind and body are healthy. When I exercise, I feel happier (endorphins), I look better, my stress levels go down, etc.. Infinite reasons to get a good jog or weight training session in before studying. PS: studies have proven you learn better after working out and it has been suggested to work out in the morning before class.
#10. Eat Regularly, and Healthy. It’s a well-known fact that breakfast can make or break your test scores. It’s been studied and proven. You need to eat before you take a test. There is much debate on WHAT you should eat, but I know that a balanced and healthy diet helps. Living on vending machine food (I did this my first year of college) is horrible for your health. Feeling sick and gross all the time is horrible for your learning. Try to get in at least 3 meals per day, and if possible, 6 small meals. Keeping your blood sugar levels normal is VITAL to your ability to process and retain information, so you want to have a diet rich in protein and fats (which stabilize blood sugar). Carbohydrates are VITAL to brain health, so you need to have at least moderate amounts of carbohydrates in your diet as well, especially in the morning. It’s important to keep food additives and unnatural foods out of your diet (i.e. foods that will last through the apocalypse (*ahem*twinkies*ahem*) are probably not too healthy for us). 
#11. Don’t Skip Class. Unless you are on your death-bed, don’t skip class. Skipping class means missing important information that is SO MUCH EASIER to learn from a professor than trying to read the notes someone else took or catching up with the book (in my humble opinion, that is). I never skip class, not ever. And that is all I did my first round of college, and I got the C’s to prove it.
#12. Remove the Drama from your life. There will always be drama. However, if you have too much drama going on, and you can identify the source of the drama, it may be time to extract that source from your life. If you have a friend or boyfriend that keeps screwing up your ability to concentrate in class because they’re starting drama, or they don’t respect the time you need to devote to homework, you may just need to make a little space. I mean, if someone can’t support you chasing your dreams and goals, why are you wasting time with them? Surround yourself with people who make you a better person.
I’m not trying to be preachy here, I just know that these are what help me, and I want to help you. Happy weekend to you all!
Calculus Will Be The End of Me 