Studying And Good Grades : Advice Appreciated

[MakeItHappen]

hey ya'll ,

i dont want to sit here and complain about how bad my grades are, i just advice that could lead to solutions of my school problem...

right now i'm getting C's and below, i cant get myself to study, i dont understand whats going on in class and dont remember what we did the day before, i waste my time worrying about my grades, i'm far behind in knowing the general stuff of what we're doing...

I live in Africa, here school starts in Jan. and ends in Nov. w/ holidays in between... we write our exams in august and in November... since i'm in a private school, which is one the best in Southern Africa, me being in grade 11 in this private school is equivalent to grade 12 government schools. so this year is basically my last and i dont want to FVK up, you know!?!

so whoever has some advice that could help me push my grades up to B's and A's or concerning homework and tests, whatever it is you think would help, type away, cuz looking at the amount of money my parents are paying, failling would be outright embarrasing...


One

 

[Smooth as Anything]

Identify what you want to accomplish.

Is the fear of failure enough to motivate you?

Or is it the desire to succeed?

Give yourself a reason to work and you will.

 

[Superman X]

Here's what you have to do:

Establish a habit of studying at a certain time, every day. For me, it's right after I get home from the gym. It will be hard at first, but as you do it for more and more days, it becomes normal. Eventually you'll feel weird if you don't study.

We are the sum of the habits.

-Dan

 

[Vigilante7]

Look, im facing the exact same thing you are facing:

Im 16, I just left a the top private school in Canada (everyone there is very smart) and we do a grade higher then what were in, I left last year when I was in grade 10, and we were doing grade 11 ect, so its very difficult, and there are very high expectations. We also did the IB (International Baccalaureate) program which is very difficult, but on top of that we wanted to be top 5% of IB schools in the world

I left cause I hated the environment and kids there were rich and spoiled. Im now at a small private school in grade 11 / junior… and we do the same material as grade 11, but the demands are high…..

Ive been through a lot and im very smart, but ive always got grades in 60-70’s never 80’s (only up to grade 4 was I getting 90’s in a small private school), even though im quite intelligent, I have to do well on these exams or else I might leave the skool….Ive gone from this is what you have to focus on…..look at one of these options…

1) Why am I not studying?
You don’t seem to be motivated and your worrying yourself about your grades…All I recommend is get a piece of paper and pen and write all the benefits of getting good grades and why you need them, think about each one and motivate yourself to accomplish them….then right down all the positive accomplishments that you have received IT DOSENT HAVE TO BE MARKS, IT CAN BE COMMENTS . You need to focus and get yourself motivated…..Cancel all distractions, get rid of TV, computer, anything that distracts you, and make this a priority….There is a lot of pressure on you and you need to realize why there is pressure

2) Confidence Low….biggest negative ever
You have to realize, IM very gifted athletically, intelligently and socially, but I still feel extremely disappointed with my marks ….you must do the same thing and envision all the positive accomplishments you’ve had, and realize the push that you must feel…..MAKE YOURSELF STAY IN A ROOM WITHOUT ANY DISTRACTIONS AND ONLY WITH A BOOK, so your forced to study……do what it takes to study…

3) Realize your mistakes…
If your sleeping too late, fix it, if your drinking, drugs, STOP IT, these waste time, money, and intelligence, you have to change your lifestyle around, cause increasing marks is no easy task….If your in a bad environment, switch it….you know where your making mistakes… Just because your sitting in a room and looking at a boom for 5 hours, dosent mean your working effeciantly ….Realize your errors and fix it

4) Verbal communication
I don’t know if your at a bording school or not, but talk to your parents or school counseller… Someone who can help you and get these issues off your chest…This way they can help you solve them as well as avoid you from wasting time on them….Know that your in the same boat as many, and many have turned it around

Ive gone from a potential ‘Ivy league’ kid with leadership, athletic ability, intelligence, work ethic to a kid with negative comments, low confidence, low makrs and struggling to get into a community college…

Im struggling, but I know I will make it, so just focus yourself, use your breaks (in between studying) to sleep or listen to motivating music, NOT PARTY, NOT VIDEO GAMES (this way your mind rests and your mote focused and less tired)…. Your in your last year and you need the grades so focus yourself and accomplish it

 

[MakeItHappen]

thanks for the advice guys.... i feel stupid hearing ssuch good advice from a guy my age (16) but thanks anyway

One

 

[Vigilante7]

Originally posted by MakeItHappen
thanks for the advice guys.... i feel stupid hearing ssuch good advice from a guy my age (16) but thanks anyway

One

Np, just realize at only 16, ive gone throught ALOT OF BAD EXPERIENCES

 

[Abnigh9]

I learned this from my veteran grandpa. He told me once about killing and he said "there are some things you just can't question and you just GOT to do it".

When you are killing someone, it's nasty, but you just GOT to do it.

Same with school. It's ugly, stupid, useless, but you just GOT to do it. Better not to question it because the truth hurt.

Truth is? It's useless.

 

[Bunk 040]

BUMP

This is some good ass advice, figuring that I need to be studying for Exams right now. I am doing something school related though.

 

[gav]

i wrote this a wee while ago.
be sure to research the memory bit especially if you are having trouble remembering for exams

http://www.sosuave.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?threadid=50447

 

[Serg897]

very nice post Vigilante.

Anyone reading this can benefit from what you typed up there, including myself.

 

[jonny football hero]

I also got a quote from my grandad. "shut up and get on with it"

 

[Salacious D]

You have to have a desire to learn. You'll never do well at anything unless you're actually enjoying what you're doing--that's why armies with poor morale lose wars. You have to enjoy learning. Since, from the sound of it, your teachers haven't done a very good job invigorating you, I'd suggest reading books outside of school more often. Reading as little as twenty minutes a day will improve your intelligence significantly, not only because you're absorbing new things you never knew existed, but because you're augmenting and improving your very ability to do so (just like working out).

The first thing I'd suggest is getting a subscription to The New Yorker. This magazine is packed with the best english writing on the planet. It isn't cheap, but it's worth every penny. You'll never run out of interesting things to read, as the magazine is bi-monthly. If you're not sure about spending fifty bucks for a six month subscription, try to find an issue at a library or something, and check it out.

Don't be daunted by the size of books, first of all. There are plenty of awesome books that are long and plenty of ****ty books that are short, in fact, there are probably more of the latter than the former. You'll also improve your vocabulary by leaps and bounds if you quickly look up every word you aren't familiar with, either with a dictionary nearby, or one of the greatest resources on the planet (as far as I'm concerned), dictionary.com. Also, do your best to finish the books you start. Stick with it.

Some other basics--read without music or the tv playing, without any noise in the background. Be comfortable, and unless you're reading yourself to sleep, make sure you're sitting up. The biggest reason, I've found, people don't read, is because they fall asleep when they're reading! Drink something while you're reading too, like icewater or coffee.

Some books I would recommend--

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E Lawrence, otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia. Essentially tells the story of how, during World War 1, the different countries in the Middle East that exist today (including Iraq) were wrested from Turkish Control, mostly from the help of this British badass named Lawrence, who acted as a kind of advisor to the Arabs during their revolt. Not only did he play a huge role in carving up perhaps the most strategically important place on the Earth, but a few years later he would put his adventures into one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. It's an incredible story and I'm confident that anyone who picks it up will enjoy it to the end.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'brien. Awesome book of short stories about Vietnam. I haven't met anyone who hasn't liked it (and my entire Junior class had to read it).

The Generation of Vipers by Philip Weily. This is a book that I doubt even the "smartest" kids in your school have heard of, I discovered it only by accident. It's the only "intellectual" book I've ever read that's truly enjoyable, in that it discusses a huge array of problems with our society that I've never seen anyone else approach as logically and concisely. It's essentially an attack on people who think they are smart, but often digresses to much broader subjects. It was written during World War 2, but it's still far ahead of our time.

1984 George Orwell. I actually think it's referenced a bit too much today by people who don't really know what they're talking about, but the reverse logic (war is peace, etcetera...) is pretty cool. The writing itself is what does it for me.

If you start with any of these books, you should be on your way to not only a more intellectual (and fulfilling) lifestyle, but better grades, as well.