Want to know how to get good grades in college?

If you get good grades in college, you will get a high GPA, which will help you enter medical school. When I first came to college, I thought it would be the same thing as high school. In high school, I was taught to memorize as much as I can and regurgitate the facts. In college, you have to be able to "understand" the material, not just know it. You have to be able to synthesize the material and apply it in different ways. Easier said than done right?

Go to Lecture

First, your success to get good grades is to go to class. Seems pretty straight forward huh? Well, in college attendance is optional, so students tend to ditch class. It's easy to sleep in when you have an 8am physics class. Yes, I'm guiltyAnyway, I learned later to schedule classes later in the day because I cannot stay awake at 8am in the morning.I'm not a morning person. In other words, you have to learn how you learn best.

Do the Homework!

Second, do your homework. About 60-70% midterm and final questions come from your homework. Homework is optional in college. Professors don't have time to grade homework. TA's won't grade homework either. They'll just checkto see if you did it. Consequently, it's up to you to make sure you did it right.

Go to Office Hours

Third, go to office hours. The rest of the 30-40% of the exams come from going to office hours. If you're lucky,professors will hint at what is going to be on the final. They will sometimes use the same questions they use in office hours to explain concepts. So pay attention and take notes. Be sure to understand the key points of lessons and concepts.

Don't just memorize, learn to understand!

Fourth, understand major key points. Don't try to memorize your way. You will only get C's. Students who get B's and A'sare the ones who really understand the material.

Work Hard

Fifth, work hard. Don't slack off. Science materials are cumulative, so if you're not keeping up with the work, you will become piled with material. A general rule is for every unit a class is worth, you need to studythree times as much. In other words, let's say Biology 101 is 4 semester units. You need to study 12 hours perweek in order to stay on top of the material. Don't cram. It's difficult to understand material in a short periodof time.

It is not easy to get good grades, but if you follow these rules, you will be fine. Doing well academically is all about time management. Work hard, stay disciplined and you will get good grades!

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