How to Apply to College

1. Understand that there is a college for every student who wants to go. The USA has 4000 degree-granting institutions. Almost all of them accept the majority of applicants, only a small number of elite schools accept less than half the people who apply. Hundreds of colleges accept almost everyone who applies. So, you are definitely getting into college if you want to go.
2. On the other hand, top schools like Harvard, Stanford, Duke, UChicago, etc receive many thousands of applications from top students for their Freshman classes. It is important to have a realistic view of what your credentials are and what those schools require. Try to match your own grades and special abilities with the standards for the school you want to attend.
3. 

   

   Tour group at Vassar College.
   Visit some colleges. There is a big difference between different schools - some are huge with 30,000 or more students, and some have only a few hundred students. Do you want a city campus or a country campus? North or South? A particular religious group? Go there and look. If you have a friend, or another kid from your high school who goes there, get them to show you around.
4. Successfully complete high school or an academic equivalent (such as a GED). People who move on to higher education have many different educational backgrounds. Among community college students in the United States, 43% are age 21 or younger, 42% are ages 22-39 and 16% are 40 or older. Your age should not be a negative factor in applying to college.
5. Take the SAT or ACT test because about 85% of colleges require one or the other for first-year students. Nearly all schools will take either one, but a few schools will only accept one or the other, so check the school website to see if they are picky or not.
6. 
   Use college and scholarship search sites such as Fastweb.com to your advantage. Look at colleges that have features that interest you, such as ideal major, class size, location, and the like. Check out their websites, since many of them have application information. It is also worth checking out books about scholarships at your public and school libraries.
7. If you contact the schools that you are interested in by signing in on their admissions website, they will probably send you a pile of information about the school. Most schools now have information online. You should do this as early as possible if you are still in high school, because some colleges have unusual apply-by dates or a list of required high school classes.
8. By the time you are a Junior in HS you should be narrowing down the list of schools you want to apply to. It would be a really good idea to visit some schools during your Junior year. Decide what college(s) you want to apply to based on the information they sent you. By October of your Senior year you should know who you are applying to and what they want in terms of references, test scores, etc. Do not leave this decision until several days before the due date for forms and paperwork. A lot of information may need to be obtained, including references for some colleges. It is also important to be certain about your choice and not just apply "for the heck of it" or because everyone else is going to that college. It needs to suit you and what you want.
9. Visit a few colleges and spend a few days there if you can. Try to talk to students in various grade levels and ask them for their perspective of the school. Oftentimes, a college will give a visiting student a fee waiver. These can save you $50 or more, plus visiting beforehand can help you decide whether or not you even want to bother applying.
10. Apply if the college is right but don't bother applying if it is not. This sounds simplistic but it is an important consideration. Your choice will effect you for many years down the track. If you feel like a square peg pushing yourself into a round hole, you must evaluate the importance of doing this against the possibility of going to somewhere else that may not be so prestigious or handy but offers you exactly what you want.
    • You may have been asked to submit letters of recommendation along with your application. Never forget to thank the people who were willing to write those for you! Without their contribution, your application might not have been accepted. Give them plenty of time to write the letters and keep track of whether they have actually sent them out. You should be thinking well in advance about which teachers you want to write recommendations. And, it isn't a bad idea to do a little extra schmoozing with those teachers to be sure they know you and have something nice to say about you.
    • Middle tier schools and top tier schools usually require you to write essays. They expect these essays to be impeccable, thoughtful and creative. Be sure you are unique in expressing yourself, but avoid eccentricism that would be detrimental. There is a lot of advice online about how to write these, so look around and see what other students have done.
    • If the college that interests you requires certain subject qualifications, it is helpful to know this well ahead of time before you attempt to apply with a different set of subject requirements.
    • Also consider issues related to residency, expenses, quality of final qualifications, scholarship/bursary availability and your own eligibility etc.
11. Most of the more respected schools require applications to be completed by January of your HS Senior year. By around April 1st they will tell you whether you are admitted, then you will have to decide by May 1st if you will go there. For many middle level schools or less selective schools, you can apply at any time and they will tell you in a few weeks whether you are accepted. There are many schools (but not the famous ones) which have empty seats in their Freshman class right up to the start of school in September. So, if you don't get accepted in April, then you can still work on applications and find a school that will take you right up to the start of the Fall term.

How to Deal With College or University Rejection

# Read the rejection letter carefully to make sure you have actually been completely rejected. In your rush, you may have only picked up on negative words and assumed the worst. Some colleges or universities may put you on a wait list or something similar but the letter you get may look like a rejection letter.
# React however you feel is right for you. If you want to cry, cry. If you want to hit a pillow, hit a pillow. If you want somebody to talk to, find somebody who will listen. Everybody deals with rejection in different ways.
# Act fast and look at what their requirements for re-application and reconsidering applications are, if you desperately want to go to this college or university. Some will require a quick decision.
# Consider carefully whether you would like feedback on why you were rejected, as most places will happily provide reasons for their decisions. Learn why you have been rejected may help you improve applications for the future and help you find closure- however, it could also rub salt in open wound

How to Study

When you sit down to study, how do you transfer that massive amount of information from the books and notes in front of you to a reliable spot inside your head? The best way to facilitate that kind of "file transfer" is to develop good study habits, as outlined below. At first, it'll take a good deal of conscious effort to change your studying ways, but after a while, it'll become second nature, and studying will be easier to do.

1. Manage your time. Make a weekly schedule and devote a certain amount of time per day to studying. That amount will vary depending on whether you're in high school or college, and also varies by field of study.
   
   
   • Study in 20-50 minute chunks. It takes time for your brain to form new long-term memories, and you can't just keep studying flat out. Take 5-10 minute breaks (no more!) and do something physically active to get your blood flowing and make you more alert. Do a few jumping jacks, run around your house, play with the dog, whatever it takes. Do just enough to get yourself pumped, but not worn out.
   • Make enough time in your schedule to get enough sleep. Think of it this way: If you sleep only 4-5 hours, you'll probably need to double your study time in order to be as effective as if you'd gotten 8 hours of sleep. Study more and sleep less? That doesn't sound like a very good deal. Get a good night's sleep every night and you'll be making the best of your study time. If you end up a little sleep deprived despite your best efforts, take a short nap (20 minutes) before studying. Then do some physical activity (like you would do during a break) right before you start.
2. Find a good study spot. You should feel comfortable, but not so comfortable that you risk falling asleep--a bed isn't a very good study spot when you're tired! The place where you study should be relatively quiet (traffic outside your window and quiet library conversations are fine, but interrupting siblings and music blasting in the next room are not).
   
   
   • As far as music is concerned, that's up to you. Some people prefer silence, others prefer music in the background. If you belong to the latter group, stick to instrumental music (music that has no words like classical, soundtrack, or some celtic) and that you're already familiar with (not something that's bound to distract you)--otherwise, your brain will "multi-task" and not be able to retain information as well.^[1]
   • Having the television on while you study is generally a bad idea.
3. Clear your mind.If you’ve got a lot on your mind take a moment to write yourself some notes about what you're thinking about before you start studying. This will help to clear your mind you focus all your thoughts on your work.
4. Snack smart while you study. Have your snacks prepared when you begin a study session--don't wait till you get hungry and go rummaging for food. Avoid any snacks or drinks that will give you a rush of energy, because with every rush comes a crash in which all the information you studied is lost to an intense desire to sleep. Focus on "slow release" carbohydrates, which not only give you a steady stream of energy, but they also boost serotonin, a brain chemical that makes you feel good:^[2]
   
   
5. Rewrite your notes at home. When you're in class, emphasize recording over understanding or neatness when you take notes. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to understand or organize your notes at all; just don't waste time doing something in class that you can figure out or neaten up at home. Consider your in-class notes a "rough draft" of sorts. Rewrite your notes as soon after the class as possible, while the material is fresh in your mind and so you can fill in any gaps from memory. The process of rewriting your notes is a more active approach to studying--it engages your mind in a way that just reading the notes doesn't.
   
   
   • You may find it easier to keep two notebooks--one for your "rough draft" notes, and another for your rewritten notes.
   • Some people type their notes, but others find that handwriting enhances their ability to remember the notes.
   • The more paraphrasing you do, the better. Same goes for drawing. If you're studying anatomy, for example, "re-draw" the system you're studying from memory.
     
6. Learn the most important facts first. Don't just read the material from beginning to end, stopping to memorize each new fact as you come to it. New information is acquired much more easily when you can relate it to material that you already know.
   
   
   • When you are beginning to study a new chapter, it will make the information it contains much more meaningful and easier to learn if you first take a few minutes to read the introduction, the headings, the first sentence of every paragraph, and the chapter summary to get a good idea of what the chapter is about before going on to read the chapter as a whole. (Word for word, these portions also contain more information that is likely to be asked about on a test!)
   • If you can, use a highlighter, or underline the most important points in the body of the text, so that you can spot them more easily when you review the material. It also helps to make notes in pencil in the margin in your own words to summarize or comment on important points. (These practices may make your textbook worth less when you sell it back to the bookstore, but it may make it worth a great deal more to you at test time!)
     
     
   • You can also read just these portions in order to quickly review the material you have learned while it is still fresh in your memory, and help the main points to sink in.
     
     
   • This is also a great way to review the most important ideas just before a test, when your time is especially limited.
     
     
   • It's also a good way to periodically review in this manner to keep the main points of what you have already learned fresh in your mind if you need to remember a large amount of material for a longer period -- for a final examination, for a comprehensive exam in your major, for a graduate oral, or for entry into a profession.
   • If you have enough privacy, it also helps to recite your summaries aloud in order to involve more senses in the activity of learning, like listening to music over several channels at once. Incorporate your summaries into your notes, if there is a connection.
   • If you're having trouble summarizing the material so that it "sticks" in your head, try teaching it to someone else. Pretend you're teaching it to someone who doesn't know anything about the topic, or create a wikiHow page about it! For example, Memorize the Canadian Territories & Provinces was made as a study guide for an 8th grade student.
7. Make flash cards. Traditionally, this is done with index cards, but you can also download computer programs that cut down on space and the cost of index cards. You can also just use a regular piece of paper folded (vertically) in half. Put the questions on the side you can see when the paper is folded; unfold it to see the answers inside. Keep quizzing yourself until you get all the answers right reliably. Remember: "Repetition is the mother of skill."
   
   
   • You can also turn your notes into flash cards using the Cornell note-taking system, which involves writing grouping your notes around keywords that you can quiz yourself on later by covering the notes and trying to remember what you wrote based on seeing only the keyword.^[3]
8. If your textbook has a vocabulary section, a glossary, or a list of terms, make sure that you understand these completely. You don't have to memorize them, but whenever there is an important concept in a particular field, there is usually a special term to refer to it. Learn these terms, and be able to use them easily, and you will have gone a long way towards mastering the subject itself. (Besides, teachers frequently draw from these lists as a quick and easy way to make up test questions!)
9. Make associations. The most effective way to retain information is to "tie" it to existing information that's already lodged in your mind.
   
   
   • Take advantage of your learning style. Think about what you already learn and remember easily--song lyrics? choreography? pictures? Work that into your study habits. If you're having trouble memorizing a concept, write a catchy jingle about it (or write lyrics to the tune of your favorite song); choreograph a representative dance; draw a comic. The sillier and more outrageous, the better--we tend to remember silly things more than we remember boring things!
   • Use mnemonics (memory aids). Rearrange the information is a sequence that's meaningful to you. For example, if one wants to remember the notes of the treble clef lines in music, remember the mnemonic Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge = E, G, B, D, F. It's much easier to remember a sentence than a series of random letters. You can also build a memory palace or Roman room to memorize lists like the thirteen original colonies in America, in chronological order. If the list is short, link the items together using an image in your mind.
   • Organize the information with a mind map. The end result of mapping should be a web-like structure of words and ideas that are somehow related in the writer's mind.
   • Use visualization skills. Construct a movie in your mind that illustrates the concept you're trying to remember, and play it several times over. Imagine every little detail. Use your senses--how does it smell? look? feel? sound? taste?
10. Make it a group effort. Get some friends together--friends who are actually interested in studying, that is--and have everyone bring over their flash cards. Pass them around and quiz each other. If anyone is unclear on a concept, take turns explaining them to each other. Better yet, turn your study session into a game like Trivial Pursuit.

How to Get Into an Ivy League School

It is the dream of thousands of students all over the world to be admitted to an Ivy League institution, considered by many to be the pinnacle of collegiate education. However, accomplishing this has become even more difficult than before, as the applicant pool has been growing, and there are absolutely no guarantees to getting in. However, the following tips will hopefully give you an idea of the route you'll need to take if going to one of these schools is your dream. Note that they apply to virtually any elite school.

1. Make sure it's really what you want. Why are you aiming to go to College? Far too many applicants apply simply because of the school name's prestige, or the pressure of overzealous parents, which is bound to lead to unhappiness.
   
   
   • Research the school. Find out whether the location, social life, students, professors, climate, dormitories, food services, etc. are things you would enjoy for four years. Visit campus, talk with professors and current students. Get a sense what your life there would be like. Also, try to see if you can spend a weekend there. Several colleges offer that option.
   • Consider the costs of attending College (can be upwards of $50,000 per year, plus rising by 6% each year), and whether having a degree from that institution will really help advance your career dramatically more than attending another prestigious private school that may not be as expensive. And, a full scholarship at a good school might make more sense than over $100,000 of debt at a great school. The Ivy League have the deep pockets to offer generous financial aid, and of the eight Ivy League schools Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, and Princeton have need-blind and full-need admission policies. They also define "need" more broadly then their less wealthy peers. If your family income is less than $75,000 you won't be charged any tuition at several of the Ivies. As a group these are the wealthiest colleges and compete with each other so their financial aid offers to the neediest students involve little more than working a job at school and over the summer with no parental involvement. This would be for the neediest (Pell Grant eligible) student at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth or Columbia.
   • Think about the quality of your education, rather than the name. Some Universities center largely around research, which can leave undergraduates feeling neglected. Alton O. Roberts, a retired professor and an Ivy League grad himself, says "The undergraduate at these schools is pretty much there to keep the streets paved. The money doesn't go toward the undergraduate budget. A student will face large classes, and teaching assistants instead of professors."^[1] Combine that with increased competitiveness at Ivies, and you may be wondering if an education there is really all it's cracked up to be. However, bear in mind, these are the words of a retired college professor that graduated years ago. The schools have changed considerably since then. One should consult with recent alumni to get an accurate understanding of the learning climate at an Ivy League institution.
2. Start early. A slacker who decides to start making grades late in their secondary education years will not be admitted--you should have a consistent history of high scholastic achievement. (Note: there are exceptions as colleges also love to see improvement.) Cultivate extracurricular activities from as early as elementary school--but make sure you are involved in activities about which you are truly passionate. Start focusing in on your favorite interests right before entering high school.
3. Challenge yourself. Seek out the most demanding and rigorous opportunities at your school, especially in the academic arena. It's preferable to do well in a challenging program than to be exceptional in an average one. If your school offers advanced courses, an Ivy League school will expect you to have taken them.
4. Excel. In an applicant pool where a significant portion of students are valedictorians, and where students with perfect SAT scores are regularly rejected, you have to find a way to stand out. Think on a national or international scale; don't just limit yourself to the opportunities in your home town. Spending a summer helping raise funds to build a school in Peru will mean more than raising funds for your local church.
   
   
   • Having a GPA in the top 10% of your class is essential, and being ranked among the top few students dramatically betters your chances.
   • Standardized testing, an ugly reality of college admissions, must also be exemplary. Aim for attaining at least a 700 (out of a possible 800) points on each section of the SAT (and on individual SATII tests), or a composite of 30 on the ACT for a reasonable chance of being admitted. Bringing these scores up to 750+ on each SAT section, or a 33+ composite ACT, will give you solid scores that need not be improved. At the same time, however, do not repeat the test more than three times. According to Chuck Hughes, a former senior admissions officer at Harvard, the admission panel will notice, and your repeated attempts to get a high score may come off as too focused on scores.^[2]
   • Regarding extracurriculars, Ivies would rather see an applicant who is regionally--if not nationally--recognized in one or two areas, instead of one who is merely "very good" in myriad activities. Hughes says: "It's great to be good at a bunch of things, but colleges look for students who do one to two things exceptionally well."
5. Lead. In the areas where you excel, look for opportunities to take on additional responsibility as a leader. This can range from being class president to cheerleading captain to an officer for a club you participate in. Take your job as a leader seriously, as the lessons you learn in this role can be the experiences that set you apart from the crowd when you write your essay or get interviewed.
6. Polish your application. What many applicants do not realize is that high grades and test scores will not guarantee admission: they merely "get you through" the first round of rejections. After that, the college will examine what kind of person you are, which is expressed through one or more essays, teacher and counselor recommendations, an interview and, in a few cases, a peer recommendation. Seek out teachers who know you well, and have a favorable opinion of you (hopefully they all do!). Begin working on your essay long before the deadline, so that you will have sufficient time to revise it. Alumni interviews range from relatively nonchalant (e.g. Dartmouth) to make-or-break interrogative ordeals (e.g. Harvard)--dress respectfully, be expectant of questions your interviewer may ask, but above all, just be yourself!
7. Sit back, and wait for the results! Most Ivy League decisions arrive in early April, or can be checked online the first of the month. A few schools will send out "likely letters" to their more desirable prospects 1-2 months earlier to informally notify them of their acceptance.
   
   
   • If you have been accepted, congratulations! Do not, under any circumstances, allow your grades to significantly slip or break the law--students have been dropped by schools to which they were admitted for these very reasons. It's only two more months, you can do it!
   • If you have been waitlisted, your chances of being accepted off the wait list are quite slim--move on to your next choice.
   • If you have been rejected, you have hopefully applied to other schools (most of which will offer a perfectly good education). Remember that a rejection from an Ivy does not mean you are a lesser person by any means. Admissions at this level is a complete crapshoot, and students who may have been accepted in previous years can be rejected this year (and vice versa). Studies have shown that students accepted to Ivies that attended other schools were just as successful in life as their Ivy counterparts; the same holds true for those with the qualifications to attend an Ivy who just happened to be rejected. Continue doing your best, and your efforts will be rewarded in other ways.
8. Keep trying. If at first you don't succeed, there are a couple of other ways into the Ivies other than the front door.
   
   
   • If you do outstanding work at a second tier school, you can try transferring to an Ivy after a year or two. You might not receive credit toward graduation for the work done at the other school. You will probably be able to skip repeating introductory courses, but you might still have to take four years of courses, which means padding things out with more advanced courses or with courses you're interested in outside your major. Your degree is from the school where you finish, not where you begin.
   • Another option is grad school. By doing outstanding work at an undergraduate program and performing very well on the appropriate admissions exam (e.g., GRE, LSAT) you may be able to be admitted to an Ivy League graduate program. In addition to providing excellent opportunities for scholarship, many of these programs offer opportunities offset tuition and other expenses via teaching or research assistantships.
   
   

• Having a "hook" is often an impetus toward acceptance. Being top of your class is ordinary at Harvard, but being top of your class despite a physical or mental disability sets you apart.
• Students from "rare" geographic locations in the US are generally more likely to gain admission. Wyoming and Mississippi are examples. On the flip side, those from overrepresented areas like southern California, New England, or the mid-Atlantic region will face stronger competition.
• Some categories of applicants are often given preference, among them legacies, recruited athletes, and under-represented minorities (URMs). Having a parent or relative who is famous, or has made a multi-million-dollar donation to your prospective school, helps too. In fact, almost half of the students at Ivy League schools fall into one of the above groups.
• Legacies, in general, are defined as applicants who have had one or both parents who are alumni of the institution in question. Some schools will extend this definition to include grandchildren as well. You can find out what any particular college considers a legacy by calling the admissions department and asking.
• Recruited athletes are often those proficient in "niche" sports like lacrosse, crew, or squash. Lacrosse is the 2nd largest team sport (roster number/team) in division I and the Ivies excel in it (Probably at least 8 NCAA championships by Princeton in the last 15 years) These students have the added pressure of a full course load and heavy involvement in a sport.
• Schools look to fill their schools with a variety of students from different walks of life. Consider getting your undergrad in something off the beaten path since most schools don't care what your undergrad degree is in but diversity is key. Also try some more obscure activities or charity work on the side.
• Even though colleges say they don't consider race, that's not true. Race can play a very important part of the the admissions decision. Virtually all colleges want to be more diverse. African Americans are accepted in virtually all colleges (including the Ivies) by simply scoring a 650 or higher on each section of the SAT. The above generally applies to Hispanics. Remember to attach a photo to your application. Note that the above does NOT apply to Asians. This was taken from a Princeton Review book.
• If you attend a school where IB (International Baccalaureate) is offered try to graduate with the IB diploma (all class) or as many IB Certificates (single classes), because having the IB Diploma greatly increases your chances of getting accepted at these selective schools.

How to Be an All Around Good Student

If your purpose in school is to excel and get great grades, the following tips might just make it easier for you to achieve your goal.

1. Be Organized. Buy a binder. Buy a pencil case and put all your supplies in there. Make sure your locker is clean. Use your student handbook to mark events, homework or big projects.
2. Dress Nicely. It shows respect. Don't wear clothes that are too small or too big.
3. Pay attention at all times and be prepared in class. Make sure you have done your homework and take notes. Show that you are a willing participant and that you are eager to learn.
4. Do not procrastinate. Leaving until later what could be done today is asking for trouble and crammed results. If a report is due by Monday and you've had three weeks to do it, don't wait until Sunday.
5. Participate in class discussions. When you have something to share, raise your hand.
6. Work ahead of the class work. Read further than the chapter in class. If you want to take the lead in your class you need to work hard!
7. Do your homework. Do homework consistently and methodically. Make sure that you proofread and double check your spelling and facts.
8. Prepare for upcoming tests and quizzes and everything else in between. Fill out the study guides if they are supplied, or make your own guides.
9. Get yourself in a good habit of waking up a little earlier. This will allow you to have a good breakfast so you can learn better. Feeling refreshed and awake are perfect studying conditions.
10. Study in a quiet, non-distracting environment. Distractions during study time will make your studying less effective. This includes TV, people talking, the radio, some music etc. - anything that is taking your mind off the task at hand.
11. Repeat newly registered information quietly out loud. This will enable you to remember it more easily.
12. Remain calm during tests. Breathe deep breaths when the test is being handed out and keep a calm and focused approach as you go through the questions. If you have studied well, you will know the answers, so don't panic.
13. Skip the hard parts of a test. In a test, if you are some times struggling with a particular question, skip it and continue with the next ones that you can easily answer. . After you have finished all the questions that you are certain about, return to finish the difficult ones. Use the process of elimination on questions where you are not sure, and guess when you can't logically narrow it down any further.
14. Help new students find their way around, and be a friend to them. If you see someone being mean to a newbie, stand up for them. Get yourself known as a great friend and helpful person and people will respect you. Besides, if they can rely on you to help them, chances are you can rely on them when you need help.
15. Join clubs and extra-curricular activities such as the school sports teams, drama clubs and other things that might put on performances for the local community, or have competitions against other schools.
16. Be nice to everyone. Listen when they talk - don't dominate conversations by going on and on about yourself. If someone loks upset and is on their own, go and check on them. Invite them to hang out with you. If someone is sat alone at lunch, invite them to sit with you, or go to sit with them. If they're sat alone because they're bullies, you might think "Oh, they don't deserve to hang out with people 'cause they're so mean" but there may be a reason for their bullying. Perhaps they're very insecure, or have no friends. If you befriend them, you can help them gain confidence in themselves, and help them stop bullying. Stand up to them if they continue being mean, and if they won't stop then stop hanging out. Some people are just genuinly nasty, and they are NOT good friends. If they're on their own because they have no friends, chat to them, invite them to go shopping with your friends or to a movie. Ask questions about them: remember, almost everyone's favourite topic is themselves. This follows on from the ealier step of helping new students: people will feel like they belong, and they'll feel happier and more comfortable in front of people, ratehr than a sad little loner. You may also find some great new friends, or even a BFF.
17. Run for class president/school council or something like that. Even if you think it's geeky, have a go! You might actually make it cool!

[edit] Tips

• 
  Consider working with a study buddy so that you can ask each other questions that you expect to be on the upcoming test. This way, you can quiz each other. Make practice quizzes and take them by yourself, make practice crossword puzzles and games to help you study. Be wary though -- studying with a friend could possibly distract both of you.
• Be sure to write legibly and with the correct writing tool during tests. Using pink pens or colored pencils can cause you to lose points.
• Use mnemonics (devices for memorization) when you can (ex. the names of the planets in our solar system: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Up Nine Pizzas).
• Proper planning prevents poor performance. Use Google's calendar to keep track of what you want to do in the coming days in your academic and private life. The "e-mail alerts" and "cell phone (SMS) alerts" services available will remind you just in case you forget about anything.
• To take good notes, keep them neat and complete. Write down anything that you think is important. Keep separate notebooks for each subject and think about having a table of contents in the front so you can go back and review your work easily. You may even consider keeping two notebooks, one at school and one at home, so if you lose one notebook, you still have another.
• Follow up class notes with reading from the textbooks. Good reviews may also help. Google Scholar can help you find good review papers. Using the school's wireless internet system or library computers (whether at a public library or in school), you can access Jstor, which is a huge database of scholarly journals that could assist you in either study or writing papers.
• Be civil to teachers and other students as well. They'll help you more if you're nice to them.
• Study for upcoming tests that you know eventually will come. By the time the teacher tells you that you have a test, you will be fully prepared and not stressed.
• Ask questions -- that's why your teachers get paid! They're there to help you, so don't be afraid.
• SLANT. Over the years, scientists have been observing what good, well rounded students do. S stands for sit up. L stands for look and listen. A stands for answer questions. N stands for nod. T stands for talk to your teacher. Hopefully, while you are improving grades this will come to you naturally.
• When taking a test, if you come to a question you're blanking on, look at the rest of the test. Usually, some questions will have the answer to them as another question as a different part of the test.

• Many international students are under a lot of pressure to get A's all the time because they are in scholarship programs. A warning for them and for all students in general:
  
  
  • Don't sit too long because there is a risk of getting disk hernias in the back which are very painful and medically impossible to cure. They become chronic illnesses.
  • Don't stay in front of the computers for long periods because there is a risk of getting myopia in the eyes. When the eyes get myopia, glasses have to be worn. It is not comfortable to use glasses all the time.
  • Stand up and take a 10 minute walk every 30 minutes of study or work. It is going to be healthy for your eyes and your back.
• Make sure you retain all your notes from previous lessons. This will enable you to refer to them, at final exams or national/state/provincial/regional tests

How to Be an All Around Good Student

If your purpose in school is to excel and get great grades, the following tips might just make it easier for you to achieve your goal.

1. Be Organized. Buy a binder. Buy a pencil case and put all your supplies in there. Make sure your locker is clean. Use your student handbook to mark events, homework or big projects.
2. Dress Nicely. It shows respect. Don't wear clothes that are too small or too big.
3. Pay attention at all times and be prepared in class. Make sure you have done your homework and take notes. Show that you are a willing participant and that you are eager to learn.
4. Do not procrastinate. Leaving until later what could be done today is asking for trouble and crammed results. If a report is due by Monday and you've had three weeks to do it, don't wait until Sunday.
5. Participate in class discussions. When you have something to share, raise your hand.
6. Work ahead of the class work. Read further than the chapter in class. If you want to take the lead in your class you need to work hard!
7. Do your homework. Do homework consistently and methodically. Make sure that you proofread and double check your spelling and facts.
8. Prepare for upcoming tests and quizzes and everything else in between. Fill out the study guides if they are supplied, or make your own guides.
9. Get yourself in a good habit of waking up a little earlier. This will allow you to have a good breakfast so you can learn better. Feeling refreshed and awake are perfect studying conditions.
10. Study in a quiet, non-distracting environment. Distractions during study time will make your studying less effective. This includes TV, people talking, the radio, some music etc. - anything that is taking your mind off the task at hand.
11. Repeat newly registered information quietly out loud. This will enable you to remember it more easily.
12. Remain calm during tests. Breathe deep breaths when the test is being handed out and keep a calm and focused approach as you go through the questions. If you have studied well, you will know the answers, so don't panic.
13. Skip the hard parts of a test. In a test, if you are some times struggling with a particular question, skip it and continue with the next ones that you can easily answer. . After you have finished all the questions that you are certain about, return to finish the difficult ones. Use the process of elimination on questions where you are not sure, and guess when you can't logically narrow it down any further.
14. Help new students find their way around, and be a friend to them. If you see someone being mean to a newbie, stand up for them. Get yourself known as a great friend and helpful person and people will respect you. Besides, if they can rely on you to help them, chances are you can rely on them when you need help.
15. Join clubs and extra-curricular activities such as the school sports teams, drama clubs and other things that might put on performances for the local community, or have competitions against other schools.
16. Be nice to everyone. Listen when they talk - don't dominate conversations by going on and on about yourself. If someone loks upset and is on their own, go and check on them. Invite them to hang out with you. If someone is sat alone at lunch, invite them to sit with you, or go to sit with them. If they're sat alone because they're bullies, you might think "Oh, they don't deserve to hang out with people 'cause they're so mean" but there may be a reason for their bullying. Perhaps they're very insecure, or have no friends. If you befriend them, you can help them gain confidence in themselves, and help them stop bullying. Stand up to them if they continue being mean, and if they won't stop then stop hanging out. Some people are just genuinly nasty, and they are NOT good friends. If they're on their own because they have no friends, chat to them, invite them to go shopping with your friends or to a movie. Ask questions about them: remember, almost everyone's favourite topic is themselves. This follows on from the ealier step of helping new students: people will feel like they belong, and they'll feel happier and more comfortable in front of people, ratehr than a sad little loner. You may also find some great new friends, or even a BFF.
17. Run for class president/school council or something like that. Even if you think it's geeky, have a go! You might actually make it cool!

[edit] Tips

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  Consider working with a study buddy so that you can ask each other questions that you expect to be on the upcoming test. This way, you can quiz each other. Make practice quizzes and take them by yourself, make practice crossword puzzles and games to help you study. Be wary though -- studying with a friend could possibly distract both of you.
• Be sure to write legibly and with the correct writing tool during tests. Using pink pens or colored pencils can cause you to lose points.
• Use mnemonics (devices for memorization) when you can (ex. the names of the planets in our solar system: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Up Nine Pizzas).
• Proper planning prevents poor performance. Use Google's calendar to keep track of what you want to do in the coming days in your academic and private life. The "e-mail alerts" and "cell phone (SMS) alerts" services available will remind you just in case you forget about anything.
• To take good notes, keep them neat and complete. Write down anything that you think is important. Keep separate notebooks for each subject and think about having a table of contents in the front so you can go back and review your work easily. You may even consider keeping two notebooks, one at school and one at home, so if you lose one notebook, you still have another.
• Follow up class notes with reading from the textbooks. Good reviews may also help. Google Scholar can help you find good review papers. Using the school's wireless internet system or library computers (whether at a public library or in school), you can access Jstor, which is a huge database of scholarly journals that could assist you in either study or writing papers.
• Be civil to teachers and other students as well. They'll help you more if you're nice to them.
• Study for upcoming tests that you know eventually will come. By the time the teacher tells you that you have a test, you will be fully prepared and not stressed.
• Ask questions -- that's why your teachers get paid! They're there to help you, so don't be afraid.
• SLANT. Over the years, scientists have been observing what good, well rounded students do. S stands for sit up. L stands for look and listen. A stands for answer questions. N stands for nod. T stands for talk to your teacher. Hopefully, while you are improving grades this will come to you naturally.
• When taking a test, if you come to a question you're blanking on, look at the rest of the test. Usually, some questions will have the answer to them as another question as a different part of the test.

• Many international students are under a lot of pressure to get A's all the time because they are in scholarship programs. A warning for them and for all students in general:
  
  
  • Don't sit too long because there is a risk of getting disk hernias in the back which are very painful and medically impossible to cure. They become chronic illnesses.
  • Don't stay in front of the computers for long periods because there is a risk of getting myopia in the eyes. When the eyes get myopia, glasses have to be worn. It is not comfortable to use glasses all the time.
  • Stand up and take a 10 minute walk every 30 minutes of study or work. It is going to be healthy for your eyes and your back.
• Make sure you retain all your notes from previous lessons. This will enable you to refer to them, at final exams or national/state/provincial/regional tests

How to Get Straight "A"s

Everyone who has been through it, knows that getting straight "A"s is not a mystery, and you don't have to be Einstein to do it. As anything else in life though, it does require effort, determination, and positive thinking. Just do your best.

1. Always pay attention in class. You would be surprised to see how much you would learn from not talking and just listening. If you don't completely understand the material, ask the teacher about it. If you're embarrassed by it, do it after school or in between classes. If you must talk, do it when the teacher isn't exactly 'teaching', or when they give you free time. Of course, don't be afraid to ask, statistics show that at least one other person in your classroom has the same question on mind as you are wanting to ask. It's your future, not theirs.
2. Read your lesson prior to the class. You don't have to study it and memorize it, just read it to have a notion of the topic in class, and to prepare the questions for the teacher to clarify.
3. Take good class notes. Don't write everything the teacher says, just enough bullets or headlines to remind you of the class discussions and significant points.
4. Always spend approximately 20 minutes reading your class notes, and reading the material from the book. This is crucial as books are usually written by subject experts and are more extensive and better prepared than the teacher's materials presented during class.
5. Do the exercises at the end of the book. This is the best way to prove to yourself that you understand the material.
6. Find a quiet place, like your room, lock the door, and imagine you are the teacher explaining the subject to a student. This is also a good way to measure your understanding of the material. If you can participate in tutoring programs in school, this serves the same purpose.
7. Be proactive in participating in study groups. To deepen your understanding of a particular subject, it is sometimes beneficial to hear other people's perspectives and explanations. This sometimes helps clarify topics that we may misunderstand or not fully understand.
8. Never stay up late the night before a test. If you are not prepared by the prior evening, chances are you will not get an A, and pulling an all-nighter will only tire you and hamper your focus during the test. Studies have shown that if the brain does not get enough sleep, it cannot consolidate the memory. It is pointless to study all night before the test, you will not remember any of it.
9. Get organized. Consistently place all assignments or handed back work/handouts separate and in chronological order. Not only does this make life in general easier, but it really, really helps come exam times, especially if there will be a cumulative "end-of-the-year" exam.
10. Take courses you are interested in. You will do better if you are actually enjoying yourself while in class. One consistently will find that your favorite classes are the ones you get the best grade in.
11. Be aware of your body clock. The human body learns best at specific times (usually in the morning for most people). Be sure you save this time for studying and internalizing important class materials, and reserve the other time for less pensive activities as homework or socializing. Avoid studying when you are tired. In general, you should try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.
12. Pay attention in class. You will understand the subject better and know what the teacher is talking about prior to a test.
13. Spend a reasonable amount of time on your assignments. Assignments done at the last minute or of poor quality will not help you much. Also, they won't reflect your skills as a student and probably will lower your grade.
14. Do your homework. A lot of your mark is based on whether you do your homework and whether you have a good attitude. Chances are, if you do your homework, you'll do better on tests, too. Doing homework does not mean only doing assignments that are going to be collected or graded. For example if the teacher asks for you to read a section of the textbook, there is a reason for it, and doing all of your homework includes doing every assigned task and taking notes on reading whether it is required or not. This is the most important step to achieving an A in the class. Since you will always be prepared for class, pop-quizzes, and it will significantly decrease the amount of time you need to study. For example, if you do this in mathematics class, you will often find that you will not need more than a 10-minute review of the formulas/concepts and that's it!
15. Never cheat or copy someone else's work! Cheating could get you a zero on the assignment/test and you could risk getting expelled from your school if you get caught. Cheating won't help you in the long run.
16. Get a Planner: One of the most important things that you will need to succeed is a planner. Write down your homework right when the teacher assigns it, not later or you will forget! If a teacher tells you when a project is due or a test or quiz will be given write it down! This will help you know what you have to do.
17. Create a study time: Have a designated time each day that you will only use for studying. You will need at least an hour mattering on how much home work you have. If you don't have homework, look over your notes for the day and make sure you understand it. This will help you understand the subject and even prepare you for a pop quiz. Also, read for at least twenty minutes each day. This will help your vocabulary as well as your reading skills.
18. Show Up: Never skip class. This will only hurt your grade. Never play hooky! You will get behind. Only miss school if you are really sick. If you are sick for more than two days get your work from a teacher. When you come back get all your work done. Strive to get perfect attendance!
19. Ask about your grade: Asking about your grade constantly will help you raise your grade, motivate you to do better, or help you rewarded for your work.
20. Stay Focused: It's not how long you sit in a place with the books open, its what you do while you are sitting. Some people open their books and ignore everything; while a straight A student stays on task.
21. Set Goals: Remember there is happiness in getting straight A's and reaching to your dream day by day makes even more happy; it's the beginning of achieving your dreams. Here is a poem: "When we ponder the stars, when we reach for our dreams, we're never bothered by how far away they seem. Instead, we are inspired by the beauty of our vision. Dreams are like stars they are brilliant and permanent"
22. Breakfast and Food: Always eat breakfast. Breakfast supplies your brain with vital nutrients which allow you to pay attention and participate efficiently in class. Avoid the ingestion of sugary foods. While sugary food do taste good, the energy received from sugar quickly turns to a crash, which makes it harder to pay attention in class.
23. ASK QUESTIONS: asking questions helps you in getting a grip over the subject with all your doubts solved

• Learn from other students. Books such as Cal Newport's Getting Straight A's detail the specific study strategies employed by real straight-A college students.
• The right attitude will help a lot. Some people are amazingly intelligent, but because they just don't care they end up making lower grades.
• These are not the only ways of getting straight As! Since individual learning styles vary, study skills should be developed in accordance with one's personal characteristics.
• A great way to understand something is to try to appreciate it. If you hate the subject, you have a very good chance of failing it. Try to find something to learn every day that you think is at least kinda cool. If that's tough, find something interesting, weird, or unexpected about the subject and go from there. When Mozart was asked about his huge musical talent, he replied: “Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”
• The skills required to maintain perfect grades vary across levels of education (high school, university, graduate, professional, etc). Entering new phases of your education will require you to learn new skills and to develop different sorts of study and work habits.
• Ultimately you're looking to get a job. Employers and colleges are increasingly looking for extra-curricular skills and activities, not just academic ones. Work hard, but make time for other things as well. The same principles of learning academics apply to learner sports. 95% of professional athletes practiced their sport for an average of 8 hours a day when they were in high school. You may have the potential to be great at something, but it is practice and dedication that actually make you great. Whether it's the tennis team or the chess club champion, hard-work can make you the best in your area.
• If you are failing or don't understand something, try talking to the teacher. The teacher is one of the best resources for help in class. Another possibility is a tutor. Many successful students have tutors even in their best subject. Having a tutor is no shame and it is certain that many of the top students at your local schools probably use tutors.
• Don't be afraid to burn the midnight oil if you don't have something done. It is almost always better to turn an assignment in on time that might not be its best due to working late, than turning it in late. On the flip side, staying up all night before an exam can be detrimental, and caffeine can only go so far.
• If you have finals, prepare from day one of class. Keep notes clear, and note what is asked on tests. Also be sure to flip back once in a while to check how you've remembered things.
• Try to balance all areas of your life, if you're having trouble socially or not getting along with your friends or family, you might feel too emotionally stressed out to do stuff like your homework.
• Try and do all your assignments the day you get them, you wont need to worry about them as much and will have more time for fun :)
• Know the syllabus. You can not get an A if you do not know what is required to get an A.
• Learn about your teacher, ask friends who have had them before. Learn their body language, they will emphasis what is important for the course or tests to come up.