So you are heading back to school, hitting the books and hoping to ace your classes this semester. The following tips can be equally be applied at a high school level or university or college level. Remember, once you hit higher education you are more responsible for organizing your work load and getting the school work done.  Below are 10 tips to help you ace those classes.

1)KNOW WHY YOU WANT TO SUCCEED IN AND WHAT MOTIVATES YOU

Find your why. What is your motivation for wanting to achieve. Is it to help people, is it to use your talents or is it simply to do well in life. These are all good reasons. However merely trying to live up to someone else’s expectations is not a good reason. Know your motivation. Your why will go a long way in determining how dedicated are to achieving your goal.

2) PUT YOUR COURSE WORK FIRST

Being a successful student takes effort. Do not be tempted to neglect your studies. Procrastinating, partying too much, taking on too many employment hours and leavening assignments to the last minute will cause your schooling to suffer. Put your course work first. Cramming is not a good strategy and causes undue stress.  Your future self will thank you.

3) ORGANIZE YOURSELF AND MAKE A PLAN

Plan, plan ,plan, plan, plan, this cannot be emphasized enough. Write things down. Make sure you know your deadlines and give yourself enough time to get them done. Apply strategic planning to your studying. To stay on top of the game make use of a calendar. Fill it with important dates, events and deadlines. Plan your study times so you know exactly what you are doing when it will be completed.

4) SIT AT THE FRONT OF THE CLASS AND MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN

Do not hide yourself away at the back of the class. The general perception is that people who sit at the back of the class are not interested in learning. Ask questions and take notes. Get to know the teacher and teaching assistant (TA) and let them know you. Also take advantage of any one on one study sessions offered teachers and assistants.  If your teacher sees that you are focused on learning they will take you seriously and support you.

5) USE THE HALO EFFECT

Interestingly there is an action called “the halo effect’ which impresses on the teacher that you are a model student. In the first few weeks of class you are sit in the front and be sure to make eye contact with the teacher. Also take notes. In doing this you show yourself to be studious. By establishing this “halo” effect your teacher will take you more memorable and looked on more favorably.

5) Understand the aims and objectives of the course

Know the game plan. Understand what the course is trying to teach and understand who is teaching it. Here are some questions to ask: How is the course weighted? Are the marks based more on the exam results, the participation or the assignments? What is the teacher like? Is he or she known to be difficult? Is the professor a hard marker?  What are the teacher’s view points?  Is this a course that is known to be difficult?

You may want to choose professors who have a reputation for being fair. Or you may want to choose a teacher whose views are in alignment with the way you think. You may also want to choose a course that does not have reputation for being notoriously difficult.

6) KNOW HOW ASIGNMENTS ARE GRADED

Decide strategically where to place most of your efforts. For example, if 50% of your marks are based on  written papers and another 50% based on the final exam ten you need to focus your time equally on both.  If writing assignments are worth 80 percent and the exams worth 20 percent, you may want to focus on creating well written assignments and stress a little less about the exam. Also if certain assignments are graded higher than others, you will need to spend more time on them than on the other lesser assignments.

7) MAKE FRIENDS WITH KNOWLWGEABLE STUDENTS AND STUDIOUS CLASSMATES

Befriend students who have taken the course before you. They will be able give you feedback and tips on how to be successful in that class or program.

It is very important to make friends with the people who are smart and focused. Focused people are usually found at the front of the class.Make sure you have your classmates emails and contact numbers. Organize study times together and get the most out of each other through collaboration.

They say you are the sum total of the 5 people that you hang around with the most. People who get good grades often hang around together. Focused friends will help to keep you focused and accountable.

8) STAY ON TOP OF THE WORK AND SEND IN ASSIGNMENTS EARLY

Hand in assignments early .Your professors will get to know who you are and consider you a serious student. Remember after marking a couple of hundred assignments late assignments will not be marked with much enthusiasm. In fact when your professor gets your paper early leverage that extra time to ask what you should fix and make the corrections they say they suggest. Use the teachers comments as a  guide to  understand their expectations.

9) PRESENT YOURSELF WELL AND MAKE AN IMPRESSION

Pay attention to details. Presentation is key. Content that matters, but so does presentation. Take that little extra effort to make everything look good and well presented. If the work you present is sloppy, messy and full of mistakes you will not be taken seriously.  Your work speaks for you. Always create a good impression. Well presented work gives the impression that time, care and interest has been put into it.

In group assignment don’t be afraid to stand out or even to present the assignment. A well presented project can be something you can talk about and show off as an accomplishment in the future.

Make a good impression on the people you worked with in your work co-op placements. Learn as many new skills as you can as can be used to leverage future employment.

10) STUDY SMART NOT LONG

Make sure you have all the required books, materials and equipment required for your course of study. You do not want to short change yourself by having inadequate resources.

  Study smart. Spending long hours of reading on a subject is not necessarily the best way to study. Know your limits. Do not sit for hours on end and overload your brain. We are generally our most productive in the first hour or two when studying. After that the returns are limited. Deliberately break your study time into smaller portions and you’ll be surprised how much more you can get done. Work for an hour, then do something else, then resume again. Alternatively, you can do two hours and then come back to the subject the next day.

Take advantage of audio books on the subject and join a study group. Take advantage of talking to the teacher, TA (teachers assistant) and the people in your class. All these varying means will keep you motivated and interested. They will help you learn and appreciate the subject from many different angles. Not to mention the good impression you will make on the teachers and TAs through seeking out their advice.

Follow these 10 well thought out tips and you will be on your way to passing your courses with flying colors