10 Steps To Get a 4.0 In College

If you're anything like me and many other college students, freshman year kicked my butt. If you know me personally, you'll know exactly how I did and hunny it was not good. I saw people around me gliding through and getting 4.0's. And yes, school does come naturally to some people but, that is not me. I sat around questioning "What are these people doing to do so well?" When it came to the point of me either getting a 4.0 or having to leave college I figured my shit out.

Here's how you go from failing out to getting that perfect GPA we all want.

1. Get your priorities straight.
If you want any of these following tips to work your better check yourself. Yes, we are in college. Yes, other things like friends, partying, and life in general can get in the way the only way you are going to be able to stay in college is if you do well enough to stay there. Your school work 100% has to come first. You have a project due Friday night that you haven't even started you better not be going on Thursday night. You will be hungover the next day, tired, unmotivated, and most likely the quality of your work will be down the drain.

2. Go to class
This seems basic but college is a lot different then high school. In high school you have your mom yelling at you to get downstairs in the morning and your social life basically revolves around school so you actually go. However, you hit college and if you go to class or not is fully up to you. If you are attending class you are at least hearing the information once before you take a test. I've had many times where I had no idea what a question was asking but knew we had only covered one of the topics in the answers and still end up getting A's. Actually attending class shows the professor that you care. Your relationship with professors, sadly, factors so much into your grade.

3. Have a good relationship with your professors
If you have a good relationship with your professor I promise you are going to get a good grade. Before class even starts send them an email with any questions about the syllabus and tell them you are excited to be in their class. PARTICIPATE! Professors eat this up it shows you care more than the other 100 kids sitting on their phones. Also, if you are participating you're most likely going to retain the information which is even more beneficial to you. Go to office hours with your questions before a test. Your professor is going to explain it in the way you are going to see it on the test. They will also most likely let you know if the information is not going to show up on the test.

4. Get a paper desk calendar
As soon as you get your syllabus write out every assignment on your calendar. This way you have a big picture of what your semester looks like. You are able to plan ahead and manage your time to make sure you meet all due date. Using this makes sure that you are never caught off guard with an assignment.

5. Have a set study place
Whether it be your desk, the library, or a local coffee shop you need to have a set place to get things go. You brain associates different places with different activities meaning your brain will associate a certain place with studying. Last semester this was the basement of my sorority house. Whenever I had a big project or test I would make myself espresso shots and lock myself in our basement until I finished whatever I needed to get done.

6. Rewrite all of your notes
The best way to study? Rewrite your notes! The second time around get down to the core of what the notes really are. If there is any unnecessary information get rid of that here. Once you are done create a checkbox next to each topic and study them until you can check off each check box. Use things like highlighters or different colored pens to do this so your brain can better remember.

7. Don't over do your class schedule / Don't take all of your easy gen ads at once 
Communication major? Why are you taking chem as your science gen ed when you can take a class about the weather? I know this can seem like the easy way around things but stressing yourself out with unnecessary classes is pointless. On the other end of things, if you do have a difficult major don't take all of your easy gen eds at once. Spread them out throughout your college career so you won't have a semester full with classes that require all of your attention. That semester where you have to take 4 classes and 3 of them are math and science classes with labs you will be grateful you are able to take an easy gen ed.

8. Make time for fun
If you are striving for straight A's school can seem to take up a huge chunk of your life and that can get stressful. Make sure that stress doesn't cause a burnout by making sure you still have fun. This is different for everyone but for me this includes things like a yoga class, volunteering at a dog shelter, or taking a weekend trip. As long as I make sure my work is done for the week I can take the weekends to let me brain relax and recharge for the next week.

9. Use the Grades app
This app keeps me on my toes. At the beginning of the semester you enter all of your classes, the assignments and tests, and how much they are worth. It then asks for your goal grade and as your semester goes along you add in what you get on each assignment. Grade+ then figures out as you go what you need on your assignments and tests in order to achieve your goal grade.
Click here to download Grades App

10. Believe in yourself 
If you haven't been that person who gets A's or you were and a semester of college kicked your butt it can be hard to gain confidence back. While grades really shouldn't they seem to shape how you view yourself and can really drag you down. Realize that anyone can get a 4.0 all they need to do is put in the effort. The more you believe in yourself and be a cheerleader for yourself the better you will do. Confidence is key!