Head of the Class: The Golden Rules of Academic Success

academic success

Are your grades slipping? Are you worried about academic success?

You don’t have to overexert yourself to be an A+ student. Strategies for academic success include setting goals, managing your time, taking breaks, taking care of your body, and meeting your teachers.

This article will highlight tips for academic success in greater detail. Let’s explore.

Establish Goals

Establish long-term goals throughout your academic career. Further, assess what you want to accomplish.

Do you want to boost your GPA? Do you want to make the dean’s list? How can each class bring you one step closer to achieving your goals?

Moreover, create goals within the classroom.

  • Example: For larger assignments, you can divide them into separate categories: research, outline, and writing. More importantly, take breaks between each section.

Without goals, you’re more likely to perform poorly. Reward yourself when you reach your goals.

A reward can be a small dessert or a short online session. You can also give yourself bigger rewards after accomplishing larger goals.

Improve Time Management Skills

To set goals effectively, learn how to manage your time wisely. You can craft a manageable schedule as follows:

  • Daily Schedule: In the evening, draft a day schedule for the next day. Additionally, include anything you didn’t finish in your next day’s schedule. Use your weekly schedule to plan your daily schedule.
  • Weekly Schedule: Plan your weekly schedule each Sunday. Include all upcoming classes for the week. Include unfinished work from last week.
  • Monthly Schedule: On a calendar, mark all special assignments for the class. Special items could be presentations, research papers, or tests. Include extracurricular activities or school functions.

When it comes to scheduling, prioritize the largest assignments first. Additionally, begin with the most complex subjects.

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In the beginning, you have more energy to deal with the most time-consuming assignments. Then, you can work on the least difficult assignments with ease.

Another key aspect of time management is a dedicated workspace. Find a regular spot where you can study in peace. You can also have several workstations as long as they’re quiet.

Within your workspace, you can also create study sessions. Your study sessions should include:

  • Reviewing your notes
  • Reading your textbooks
  • Working your assignments

Study sessions should be around 40 to 50 minutes. Study sessions lasting over an hour will make you more tired. Breaks also allow your brain to retain the information.

Take Frequent Breaks

Many students think they need to study for long periods to get good grades. In other cases, students will cram to finish the assignments quickly.

However, the best students take frequent breaks between assignments.

  • Example: Study for an hour and take a 15-minute break. During your break, eat a nutritious snack, or do some stretches.

Pushing your body beyond the limit will hamper your goals and affect the quality of your work. Don’t use your study time to watch TV or go on social media. Many students think they can go on Facebook or watch TV for 15 minutes.

However, 15 minutes may turn into a half-hour or longer. As a result, you lose precious study time.

You may also feel the urge to take a nap. If you need a nap, don’t sleep any longer than 20 minutes. Naps may cause you to oversleep and miss your study time.

Take Care of Your Body

If you get tired throughout the day, readjust your sleep schedule. Try to get at least seven hours of sleep. A well-rested body will boost your concentration.

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A good sleep schedule will also give your body more energy throughout the day. If you’re a night owl, consider going to bed an hour early.

A healthy diet will also infuse your body with more energy. Eat a diet with plenty of protein and vegetables.

Cut out wasteful carbs and sugar as much as possible. Sugar will make your body crash, causing you to be less productive. You can also eat brain foods in the form of:

  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Blueberries
  • Broccoli
  • Fish
  • Dark chocolate
  • Nuts

Many brain foods (i.e. fish) contain omega-3 fatty acids that enhance your nerve and brain cells. In other brain foods (i.e. blueberries and coffee), they contain vital antioxidants that foster better communication between brain cells. Also, antioxidants will alleviate stress.

Exercise is another way to alleviate stress. Moreover, exercise releases endorphins into your brain, causing you to feel better. Exercise also gives your body more energy.

When taking a break, you can go outside and get a short burst of physical activity. You can also do a short yoga session. Above all, you should incorporate physical activity outside of study sessions

Get to Know Your Teachers

Your teachers or professors can help you become better a student. You won’t get to know all your teachers on a personal level. However, you should meet the ones who teach subjects related to your major or minor.

Perhaps they can highlight areas where you can improve. Moreover, they can become mentors throughout your academic tenure.

They can also provide letters of recommendation. If you’re interested in education beyond the classroom, you can discover more by searching online.

What is the True Key to Academic Success?

The true key to academic success is managing your time. Successful time management allows you to create realistic goals and do better in school.

Your academic success plan should also include regular breaks. To energize your body, eat healthy, sleep regularly, and exercise routinely.

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