I have heard many of my friends remark that they think I am “smart” because I have received good grades during my time at University. As flattered as I am to hear these types of comments, I assure you I am not that “smart” in particular. Succeeding in school does not require innate “smartness”, but rather 1) Discipline 2) The proper approach 3) Ability to connect the dots. I believe that these three are essential components when it comes to doing well in school. Below I have included some of my personal tips and tricks which incorporate the three components.
1. Work towards understanding not points
One of the biggest personal hurdles I had to overcome during my time in University was shifting my attitude towards learning. In high school, all I really cared about was getting A’s in my classes so usually I would optimize for getting the most points to ensure a good grade. In order to actually succeed in University, I had to really work hard to develop understanding of the topics. Much of the course material builds on top of each other. If I did not work towards understanding the topic early on, the rest of the material became much more difficult.
2. Be there, be fully 100% there
During Lecture and Discussion sections
I know it is quite tempting to sit during lecture halls and play with my phone or sleep in class. The best way to build understanding for the classes is to be there, and I mean 100% there — fully focused and taking notes. By being fully engaged during the lectures and discussion sections, I’m able to get a lot more out of the classes I am part of. If there is a concept that I don’t fully understand, I might go after class and ask the professor to help clarify things.
During TA and Professor Office hours
As an undergraduate student, I remember I went to my TA and Professor office hours a lot. It was very rare for me to miss or skip these times. These office hours are incredibly valuable because I can ask questions, work through practice problems, and discuss topics with the TAs or Professors. I was very fortunate to have had amazing TAs and Professors who were generous with their time during these office hours and helped me succeed in school.
During school tutoring
I utilized the school tutoring centers a lot during my undergraduate days. These programs also helped me immensely. I remember going to these tutoring centers almost everyday for my introductory classes. I cannot stress enough how amazing these tutoring centers were and how pivotal they were to my success in classes especially for the intro series of hard sciences and math. I recommend making the most of these centers because they are there to support and help you succeed in University! Every university should have some form of these centers.
During study groups with my friends
It is tempting to have study groups with friends and well… not study. When having my study groups, I made sure that we came with an agenda — of what topics we needed to go over, what questions we had with the material, and important practice material to try out. Being prepared and ready for these study groups with my pals helped me also succeed in school.
3. Finding the applications and putting them to practice
In my experience, there were times I just couldn’t see the real life application of the things I learned in the classroom. In order to really have the classroom knowledge seep in, I went out of my way to apply my knowledge into real world problems. When I took business classes, I competed in case competitions. When I took coding/engineering classes, I got involved in robotics. I also got involved in research to further my knowledge in particular areas. There are many opportunities at University, whether it be clubs, research or competition teams, to apply your knowledge skills and grow your understanding.
4. Day by day process! Cramming doesn’t work!
Doing well in school is a day by day process. 30 minutes before the lecture, I spent those 30 minutes reviewing the previous lectures material and during the lecture I tried to connect the material together. In the evening of that day, I would review what we went over during the lecture and went over practice problems. I dedicated set times where I would study and stick to it.
I would try to avoid cramming as much as possible as it leads to much more stress and frustration. Sometimes cramming and staying up late is necessary. However, building a good habit of set times to review the material and learn goes a long way.
5. Figuring out how you best learn
It is important to acknowledge that many people learn differently. Some people learn best when they have visual aid. Some people thrive in small section classes, while others thrive in large lecture halls. It is important to recognize and understand how you best learn and build healthy habits around those to best succeed and do well in school!
