Analyzing the Secrets of Improving Grades in College

Introduction

New students in college have to adjust to the college life where no one directs one on what he or she should do at a particular time. This paper is aimed at analyzing the secrets of improving grades in college and the secrets of surviving college. The first secret of improving grades (PLA-2) in college is choosing the right courses to take. Students should pick the classes that they are capable of doing them. Careful attention should be made when making choices on the courses (Kith and Patrick 201).

Right courses help students achieve excellent performances in college. High academic achievers in college choose the right courses and work on them.

College students should take an appropriate number of units per semester. For one to excel academically in college, he or she should not overload himself/herself with many units in one semester. Taking more than the required number of units lowers the student's GPA. It is thus good to consult the concerned departments if one is not sure of the number of units he/she should take.

Students should be in charge of their academic performance to improve their grades. College is different from high school where parents and teachers remind students to study and work hard to score higher grades, therefore, college students should be self-driven and work on the improvement of their grades. Many students in colleges relax because no one is there to push them to study and this eventually leads to failure in their academic performance in school.

Pride lowers ones grades. I remember sometime back in college when I wanted to be the best academic student I took more than the required units in that semester. Little did I know that I was overloading myself. It was tough for me to cover all of them. The hardest time was during exam period since I had to revise for all the units I had taken. I managed to do the review, but the results were terrible. My GPA dropped from 69 to 57, and I even got three retakes out of the nine units that I had taken. I later realized that I was not capable of doing more than six units. From this example, it is clear that work overload among the students lowers their academic performance.

Another way of being successful academically in college is planning. Students should balance off the things they have to do daily. They should have a calendar to guide them in their daily activities. The schedule should include the hours of study each day (Britton and Abraham 405). That way, the students will have a good plan of what they will be doing as the semester progresses. Failure to plan the semester leads to poor performance among the students.

Joining a study group in college can help one in getting good grades. Sharing ideas in group discussion helps one to understand the concepts more which results in the improvement of grades (Madsen 36). The study group should meet at least once in a week. Students can improve their GPA if they commit themselves to determined and organized discussion groups. Sometimes I do not understand some concepts in a unit but we discuss as a group, I find them easy and understandable because in the group they are explained in a simple language. Group discussion has helped me get good grades in college.

Building self-confidence among the students is another way of achieving academic excellence in college. Students should believe in themselves that they can score high grades in their courses. Confidence motivates students to work extra hard which results in good performance. Students who have confidence in themselves are highly motivated to achieving quality grades, and therefore they set targets for themselves and work hard to reach the set goals which results in academic excellence. Also, they should have a positive attitude towards the units they are taking and the lecturers of those units. Also, group discussions build confidence among college students (Madsen 37).

One of the secrets of surviving in college (PLA-2) is keeping a budget. Students should not spend money because other friends do. It can be frustrating to be broke in school because one will not be able to eat and meet other necessities in education which in turn affect their learning process (Haiyang, and Ronald 108). A budget should be made for the whole semester to avoid the inconveniences caused by overspending. Finding good company will help students thrive in college. Good friends help one develop good morals and become successful. College students have freedom, and therefore nobody cares what they do. Therefore, they need to make the right choice of friends they want to work with (Terenzini et al.,60). Some friends can pressure you to use drugs others will encourage you to strive for academic excellence, so it is upon the student to choose what kind of friends they want. To thrive in college, students should choose friends wisely. When I joined college, I found different kinds of friends others were drug addicts while some were Christians. I acceded to the company of the Christians because I was also a Christian. They helped me develop spiritually, academically and socially.

Doing things by oneself is another way of surviving college. Friends can lead you astray sometimes, so it is safe to do things by yourself. You do not have to do everything with your buddies. It is okay to go for a club meeting by yourself even when none of your friends have gone. It is also okay to study by yourself or to stay in your room when all the roommates have gone out (Kith and Patrick 196). Self-identity is important in college because it helps you to do the right things at the right time. In my first semester in college, I used to follow what my friends wanted me to do. I sometimes force myself to go out when I had an exam the following day which eventually affected my performance negatively. As a student, you need to follow your principles.

Conclusion

College is different from high school. In college, nobody cares what you do. There are no parents or teachers to remind you of what you should do at a particular time. Students in college should be responsible and careful in the choices they make in school. Good company in college can help one develop socially, morally, spiritually and academically. Group discussions, time management, proper planning, and the choice of right courses are some of the ways that can help students improve their grades. Some of the ways of thriving in college include: keeping a budget, choosing good friends and doing things by oneself.

Work Cited

Britton, Bruce K., and Abraham Tesser. "Effects of time-management practices on college grades." Journal of educational psychology 83.3 (1991): 405.

Chen, Haiyang, and Ronald P. Volpe. "An analysis of personal financial literacy among college students." Financial services review 7.2 (1998): 107-128.

Kith, George D., and Patrick G. Love. "A cultural perspective on student departure." Reworking the student departure puzzle(2000): 196-212.

Madsen, Daniel B. "Issue importance and group choice shifts: A persuasive arguments approach." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 36.10 (1978): 1118.

Terenzini, Patrick T., et al. "The transition to college: Diverse students, diverse stories." Research in higher education 35.1 (1994): 57-73.

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