Midterms are quickly approaching, but have you checked your grades recently? If things are not looking so great, it might be time to take a step back and come up with a plan. Do not lose all hope or rely on extra credit to save you. To get you back on track, we have come up with five tips that should guarantee improvement. 

• Attend every class

Although sometimes it might seem desirable to skip a class or two, try to make the effort to attend every class unless there is a good reason not to, such as if you are sick. By attending class, you are gaining valuable knowledge that not only can be used for homework and exams, but for your career. Skipping class can become a bad habit and will put you behind. Plus, you could miss out on important information from your professor that could make or break your final grade. You may think you can glean all the information you need for exams in your textbooks or lecture notes, but that is not always the case. 

• Take notes

Have you told yourself you would remember something from your professor’s lecture and when it came time to do homework or take the exam, you completely forgot it? We cannot remember everything, especially when a lot of information is being given. Taking notes is essential in college and will help you recall everything you have learned. Most students now use technology via laptops to record notes, but it is highly recommended to do handwritten notes. A Princeton University study in 2014 discovered that students who took notes by hand, performed better than those who used digital devices. The reasoning behind this is that our brains can conceptualize better and enhance memorization because we are actively thinking about the words we write down. If you were to type notes on your laptop, there is more of a chance to get distracted and typing does not take as much thought as writing. 

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions or get help

If you are unsure about something, do not be afraid to ask for help. Chances are another classmate has the exact same question. Professors are more than happy to help you understand a topic. In fact, professors encourage students to ask questions because they want to make sure everyone is on the same page and engaged in the topics they are discussing in class. If you are still struggling to understand, you can also reach out to a tutor. Tutors will give you that one-on-one learning experience while moving at a pace that works for you. You can view Idaho State College of Business’s tutoring schedule here. 

• Start assignments early

Starting assignments early can prevent procrastination and create higher quality work. You also get the chance to look back and review it before turning it in. This is especially helpful for bigger projects that take large amounts of time to complete. If you do homework last minute, you start to accumulate stress and end up not putting in as much effort. Sometimes putting it off can also give the incentive to cheat to get it done faster, which is academic dishonesty and will result in penalties. Turning in your best and most honest work guarantees a higher grade.

• Study regularly

In addition to starting on your assignments early, take the time to begin studying for upcoming exams early as well. Cramming all of your notes into your memory the night before a test won’t help you to remember what you’re learning long-term and will likely cause you to do poorly on the exam because you're trying to memorize information rather than fully digest and understand it. Give yourself time to truly study the information and absorb it. Then, a week or so before your exam, review all of your notes every night before bed. This will help you to remember the information.  

Do not stress if your grades are not doing great right now. We are nearly halfway through the semester and there is still time to raise them. Take these five tips in practice and hopefully with enough work, you will see progress. 

Works Cited

Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Association for Psychological Science. Retrieved from https://linguistics.ucla.edu/people/hayes/Teaching/papers/MuellerAndOppenheimer2014OnTakingNotesByHand.pdf