What if I told you that I improved my grades simply by the type of notepaper I purchased, when and how I chose to read and even by eating candy in class? I did just that.

Attending college, as an adult, I have made strait A's, but I cannot say the same for when I was in high school. In high school, I had many misconceptions about A students. I believed they were naturally smart,' studied day and night,' or my personal favorite, there popularity somehow contributed to those good grades.'

As an adult I took a course on study skills and amazingly I too began to make the grades. Not only that, but is seems that my newfound grades actually began to make me smarter. Grades are not always determined by how hard you study or how smart you are. Try the following techniques and you can determine your own grades.

Claim Your Seat:

It really does make a difference where you sit in the classroom. When you sit in the front of the class, not only do you see and hear better but you are not distracted by what is going on behind you. In addition to what you see and hear, teachers and professors really do have a better perception of the students who sit in the front three rows. If you find yourself on the boarder between and A and a B, or a B and a C, having the instructor in your favor may be what makes the difference.

Take Good Notes:

Go to class armed with pen and notepad, prepared to take good notes. Do not take just any notepad; try to use colored legal paper. Research studies show that your brain remembers what you right better, especially if it is written on colored paper, with yellow being the most memorable.

Snack In Class:

If you can get away with it, studies confirm that you retain more information if you are experiencing something pleasurable while learning. Eating colored candies while listening to a lecture may actually help you remember the details. In fact, if you take a different flavor or type of candy to each class, you may begin to associate the details with the type of candy that you consumed.

Read In Short Sessions:

Your brain retains the information that you read at the beginning and the end of your study session. Most adults only have a twenty-minute attention span; that is why we typically see commercial breaks for every twenty minutes of TV viewing. So if you read for two hours strait then you are going to retain the information you studied during the first twenty minutes and the last twenty minutes.

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Study skill tips for high school students?
We want to hear your view. Write now!