HOW TO DO WELL IN SCHOOL (EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT “SMART”)

School is fully underway for most of us, and whether you’re in person, homeschooling, or online, we all want to do well in school and get good grades! For some people, learning comes naturally and they don’t really need to work hard to succeed. Others (most of us!) have to work hard and do a lot of studying to get good grades. I’m one of the top students in my class but it definitely doesn’t come naturally to me!

My hope for this post is that you feel encouraged that you can do well! I’m going to share some practical tips for getting good grades and doing well in school that I hope will help you (: These are things that have helped me go from low b’s to high a’s, and while it might require some hard work, you’ll be a straight a student in no time!

---

do your homework (twice)

I KNOW. let’s be honest, homework sucks. But teachers give it for a reason! This little rule doesn’t apply to every subject, but I find it very helpful especially with math. Repetition is so helpful and I promise you’ll do way better on the next test or quiz if you do your homework twice! A lot of the time, I do the problems the first time on the day it’s assigned (obviously), then again the next afternoon after it was corrected in class (that’s how my class works!) so I can see if I get the correct answers, and then another time before a quiz or test on that topic. This is really only essential for math but it’s been a huge game changer for me.

become friends with your teachers

Your teachers are there to help you succeed! I don’t mean to “suck up” to them or be the “teacher’s pet” but simply being kind to your teachers, thanking them at the end of class, and being respectful during class will make your teacher like you a whole lot more! When you miss class because of a sick day or a sports game, you’ll be thankful that you took the time to become friends with your teachers because they’ll be more likely to give you extra time for your assignment and help you get back where you’re supposed to be. I’ve had to get a recommendation from a teacher multiple times (for student council) and it was so helpful that we were already friends!

take good notes

Note taking isn’t fun, I’ll be honest. But it’s essential to doing well in school! We all have different learning styles, so figure out how you learn best and write your notes to reflect that. For example, if writing things out by hand helps you remember better, write your notes down old school in a notebook or journal. If you love being able to search through your notes for a key term or concept, I’d recommend taking notes on a laptop or ipad. I love making my notes are neat and well organized (and it doesn’t hurt if they look pretty) no matter where I take them, and you should also make sure that you write down all the important information but don’t write down so much that it feels overwhelming. Don’t worry, taking good notes is a process, but you’ll be so glad you did when test time comes around.

do 10 minutes of quizlet every day

Yes, even if your test is a week or two away. Check to see if your teacher has an account on quizlet (if you’re lucky, everything for your class will already be uploaded) or add any terms and definitions to a set as you come across them. Spending 5-10 minutes reviewing the material each day will make taking the test a lot easier, and you won’t have to worry if you just happen to have a pop quiz!

participate in class

It can be so easy to zone out or not pay attention during class, but let me encourage you to really participate. It’s so hard but it is so helpful, I promise! Don’t doodle on your paper or flip through your planner when the teacher is talking about important concepts. This is pretty self explanatory but it’s very important for doing well in any class.

structure your time well

Yes, this means not spending an hour on social media. I highly encourage getting a planner if you don’t have one (or using google calendar/another free digital option) and sitting down to structure your days each week. I actually wrote a post about this in my glow up weekly post series, so check that out here and the series out here! Figure out everything you need to accomplish – but don’t stop there, sit down and DO IT!! It’s hard but it is so worth it, guys!!

how do you succeed in school? any tips that have helped you? let’s chat in the comments below!

Advertisement