the air

Every college student wants to be successful and they all want good grades. Whenever they hear about a fellow classmate acing an exam or an assignment, they often credit that student as being smart or naturally gifted. You would have to be a complete idiot to think that every student who does well is smart. In fact, anyone can play the game and beat the system if they knew some of the dirty secrets of a good student.

1. I procrastinate because I enjoy it

There are literally dozens of articles published on the web that discourage students not to procrastinate. If you start an assignment or project early, what do you really accomplish? Sure, you could argue that you’re not up late the night before it’s due, but what if the assignment itself is complicated? I’ve procrastinated countless number of times and more often than not, I’ve earned great grades on those tasks and I’m satisfied. Here’s the trick: if you only need a 90% or better to get an A, why waste energy to get 100%? I succeed because I do the bare minimum to ensure that I get the A. Am I wrong? My grades would argue no.

2. When the going gets tough, the tough get going

This is probably the biggest key to any good student’s success. I’m sure you have heard of the saying “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”But did you know that there is a steep price to pay for success? When I have to get my work done, I make sure that I get the work done no matter what. If that means I cannot sleep for two days straight, then dammit, I will be up for 2 days straight working on that assignment. You have got to be willing to sacrifice anything and anyone for your success. Would you rather attend your girlfriend’s birthday party or study for that exam? Just remember, you paid for your college education, you didn’t buy your girlfriend. So get your money’s worth.

3. Good students always use their resources and aren’t shy

No student was born with Calculus already learned. The fact is that if you don’t seek out help or take advantage of the resources at your disposal, you’re not going to succeed. That means, go to your professor’s and teaching assistant’s (TA’s) office hours. Ask your friends, your classmates, or those who have previously taken that course for assistance. Remember, people may laugh or poke fun at you for asking for help, but in the end, it will be you who has the last laugh when they see the awesome grades you earned. Ask questions in class, no matter how stupid it is. The only stupid thing you could do is to not ask any questions. Who cares if your question is dumb or your answer is wrong? If you at least attempt to ask or answer, it shows you have courage and the guts to learn the material. So don’t be shy and use and abuse your resources.

4. Stay ahead or you’ll lose

If you procrastinate like me, then you better be damn good at staying ahead of the course schedule. That doesn’t mean you need to read ahead. It means you should know when the deadlines are for every assignment, exam, projects, etc. Why? If you know what is due when, then you can prepare accordingly so that you are not caught off-guard. I’ve seen so many of my fellow classmates surprised in class when the professor hands out quizzes or collects assignments. Many professors are notorious for not announcing any deadlines, so know your schedule inside out. Face it, all those kids who do well (I mean those who don’t cheat), all know what is due and when. If they don’t, you should take the upper hand and be their role model.

Those are just a few of the dirty secrets of a good student. But what are your secrets to success? Maybe you have your own dirty little secrets? Share them in the comments so that we can all be dirty good students.

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