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Advice & More
How to Raise Your GPA in Semester 2
By Angela Mukigi
Angela is a freshman and first-year writer at the Natick Nest.
1. Get Late Credit
If you aren’t able to finish an assignment on time, finishing it later and earning a little credit, even if it’s a low grade, is better than keeping a zero.
2. Sometimes Turning in Something That Isn’t 100% Done Might Get You a Better Grade
If there are times when you are too busy to finish an assignment entirely, sometimes it’s okay to turn it in when it isn't 100% complete. Depending on the teacher’s late work policy, you might get a higher grade this way. This is only if you absolutely can’t do all your work one night and still get enough sleep.
3. Spread Out How Much You Study for a Test
Start studying for tests in advance and spread it out over a couple of days. There is research that shows that you are more likely to retain information if you do it little by little over the course of a couple of days rather than doing it all at once.
4. Use Knowt
If you use Quizlet but don’t have premium, you can upload a set of Quizlet flashcards (even one that someone else made) to Knowt to use the Practice Tests and Learn Mode multiple times.
5. Write a Note Card
A good study technique is to write everything you haven’t yet memorized on a notecard and use it to review. You can look it over a couple of times in between doing other things. It’ll help a lot with memorization.
6. Have a Study Schedule
Having a time that you always do homework makes it easier to make it into a habit. This way you won’t feel like you don’t have time to work or study because you planned a specific time for it.
7. Find a Friend to Do It With
If you have a friend who also wants to raise their GPA, you could work together to keep each other accountable.
8. Change Environment
Consider studying in a different room than usual, especially if you usually work in your room. You could go to Morse Institute Library and book a room. It’s also good to go with friends, and it’s near a couple of restaurants and Dunkin, so you can hang out and study at the same time.
9. Stay After to Work (maybe with friends)
Instead of going to the Natick Library, you could also stay after in the school library alone or with friends because the environment is more structured than your house.
10. Take Away Distractions
Taking away distractions for a little while to work helps you move quicker. There are apps that you can download to lock your phone for a certain amount of time so that you don’t scroll through social media.
11. Go to a Teacher’s CDS to Get Extra Help
If you need extra help in a class, going to a teacher’s CDS is more helpful than asking in class because the teacher can give you more time. It also shows them that you care about their class.
12. Use Study Block Efficiently
Even though it’s hard if you have your study block with friends, try to work during this period. Having a lot of work is overwhelming, so if you get some of it done before you get home, you are more likely to do it.
13. Use All the Time You Have
Another time where you can knock off more assignments before you get home is when you have a block where a teacher is absent. It’s hard to work during this period, but even doing a little while listening to music or in between conversations is better than nothing.
14. Working Passively
Sometimes if you can’t fully get yourself to focus during study or free time, then it’s okay to do an assignment while talking with someone. You could also have a show or movie in the background so that you don’t feel too stressed. This will take you more time than if you were 100% focused, but it can be the better option if you’re feeling tired.
15. Work Ahead
If it was a Red day and you finish all your homework for tomorrow early, doing a little bit of the assignments that will be due the next Red day is a good idea. If you are always ahead of your assignments school will feel less hard and stressful.
Giving yourself more focused time to do homework and study will help you raise your GPA. Maximizing the time you have in a day will eliminate the days where you have multiple assignments due or multiple tests coming up that you haven’t started preparing for.