HOW I WENT FROM A 1.5 TO A 3.72 GPA IN ONE YEAR : TIPS AND TRICKS
Hey guys, what's up? It's Olivia! If you've read the title already, you're probably thinking, "There's no way she went from a 1.5 to a 3.7 GPA." It was hard for me to believe myself! There were extreme lifestyle changes I had to go through in order to achieve this huge gap and improvement. I've never felt like an intelligent student. I've constantly been compared to other Asian-Americans growing up, as there are strong pressures and stereotypes surrounding Asian teens growing up in the US to get straight A's. I was never one of those students.
However, from the beginning of 2020 up until now, I experienced a huge change in the way that I utilize my time to study and how I study. I wanted to make this post for students who feel like they've read all the books and articles that they can in order to 'improve their grades' and have hit a brick wall. I hope these tips can be helpful! So without further ado, let's get started!
1) UTILIZE YOUR TIME WELL
The biggest difference between the school year when I got a 1.5 GPA until 2020 is how I utilized my time. In my sophomore year, I would sleep in almost every morning and miss my math class. I also didn't study in the evening either. I waited until the last minute to get work done.
I made a lot of changes this school year. One, I bought a planner, which I will talk about later in this blog post. Two, my junior year, I had a free period every morning. I used this opportunity to grab breakfast and go to the library to get homework done and study. This way, I wasn't sleeping in, I got a kickstart to my day, and I was able to have more free time in the evening to hang out with my friends if I wanted to. But most days, I would also spend the evening studying with my friends in the library as well - this meant that my weekends were completely free to go out and hang with people.
Do what you know you can benefit from. I used to never go to breakfast. That small change in my life, waking up early and getting something to eat, also made me more energized and awake every day. Going to a quiet place on campus to get work done made me focus. All of those small changes can seem so dramatic in the big picture but once you do them, I promise you, you won't go back.
2) PLANNER
Buying a planner is something I find a lot of people are hesitant to do. Because there are so many different types of planners with different types of layouts, it can sometimes seem hectic. For example, there are some planners that include to-do lists, goals for each day, and a time table. Then, you have more simplistic planners, which I personally like. Those will just have space for you to do whatever you want - add cute stickers or just write down your tasks. I personally like those because I don't need the extra things for my life, but chose a planner that will best fit your lifestyle.
Why I think more people should use a planner, is because writing down tasks or whatever you have to do that day and being able to cross it off is a great feeling. Studies show that if you write something down and you're able to cross it off, whether it's an essay or something as simple as drinking four or more cups of water each day, it gives you a satisfying feeling and it will make you want to be more productive in order to cross off more tasks. This is something I've found to be very true.
3) OFFICE HOURS
If your teacher offers office hours, I highly recommend you guys go. Even if you don't think you need to, you can always review homework assignments or questions that you got wrong on tests to help better improve your grade. It also helps you build a strong relationship with your teachers which is SUPER important. If you ever need an extension on a project or anything of that sort, it comes in handy, having a good relationship with your teachers. I always try to point out certain things that each teacher likes or characteristics that they have - analyzing their teaching styles as well helps me better understand who they are and what I can do to build a strong relationship with them. It always comes in handy and they'll most likely be more passionate about helping you out if you're struggling.
4) HEALTHY DIET
I don't have a certain diet but I started to eat healthier because of a concussion I got in 2019 that forced me to take better care of myself. Adding more vegetables and fruits in my diet, as well as more protein and different food groups that I knew I'd be able to benefit from, kept me more energized and generally more happier and positive. I also have low blood pressure, which means I often have dramatic drops in energy levels. I like to have some caffeine in the morning (only one cup per day because caffeine addiction is definitely something I suffer from that can affect your lifestyle drastically!) and I add salt to every single meal that I eat, which I would also recommend to you guys. Even if you don't have low blood pressure, this can help boost your energy as well!
5) POSITIVE MINDSET
I'm always told that I'm an extremely positive person. This characteristic is something that I am extremely grateful for and it's kept me alive if I'm being quite honest. I always try to see the best in people and the positive in any and every situation. Let's say you got a bad score on your test. Instead of being upset about it, think about what you can do to better improve your next grade! Think about dropping by your teacher's classroom and asking if you can do a retake - if you can, great! If you can't, then ask what you can do to boost your chances of getting a better score next time! Having a positive mindset can get you through a lot.
I hope you guys were able to find this post helpful! I'll try my best to continue to post as frequently as I can!
XOXO,
Olivia
However, from the beginning of 2020 up until now, I experienced a huge change in the way that I utilize my time to study and how I study. I wanted to make this post for students who feel like they've read all the books and articles that they can in order to 'improve their grades' and have hit a brick wall. I hope these tips can be helpful! So without further ado, let's get started!
1) UTILIZE YOUR TIME WELL
The biggest difference between the school year when I got a 1.5 GPA until 2020 is how I utilized my time. In my sophomore year, I would sleep in almost every morning and miss my math class. I also didn't study in the evening either. I waited until the last minute to get work done.
I made a lot of changes this school year. One, I bought a planner, which I will talk about later in this blog post. Two, my junior year, I had a free period every morning. I used this opportunity to grab breakfast and go to the library to get homework done and study. This way, I wasn't sleeping in, I got a kickstart to my day, and I was able to have more free time in the evening to hang out with my friends if I wanted to. But most days, I would also spend the evening studying with my friends in the library as well - this meant that my weekends were completely free to go out and hang with people.
Do what you know you can benefit from. I used to never go to breakfast. That small change in my life, waking up early and getting something to eat, also made me more energized and awake every day. Going to a quiet place on campus to get work done made me focus. All of those small changes can seem so dramatic in the big picture but once you do them, I promise you, you won't go back.
2) PLANNER
Buying a planner is something I find a lot of people are hesitant to do. Because there are so many different types of planners with different types of layouts, it can sometimes seem hectic. For example, there are some planners that include to-do lists, goals for each day, and a time table. Then, you have more simplistic planners, which I personally like. Those will just have space for you to do whatever you want - add cute stickers or just write down your tasks. I personally like those because I don't need the extra things for my life, but chose a planner that will best fit your lifestyle.
Why I think more people should use a planner, is because writing down tasks or whatever you have to do that day and being able to cross it off is a great feeling. Studies show that if you write something down and you're able to cross it off, whether it's an essay or something as simple as drinking four or more cups of water each day, it gives you a satisfying feeling and it will make you want to be more productive in order to cross off more tasks. This is something I've found to be very true.
3) OFFICE HOURS
If your teacher offers office hours, I highly recommend you guys go. Even if you don't think you need to, you can always review homework assignments or questions that you got wrong on tests to help better improve your grade. It also helps you build a strong relationship with your teachers which is SUPER important. If you ever need an extension on a project or anything of that sort, it comes in handy, having a good relationship with your teachers. I always try to point out certain things that each teacher likes or characteristics that they have - analyzing their teaching styles as well helps me better understand who they are and what I can do to build a strong relationship with them. It always comes in handy and they'll most likely be more passionate about helping you out if you're struggling.
4) HEALTHY DIET
I don't have a certain diet but I started to eat healthier because of a concussion I got in 2019 that forced me to take better care of myself. Adding more vegetables and fruits in my diet, as well as more protein and different food groups that I knew I'd be able to benefit from, kept me more energized and generally more happier and positive. I also have low blood pressure, which means I often have dramatic drops in energy levels. I like to have some caffeine in the morning (only one cup per day because caffeine addiction is definitely something I suffer from that can affect your lifestyle drastically!) and I add salt to every single meal that I eat, which I would also recommend to you guys. Even if you don't have low blood pressure, this can help boost your energy as well!
5) POSITIVE MINDSET
I'm always told that I'm an extremely positive person. This characteristic is something that I am extremely grateful for and it's kept me alive if I'm being quite honest. I always try to see the best in people and the positive in any and every situation. Let's say you got a bad score on your test. Instead of being upset about it, think about what you can do to better improve your next grade! Think about dropping by your teacher's classroom and asking if you can do a retake - if you can, great! If you can't, then ask what you can do to boost your chances of getting a better score next time! Having a positive mindset can get you through a lot.
I hope you guys were able to find this post helpful! I'll try my best to continue to post as frequently as I can!
XOXO,
Olivia
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