5 Ways to Ace Your Second Semester

What results do you expect at the end of the school year?

Whether you are a high school senior preparing for university or a college-level student wanting to maintain your marks, it is a good idea to set expectations at an attainable level. Identify the areas you need to improve on the most and write down what mark you’re willing to work for (e.g. 60% to 80% in Math). You need not work alone to ace your second semester. You may speak to your teacher or professor for further advice on how to achieve your goals. The journey could be daunting, but it is never impossible.

How to improve your study habits?

Some students fail to develop good study habits. Learning requires great discipline and perseverance. You cannot master everything by simply reading a pile of books. First of all, you must define your areas of improvement and target those areas by choosing topic-specific books that actually offer useful information. Don’t shy away from challenging materials that could enhance critical thinking and analysis. Think back to your first semester and pinpoint those things that you feel you could have done better or things that you could do without. Also, do away with social media sites and avoid studying in crowded places where you could easily get dragged away by friends. Become more focused and determined. Develop the habit of studying ‘smart’ as opposed to just studying ‘hard’.

How can Google help to maximize your learning potential?

Students nowadays are very lucky to have online access at their fingertips. This modern convenience is something that the previous generations could only dream about. Therefore, you must utilize such an advantage to ace your second semester. Google, as an online resource, will empower you greatly by providing helpful tools like Google Drive, Image Search, and Google Forms. These tools will simplify your research process through easy storage access, image pooling, and survey data gathering.

How to plan efficiently?

It is always good to have your goals laid down. This way, it is easier to carry out your plans effectively. With all the distractions surrounding you, it becomes very tempting to put off studying and end up cramming at the very last minute. That lack of operative planning will never help you ace your second semester. Three valuable strategic steps to follow:

1. create a study planner and follow it
2. reexamine your extracurricular involvement (are you able to realistically participate in the jazz band, basketball team, and the yearbook club?)
3. set aside leisure time and take breaks when you feel that the pressure and stress are too much to bear. Your body and brain need ample relaxation in order to function well. Don’t feel guilty and go for that Sunday movie night with friends!

Do you need extra help?

This last part requires that you are proactive about getting extra help. If you are confident that you could work things out on your own, then, good for you! However, remember that the best people in any given field have mentors and coaches who guide them through all their doubts and weaknesses. Therefore, the key is your willingness to work hand-in-hand with a one-on-one tutor who could do that for you and more.

At the end of the day, no one is best suited to help you but yourself. Therefore, learn how to manage your time and efforts to be able to reach your desired outcome.  We all know that hard work pays off.  Smart and hard work pays more!  Follow these tips and prepare to ace your second semester!