Tips how to be an Academic Achievers/Honors

Aiming for Academic Achievers

For me, being an academic achiever is a simple task(I wouldn't say that it's that "simple", it's just that it isn't hard to achieve compared to being an honor student). To those students who aren't familiar with academic achievers: These are the students who were able to gain an average of 85(with the rest of the grades not being less than 83). Academic achievers may vary from school-to-school, which I may not be familiar with, but I am certain though that it requires around 85-89 average.

To start, here are the possible ways you may get an average of 85 and above:

a. gain a consistent 85+ with all of your subjects

b. gain an average of 85+ without having less than 83(means you have to get atleast 87s or 88s if you have an 83)

How you may achieve this?
Let's take a look how teachers compute our grades:

a.)On minor subjects(not all):
* 60% on performance task.
* 20% on exams.
* 20% on activities, seatworks, assignments, quizzes and long tests.

b.)On major subjects(not all):
* 50% on performance task.
* 30% on activities, seatworks, assignments, quizzes and long tests.
* 20% on exams.

*Again, these may vary from subjects or teachers!

Notice any similarities from both subjects? Yes, they both have the performance task contributing most of the percentage of your grades! This is why participation is very vital in order to achieve a good grade.

So here are the tips you can use when in school:

1. Participate often - Participating in oral recitations or just by simply raising your hand when the teacher asks contributes a lot to your performance task. Do not be afraid when you get wrong answers, it's at least you tried. The "efforts" are what matter the most. If the teacher sees your efforts, then at the very least you will be graded well in performance task. Show confidence when stepping infront, avoid showing your nervousness. You may also try to practice your speaking at your home(I usually do this when I am alone).

2. Listen carefully, avoid getting distracted - Listen to the teacher when he/she is discussing, especially if the teacher is used to giving surprise quizzes. Jot down notes, only the important ones to avoid confusion. Review if there are quizzes for tomorrow or later(Quizzes are usually announced before the day of the quiz itself, usually within 1-2 days). Avoid talking with your seatmate(that could be the cause of you being called by the teachers and then you can't answer), we don't want to get humiliated.

3. Pass your projects and assignments on or before the deadline - Punctuality is a must. Passing your projects over the deadline will surely lower your grades, even if your project is well-made/crafted. On the other side, passing your assignments and projects before the deadline ensures you a better grade, even if it isn't that good. Teachers usually record your time of passing(it is part of the way they score your projects). For the assignments, ensure that you'll never forget to make your assignments. Avoid having those moments where all of your classmates have their assignment finished already and you're the only one who doesn't. Manage your time!

4.Review well on exams - Review before the day of your exam, preferably at night. At the day of your exam, you have plenty of spare time to recall what you have reviewed. Avoid chattering with your friends for the meantime, instead, talk about your exams. Whenever I am reviewing, I usually listen to relaxing music to relax my mind and avoid roaming around(Some people found this annoying, but give it a try). I also suggest eating dark chocolate or nuts while reviewing(I ain't sure with the scientific evidence, but according to an article I read, nuts and dark chocolate increases blood circulation, which means that your brain processes well while/after eating those).

If you follow these correctly, I am sure that you'll be graded well. Notice how I didn't require you to master memorization? because for the meantime, if you're only aiming for academic achievers, you don't need to. Although I have stated that you don't need to be a master at memorization, but I didn't say that you shouldn't try memorizing for quizzes and exams. Do not put too much pressure on yourself, but if you really want to improve, you have to step out of your comfort zone. The next page will tackle more about stepping out of your comfort zone and exploring different skills that you can improve...