How To Maximize Your University Grades WITHOUT Turning Into A "Bookworm"

So without further ado, here it is:

First a confession. I have to say that I was definitely not naturally 'gifted' and in fact I did poorly during my very first semester because I had no idea how to study as I transitioned from high school into university. But by the end of my first year after a lot of trial and error, I was able to consistently score in the A and A+ range for any subject using the strategies below, WITHOUT turning into a "bookworm". 

Here are my top tips:

Tip#1 - Follow your passion. 

Enroll in a program that you are really passionate about, because when you are passionate about something, it is easier to achieve excellent grades. For example, if you love history, enroll in a history program. Keep in mind that most professional programs (such as medicine, law, dentistry, etc.) do NOT care about your undergraduate program, as long as you have all the prerequisite courses.

Tip#2 - AVOID specialized programs. 

Avoid programs that 'guarantee' entry into professional programs. These programs are usually too rigid and more challenging than the alternatives. Some examples include life sciences or health sciences programs for pre-med students.

Tip#3 - Pay extra attention to the course syllabus. 

Most students forget about the syllabus after the first class. However, the syllabus is your “roadmap” and if you know everything highlighted in the syllabus, you will get a HUNDRED percent. Period.

Tip#4 - BURN YOUR HIGHLIGHTERS! 

If you have any highlighters lying around, please go grab all of them right now and BURN THEM! Well… not literally, and please be safe… but definitely throw them into the nearest garbage bin. NOW! Highlighting is the LEAST effective method of learning and what highlighting teaches is… well… highlighting. And nothing more.

Tip#5 - Study to learn, not for marks. 

This strategy significantly improves long-term retention of the concepts.

Tip#6 - Utilize BeMo's proven note taking strategies. 

Right after each lecture (or at least on the same day), review the lecture material, including any assigned readings and make CONCISE notes about each topic IN YOUR OWN WORDS. That means you should avoid simply copying the text. Learning happens when you force your brain to think about a recent topic and challenge it to recreate it using your own words. Furthermore, this makes studying for any tests and exams much easier because by test date you will have 20 pages of your own notes to review, rather than having to start from scratch.

Tip#7 - Organize all your notes. 

Organize your notes by date, and topic so you can easily refer back to them in the future.

Tip#8 - Follow the 80/20 rule. 

Focus 80 of your time on the 20 percent of material that is important (pay extra attention to your syllabus), rather than trying to memorize your entire textbook of 976 pages.

Now you are ready to take action and put these strategies to test. START TODAY!

Click here to go to BeMo Admissions Blog home page for more tips and strategies, OR,

Click here to go to our main page and find out how BeMo can help you get into ANY graduate and professional program.

About the author:

Dr. Behrouz Moemeni is a co-founder and CEO here at BeMo. He is compelled by a vision to change the education system. He believes everyone deserves access to higher education. Specifically, he is determined to create and provide admissions and educational training programs that reduce the social barriers at professional programs. He is also driven by a mission to create the next generation of admissions/candidate screening tools that are more fair, while technologically and scientifically light years ahead of current admissions screening tools out there.

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting Inc.