Catching Up at the Quarter

For some students, the thought of doing mountains of endless AP homework constantly haunts their minds. Although they all know that getting good grades is essential to going to college, mustering up the courage to actually get their planner out and look through all the stuff you have to do is daunting. Students have come up with every possible excuse to put off their homework, but deep down, they all know is just needs to get done.

If you’re a typical high-schooler and didn’t exactly get the best quarter grade, it’s not too late to change that before the end of the semester. Teachers don’t purposefully design their classes for you to fail; they want you to succeed.
“If your grade isn’t what you want, then there’s still time to step it up this quarter to get a good grade,” said Junior AP Language Arts and Composition teacher Stephanie Ransom. While raising your grade may seem more than overwhelming, what it comes down to is how dedicated you are to getting a passing grade.

The first way to improve your grade is to actually do the immense amounts of seemingly tedious homework you’re assigned. Although not usually worth as much as tests, homework assignments can add up to push your grade to where you want it to be.
“Study hard and be prepared for whatever your teacher may throw at you,” advises Junior Deji Olalere. Even though it may take up part of your television time, it’s well worth it in the end to develop good study habits. Make up flash cards and rhymes to remember important facts and staying prepared will become easy.

Another way to improve your grade is to befriend your planner. Writing everything down that you need to do will help you keep your priorities in line so that you won’t be in danger of forgetting anything. Make note of important dates for tests and quizzes so that you don’t show up to class unprepared.
Talking to your teachers about any possible extra credit assignments can help your grade too, but not all classes offer these opportunities. Most grades in higher level classes revolve around the scores you get on tests, so what will really make the change in your grade is studying.
Try to make study sessions fun by getting a group of equally dedicated friends in your class together for pizza and studying. It always helps to surround yourself with hard working students while you’re studying so that you don’t get bored, but also so that you keep on track. Setting aside an hour to study each night will improve your next grade rather than trying to cram all the information you need to know in during passing period. Short term memory only holds 5-10 pieces of information, and most tests have way more than that.
Another helpful hint in improving your grade is to always try to beat your last test score in order to achieve better results. Setting personal goals is helpful for every student. Promising yourself that you’ll study for you’re AP Chemistry test before you watch the new episode of Gossip Girl can be a big motivator. Teenagers spend, on average, 6.5 hours per day with entertainment media. If you spend half that time studying, your grades would dramatically improve.
Also, not procrastinating can really boost your morale. If you have a huge project due in a month, never wait until the night before it’s due to start it. There’s always a big mental groan when teachers give you the “don’t procrastinate” speech, but honestly, they’re right. Procrastination is a vicious cycle that’s tough to break, but it can be done, and is essential to passing difficult classes.

So if you plan on spending your summer at the beach with your best friends and not at summer school re-taking a class you already spent a year of your time in, try to put your best effort into getting a passing grade. If you don’t want your final exam to be the make or break of your grade for the semester, get on your work now.

-Alisha Pagano, Reporter