By Alexandra Thompson
ablockton@lc.edu
According to the Princeton Review, there are eight ways to slay your summer classes. These can be beneficial in maintaining higher grades throughout your summer semester. Many times we as students don’t realize how we can avoid low grades until the last minute.
Once you have read over the eight guidelines, consider creating a personal list and write down why each resource will be useful and how you will use it. As a note, this Summer, due to the COVID-19, it will be best to form your study groups using online tools such as Zoom! or any of the other video chat services used for work and education.
- Set Some Summer Goals:
In the Stanford experiment, students first reflected on their goals for an upcoming exam. Try doing the same for your summer class. Why are you taking this course, and what do you want to get out of it?
2. Prepare To Take Great Notes:
Summer classes operate on a compressed schedule, which means you’ll cover a lot more material per class session. Good note-taking skills are key for keeping track of all the information you’re covering each day.
3. Retaking A Class? Don’t Start From Square One:
This is a terrific opportunity to reflect on the areas or topics you previously had trouble with. Do you freeze during in-class essays? Was cell biology a blur? Take steps to work with a summer tutor or your teacher on skills and topics you need to master. Revisiting the course material will also show you how much you already know!
4. Sync Your School Calendar With Your Social Calendar:
Summer classes have an accelerated pace, so read your syllabus carefully. Mark test dates and deadlines for major assignments on a calendar and work backward. Don’t forget to include work shifts, concerts, and other fun stuff, so you have a clear picture of what you truly have going on. Devote a chunk of time each night to preparing what’s coming up next.
5. Form A New Study Crew:
Summer school is a great way to meet people you wouldn’t normally run into. And since summer classes usually have fewer students in them, you might feel more comfortable asking to borrow notes from a classmate or forming an impromptu study group.
6. Visualize Your Upcoming Test:
Before a big test, think about what you can expect. What topics and chapters will the text cover? Can you guess any of the questions based on your homework assignments and classwork?
7. Take Advantage Of All Your Resources:
A big component of the Stanford study was asking students to identify all the available
Class resources they would use to study effectively. Consider everything that’s available
To you, like:
*Class Notes
*Textbook Readings
*Handouts
*Practice Questions
*Outside Review With Your Teacher
*Summer Tutoring
