Top 10 Tips to Get a High GPA in College

If a test is 20% of your grade, you should devote several hours per week to study for it, but if a homework assignment is only worth 1% of your grade (or less), spend just enough time on it to get it done.

If a B+ essay takes 3 hours to write and an A essay takes 6 hours to write, it might be better to just get the B+.

If an extra credit assignment takes a long time to do and it only adds 1 point to your grade, it might not be worth it.

For example, if you have 4 classes: Pick the easiest 3 classes and try to get an A in them. And try for a B in the hardest one.

Some professors are so strict in their grading and offer so much time-consuming work that doing every little thing they want you to do isn't worth your time. But on the bright side, many times you try for a B, you end up getting an A anyway!

I find having a physical planner booklet is much easier than a digital one (and definitely easier than just taking an empty notebook and writing the dates in them), but do whichever works for you.

Write down the dates for tests and major assignments as soon as you get your syllabus. Write down your smaller assignments for the week as soon as you're assigned them.

Sit in the front of the class. Frequently participate, ask and answer questions.

Visit the professor's office and ask questions a few times.

Save your homework assignments and graded quizzes. Tests are usually based on them.

If your professor mentions something at least twice, it will be on the test.

Try to capture every piece of information on the board that you can into your notebook.

Find ways to minimize the amount of time you spend on note-taking. Use abbreviations. Don't take the same note twice.

Don't try getting ahead in one class until you're fully caught up in the others.

I know, it feels like you're getting a lot done, but really you just end up spending more time and having a lot of things unfinished.

It takes extra brain power to constantly switch from one task to another, reorienting yourself every few minutes. It's just not worth it.

If it's an assignment that only takes 5-15 mins, then do it right after class (or at least within the same day).

Doing this results in having fewer assignments to juggle around in your mind, plus it eliminates the possibility of you forgetting about it.

When it comes to assignments that take 30-60 mins to complete, it's better to complete them in one session than to nibble away at them. Completing an assignment when the information is already in your head is easier than having to go back to it and reorient yourself. Plus, having it completely done means one less assignment to worry about.