How to Ace in any College Course

                              

I probably seem like a nerd writing on this topic. Taking it optimistically, I really am (Nerds rock by the way!). I don’t want to boast but I have done very good performance in my school days, in high school and now at college. When I look back into last 4-5 years, there has been no record of “failed” exams.

Things got a little out of handle when I shifted school from Philippines to Nepal. I was a lot weak in Mathematics and Nepali. I was tremendously better at English than my peers though during my school days. Then at high school, I went for the subjects that I loved most. I chose to study English literature, Mass Communication and Sociology. It was during my high school days that I became the best one in every subject I was studying. It mostly has to do with the passion that I had to just come out at the top. I received admiration and compliments from my lecturers, and teachers.

Now I’ve just completed my first year course at college. Needless to say, I came out the top scorer in every internal exams. So, with all these experience, I think I have the caliber to give some techniques in how to do really good in whatever course you are studying.

Note: These are my style of approaching study.

1. Pre-preparation
You just don’t want to attend the class then find out the “subject matter” of the day or the lesson that the lecturer will be teaching. You have to study it beforehand. You have to pick up the book and read what is going to be taught the next day. If you do this, you will save yourself a lot of trouble and confusion. You not only get familiar with the lesson but you will be able to “search” or “surf” the things that you don’t understand. Basically, reading the lesson is not enough, you have to find other sources to read about that lesson. A great tool can be the internet. Just turn on your PC and search everything you can find about that particular lesson. You will gain a vast insight into it. Your research may even help you to learn something that your own teacher may miss to explain. It gives advantage to also keep in track whether the lecturer is approaching the subject matter in a proficient way. Let’s be honest, a lecturer can be flawed too, especially when they just rely on their experience of teaching the lesson and they don’t do any research to update themselves. Preparation before what is being taught is all you need to stand out.

2. Interact with the teachers
After you have read the “lesson” and done some research on your own, you probably haven’t understood it all. You may have questions that you need to be answered. You have to clear all the confusions by listing out the questions and asking your lecturer. When you don’t understand something, you should always speak up and do everything you can to get to the answer. This will be such a benefit because when you gain in-depth knowledge on the things you don’t know, during exam you are more likely to remember the lesson. You will also be appreciated by the lecturers because there aren’t many “curious” students out there. It challenges them to do their “homework” and be ready to face the questions you throw at them. ;)

3. Take advantage of your memory
We all struggle to remember every little thing that we study. It’s not necessary to remember every detail but sometimes we have to remember statistics, numbers, dates, events and many other things. These things will determine the score you get in your exam. What can you do to keep your memory sharp? Use mnemonics. There are so many methods: method of loci, link system, peg system, acronyms. My personal favorite is to use peg system. Me and my brother created our own set of image links with peg numbers from 1-50. It helps a lot in remembering a list. Method of loci is better in remembering historical events, as we link the places we know with the events.

4. Do your assignments
If your teacher assigns you to do some writing or studying, you definitely have to do it. Don’t miss any assignments. You will have a better chance recalling the things you studied if you also did the assignments. And other thing is, you don’t need to be assigned to read or write. Create your own assignments and challenge yourself to exclusively read many materials and write all you know about the lessons and subject matters.


These 4 tips will help you to be “best” at any course you are taking. These tips require tons of work, but you can’t achieve something without putting in some effort. Though you have to keep concentrated on your course, have some fun and chill out sometimes. Always remember: Do smart work, not hard work. (Smart work doesn’t refer to cheating. It refers to gaining quality knowledge that can be retrieved any time you want.)

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