HOW TO GET A 4.0 IN COLLEGE | STRAIGHT A'S IN HARD CLASSES

Summary

Joanne, a third-year public health major, shares her strategies for achieving a 4.0 GPA in college. She emphasizes the importance of planning ahead with a planner, utilizing resources like Rate My Professors and Quizlet, and understanding the syllabus. Joanne advises attending and actively participating in class, seeking help early, completing all assignments on time, and understanding one's best study methods. She also suggests using evidence-based study techniques, maintaining clear priorities, starting strong, and focusing on understanding the material rather than just the grades. Joanne acknowledges the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and encourages students to do their best given their circumstances.

Takeaways

• 📅 Plan ahead using a planner to organize assignments and deadlines.
• 🔍 Utilize resources like Rate My Professors and Quizlet to enhance learning and understanding.
• 📚 Read the syllabus thoroughly to understand grading policies and assignment details.
• 🎓 Attend classes regularly as they provide valuable information and help with learning.
• 👂 Pay attention in class by actively participating and asking questions to maximize learning.
• 🆘 Seek help early if you're struggling with the material to avoid falling behind.
• 📝 Complete all assignments on time and go beyond the minimum to achieve a 4.0 GPA.
• 🧠 Understand your best study methods and adapt them to different subjects.
• 📈 Use evidence-based study techniques such as the Pomodoro technique and active learning.
• 🎯 Keep your priorities straight by valuing your education and making necessary sacrifices.
• 💪 Start off strong in the semester to give yourself a good foundation for maintaining a high GPA.
• 📈 Focus on understanding the material rather than just achieving a high grade.

Q & A

What is the first tip Joanne gives for achieving a 4.0 GPA?

Joanne's first tip is to plan ahead, using a planner to stay organized and accountable, and to complete assignments earlier than their due dates to allow for extra time in case of difficulties.

What is the significance of using Rate My Professors according to Joanne?

Rate My Professors is a useful resource that allows students to see ratings and reviews of professors by previous students, which can help in choosing a teacher who is likely to contribute positively to their academic success.

What does Joanne recommend for studying and getting answers?

Joanne recommends using Quizlet, which is a great resource for studying and getting answers that can help in learning the material.

Why is reading the syllabus important according to Joanne?

Reading the syllabus is important because it provides crucial information about the course, including assignment due dates, grading policies, late work policies, and opportunities for extra credit, which can help in planning and managing expectations.

What does Joanne suggest about attending class?

Joanne suggests that attending class is essential as it helps students get into a study routine, ask questions immediately, and receive information that may not be available in textbooks.

How does Joanne feel about paying attention in class?

Joanne emphasizes the importance of actively learning in class by participating and asking questions. She believes that the classroom time should be used to focus and grasp as much information as possible.

What does Joanne advise regarding seeking help with academic challenges?

Joanne advises seeking help early on in the semester rather than waiting until just before finals to address problems that arose much earlier in the course.

Why is doing the work important for achieving a 4.0 GPA?

Doing the work is important because turning in assignments on time and completing all required tasks are key components of achieving a high GPA. Joanne has never missed an assignment, which she attributes significantly to her 4.0 GPA.

How does Joanne suggest students determine their best study methods?

Joanne suggests that students should figure out their preferred learning style and be open to adapting their study methods to the material they are learning.

What are evidence-based study techniques that Joanne mentions?

Joanne mentions techniques such as the Pomodoro technique, using algorithmic flashcards, and active learning strategies like synthesizing information into one's own words and teaching the material to others.

What is Joanne's final advice regarding priorities and the focus on understanding the material?

Joanne's final advice is to have one's priorities straight, understanding the importance of grades in relation to other life commitments, and to focus more on understanding the material rather than just achieving a high grade.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Planning Ahead for Academic Success

Joanne, a public health major, emphasizes the importance of planning ahead to achieve a 4.0 GPA. She shares personal experiences and suggests using a planner to stay organized and accountable. Joanne also advises completing assignments ahead of deadlines to allow time for understanding and seeking help if needed.

05:02

📚 Utilizing Resources and Reading Syllabus

The second tip focuses on leveraging resources such as Rate My Professors and Quizlet to enhance learning and study efficiency. Joanne also stresses the importance of thoroughly reading the syllabus, which provides crucial information on grading, policies, and assignment due dates, and planning accordingly.

10:02

🎓 Attending Class and Engaging Actively

Joanne advises attending classes regularly as it helps maintain a study schedule and allows for immediate clarification of doubts. She also encourages active participation in class, which can lead to a deeper understanding of the material and better retention of information.

🤔 Seeking Help Early and Doing the Work

The fourth and fifth tips involve addressing academic difficulties promptly to prevent them from escalating and ensuring that all assignments are completed on time. Joanne highlights the significance of not procrastinating on seeking help and the necessity of turning in all work to maintain a high GPA.

🧠 Understanding Personal Study Styles

Joanne discusses the importance of knowing one's most effective study methods and adapting study techniques to suit different subjects. She also emphasizes using evidence-based study techniques, such as the Pomodoro technique and active learning, to enhance comprehension and retention.

🎯 Prioritizing and Starting Strong

The final tips include maintaining clear priorities, such as recognizing the importance of grades and balancing work and school commitments without compromising academic performance. Joanne also suggests starting the semester strong to create a buffer for any potential setbacks and focusing on understanding the material rather than just achieving high grades.

Keywords

💡4.0 GPA

A 4.0 GPA represents the highest possible grade point average in many educational grading systems, signifying excellent academic performance. In the video, the pursuit of a 4.0 is the central theme, as the speaker shares personal strategies and tips for achieving this high academic standard.

💡Public Health

Public Health is the study of the health of populations and how to improve it. The speaker introduces herself as a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Public Health, which provides context for her perspective and the advice she offers on academic success.

💡Planning Ahead

Planning Ahead refers to the strategic act of organizing and preparing for future tasks or events. The speaker emphasizes the importance of using a planner to stay organized, set goals, and manage time effectively, which is crucial for achieving a 4.0 GPA.

💡Resources

Resources in the context of the video are tools and assistance available to students that can aid in their learning process. The speaker mentions 'Rate My Professors' and 'Quizlet' as examples of resources that can help students select better teachers and study more efficiently.

💡Syllabus

A Syllabus is a document provided by instructors that outlines the course content, objectives, assignments, and grading criteria. The speaker advises students to read the syllabus thoroughly to understand grading policies and to plan their study schedule accordingly.

💡Attendance

Attendance refers to the act of being present in class. The speaker stresses the importance of attending classes regularly as it helps in learning, asking questions, and receiving valuable information that may not be available in textbooks.

💡Active Learning

Active Learning is an educational method where students engage in activities that require them to actively process and synthesize information. The speaker encourages active participation in class and using active study techniques to better understand the material.

💡Seeking Help

Seeking Help involves proactively reaching out for assistance when encountering difficulties in understanding course material. The speaker recommends addressing problems early in the semester rather than postponing it, which can lead to a compounding of issues.

💡Completing Assignments

Completing Assignments on time and to the best of one's ability is a fundamental part of academic success. The speaker shares her experience of never missing an assignment, highlighting its importance in maintaining a high GPA.

💡Study Techniques

Study Techniques are methods used to learn and retain information effectively. The speaker discusses the importance of finding personalized study techniques and using evidence-based methods such as the Pomodoro Technique and active studying to enhance learning.

💡Prioritization

Prioritization is the process of determining the order of importance or urgency of tasks. The speaker talks about the need to prioritize academic responsibilities over other activities to achieve a 4.0 GPA, suggesting that students should be prepared to make sacrifices to meet their academic goals.

Highlights

Joanne shares her tips on how to achieve a 4.0 GPA in college

She emphasizes the importance of planning ahead and using a planner to stay organized

Joanne recommends using resources like Rate My Professors and Quizlet to study effectively

Reading the syllabus carefully is crucial to understanding the grading policies and expectations

Attending class regularly helps with staying on track and getting clarification on course material

Actively participating and asking questions during class can enhance learning

Seeking help early on for any difficulties can prevent problems from snowballing later in the semester

Completing all assignments on time is key to maintaining a high GPA

Joanne emphasizes the importance of understanding the material rather than just focusing on grades

Finding the study methods that work best for you is essential for effective learning

Using evidence-based study techniques like the Pomodoro method and active learning can improve retention

Prioritizing schoolwork and maintaining a strong start to the semester can help achieve a 4.0 GPA

Joanne shares her personal experience of how she was able to achieve a 4.0 GPA in multiple semesters

She acknowledges that external factors like the pandemic, work, and family responsibilities can impact academic performance

Joanne provides a realistic perspective that achieving a 4.0 is not always possible and it's okay to have a lower GPA under certain circumstances

The workload and difficulty can vary significantly depending on the major, so comparing GPAs across different fields may not be fair

Transcripts

hi everyone welcome to my channel my

name is joanne and i

am a third year undergrad student i'm

majoring in public health and today i'm

going to give you my guide on how to get

a 4.0

i've gone through five semesters of

college and i was able to get a 4.0 in

about three or four of them and i wanted

to kind of share

my tips on how i did it and things that

i think that could help you

maybe if you're entering into college or

maybe you're struggling in college right

now

if you like this video while you're

watching make sure to give it a thumbs

up make sure to subscribe as well and

leave a comment

if you can and before i start this video

i do want to practice this by saying

given our current climate

with the coronavirus cloven 19 pandemic

school has become very difficult it's

not easy what students have to go

through during this pandemic it wasn't

even easy in the first place and then

adding a pandemic

people are going through things so if

your grades are struggling just

understand that given the circumstances

you're doing what you can and if you

can't get a 4.0

that is totally okay as well also i do

want to say that getting a 4.0 is

dependent on a lot of things

it could depend on your extenuating

circumstances maybe you're working

full-time

maybe you have little siblings you have

to take care of maybe you're

involved in extracurricular activities

that kind of require

more attention which leaves less

attention for school

also your major has a lot to do with it

someone who's majoring in engineering

for someone who's majoring in general

studies the workload is going to be a

lot different there are

majors that are notoriously very very

very difficult and so

if you can get a 3.7 as an engineering

major or a bio major

to me that's like a 4.0 so just make

sure to keep all of this in mind

all right so we're just gonna jump right

into the video so the first tip i have

to getting a 4.0 is to plan ahead so we

see

how unexpected life is even with this

pandemic

but there are also a lot of things that

you can go through aside from the

pandemic like the daily hassles you have

a lot of things can get in the way so

you want to make sure that you are

planning ahead something that i

recommend to everyone is to get a

planner this is my planner right here i

got this from target it cost

maybe 11 i live by this planner i don't

think i could get a 4.0 without a

planner honestly because

this is something that holds you

accountable and it allows you to plan

ahead

so this planner book has a monthly

planner also has

daily planners and weekly planners and

it also has

to-do lists things you shouldn't forget

things you have to do

it it includes a lot that helps me stay

on top of stuff and allows me to plan

ahead

so i get stuff done also in terms of

planning ahead a lot of the times if you

think that you're on schedule

more times than not you're probably

going to run behind

so if you know that you have something

due on friday instead of doing it

on thursday or wednesday try to finish

it on

tuesday this gives you cushion let's say

if you

don't understand something or you need

extra help you have the time to do it

instead of trying to email your teacher

on thursday night trying to figure out

how to do this assignment

not only that but it gives you a lot

more time to do other stuff towards the

end of the weekend these are just

examples of how you can think to plan

ahead all right so now we're going to

start focusing on the actual semester

itself my second tip to getting a 4.0 is

to use your resources

most especially i'm going to say rate my

professors is one of the most

useful resources that i've used in

college great my professors allows you

to search up professors in your school

and allows you to see what previous

students say about that specific teacher

if the teacher is bad you're going to

know they're going to have a very low

rating and they're going to have a very

high rating of difficulty i will never

ever register for a course if i know

that the teacher has a low rating

that can make the difference between a

4.0 and a 3.5 if your teachers

make your life miserable or they have

the hardest exams

you can get all of that information from

my professors another resource that you

can use

is quizlet quizlet is a great resource

for studying

it's a great resource for getting

answers as well that can help you in

learning the material

another resource you can use is to maybe

ask your teachers for a previous test

that she's given to other students

in her previous classes if you can see

the way that your teacher

asks questions on a test you'll better

be able to

gauge how you should study of course you

can study the textbook and the lecture

slides

but if you don't know how the question

is going to be asked it's going to be a

little bit harder to know how

you should study other resources you can

use are office hours

if you're struggling on something make

sure to go to your teacher's office

hours if

he or she has that available to you the

third tip i have to getting a 4.0

is to read your syllabus your syllabus

is going to be your best friend during

the semester so this is a rule of thumb

in the beginning of the semester

when you're getting your syllabi make

sure to go through and look at all the

assignments that are due

and make sure to record them into your

planner for the entire semester

so this is my planner for the month of

september and i did this all throughout

the

months of september october november and

december

all of this was written way before the

semester even started and as the days go

by i know what assignments i have to do

what to do in the coming weeks and then

as i get them done i can cross them off

your syllabus will also tell you how

your teacher likes to grade

some teachers consider a 94

in a some teachers consider a 93 an a

which is all information that's given

inside the syllabus

the teacher also includes information

like their late policy

whether they will accept late work or

whether they have extensions

they will also include whether they will

provide extra credit

so all of this information kind of helps

you to know like okay is this a teacher

that i can be a little more chill around

or is this something that i really have

to be on top of all the time

so the fourth tip i have to getting a

4.0 is

to go to class this may seem like a

given to a lot of people

but a lot of people don't go to class

maybe because the class is too early and

they're too lazy or

whatever reason it would be but i think

that going to class

i feel like it helps you get into that

schedule and the classroom setting helps

you get into the study mood

it helps you when you're learning not

only that but if you have questions

and you're in a class you can ask them

right then and there i think going to

class is also helpful because sometimes

teachers will give

information in class that you won't see

in the textbook

sometimes they'll drop little gems like

oh make sure to focus on this for the

test

so that is all stuff that you can miss

if you don't show up to class all right

so my fifth tip to getting a 4.0 is not

only to show up to class but to actually

pay attention in class

you should be actively trying to learn

in class by participating and

asking questions if you don't understand

something actually try to use that

designated 40 minutes to an

hour or two hours to strictly focus on

that subject i think we have a lot of

free time outside

of the classroom that you can use to

zone off or

go to sleep or use your phone but when

you're in class i think you should take

that very seriously

try to grasp as much as you can inside

the classroom setting

because when you go home you're gonna be

alone you're not gonna have the

resources there to help you all right so

my sixth tip to getting a 4.0

is to make sure to get help early on in

the semester

it serves you nothing to wait until

a week before the finals to try to

address something that was

a problem in the second week of the

semester if you're having a problem with

something

address it then and there don't wait

until the material shows up later

because nine times out of ten it's gonna

show up later i

did this to myself i remember in organic

chemistry we were learning resonance

structures

and i could not get it for the life of

me and i was like you know what

i don't care because after this unit

we're not gonna need this anymore

i was very mistaken because resident

structures showed up for the rest of the

semester

and i was trying to catch up with

resonance structures

while trying to learn the new stuff so i

think in order to mitigate those

stresses that can

show up later in the semester make sure

that you 100

grasp the information while it's

while you're working on it in class

don't wait till a week or two later

to finally get help seek help as early

as you can all right so my seventh tip

to getting a 4.0 is to actually

do the work it's funny because in high

school i would do my work sometimes and

then other times i wouldn't and i would

be so shocked when my grade dropped like

yeah if you're turning in your homework

late or you're turning an assignment

late or not turning them at all

your grade is gonna drop you're not

gonna get an a if you have missing

assignments i've actually been in class

for three years and i've never

missed one assignment and i can

attribute a lot of my 4.0 to

me never missing an assignment so you

want to make sure that you actually

do your assignments your homework your

study sets whatever it is that will help

you prepare

especially if it's graded you want to

make sure that you do it

try to do beyond that because getting a

4.0 it's not something that

you can get if you do the minimum so you

want to go above and beyond

you want to do extra practice problems

when you can you want to study the book

in and out so you actually want to

actually put in the work to get what you

want so my eighth tip to getting a 4.0

is to learn

how you study best i can't tell you how

much this is so important because

everyone is different nobody exists in a

vacuum

and because of that one way that i could

that could help me study so well

probably wouldn't help you because

you're not me and i'm not you

a lot of my friends can study by

constantly rewriting stuff i don't know

how people do that i actually have to

try

different ways i'm not really a visual

learner i'm more of an

auditory learner so figure out what

works best in your case and always be

willing to adopt the way that you learn

to the material

you're learning so the way that you

study in chemistry probably won't be the

same way you study

in anatomy because chemistry is more

math focused when you're using formulas

whereas in anatomy you're using more

visual learning and you're using more

clinically applicable skills

so my nine tip that kind of ties along

with what i just said

is to make sure that you're using

evidence-based study techniques

evidence-based study techniques are

techniques that have been proven to work

through research

examples of this could be the pomodoro

technique using

algorithmic flashcards that you make on

your own

using active learning and active

studying skills like synthesizing

information

into your own words and into a way that

you understand

a lot of the time when we're in class or

when we're watching lectures we kind of

take what the teacher is saying

and we write it down and then we try to

memorize that how about instead

trying to take what the teacher says put

it into your own words

synthesize the information into a way

that you understand it

another thing you can do is try to teach

other people your material

and if you're able to effectively teach

someone else what you're studying and

what you're learning

that probably means that you know the

material so for example if you're taking

biology 101 if you need to know the

krebs cycle

try to explain the krebs cycle to your

mom or your brother or your sister or

your boyfriend or your husband whatever

and if you can adequately and

efficiently explain

what the krebs cycle is how it works

that probably means you know it

if you are struggling to explain it or

you can't

really put the words together that

probably means that you need more help

with that and that's a way that you can

use active learning to your advantage

don't just rewrite stuff try to recite

it if it's possible try to rehearse it

always visit the information these are

all

evidence-based study techniques that you

can use that will help you in the

classroom

so my 10th tip to getting a 4.0 is to

have your priority straight

so you have to know how important your

grades are and how much you want in 4.0

from

the beginning of the semester and you

have to keep that in mind throughout the

entire semester

when you have your priorities straight

you know that okay if i have a test

tomorrow and my boyfriend wants to go

out with me tonight

he's gonna have to wait don't compromise

your priorities for

pleasure because at the end of the day

if you want a 4.0 you should be willing

to put in the work to get that 4.0

another example of straightening out

your priorities is let's say

you're working a part-time job in order

to pay bills for school

and your apartment all right so this is

something that's a necessity you need

this job and you need school

so you need to figure out how to put

those two together without compromising

either of them if you are working for

leisurely or you're working for

pocket money or you don't really need to

be working and you know that your school

is way more important

if work is affecting school how about

quitting your job or taking a leave of

absence

because you know your priorities like

okay school is most important to me to

me i work full-time and then i volunteer

part-time school is the most important

thing to me

if my grades start dropping i swear on

everything i'm quitting my job like i'm

not going to compromise

my grades for money if something were to

start getting compromised

i would drop anything that doesn't have

to do with school just because my

priority is school

my next piece of advice to getting a 4.0

is to start off strong

it's better to start off strong in the

beginning to give yourself

room to mess up later in the semester

than to

bomb your first exam or your first quiz

it's easier trying to maintain a good

grade than trying to work your way from

the bottom

after you failed and i feel like this is

a given but

you also want to make sure that you're

implementing a plan

so that you start off strong your first

test you don't know

what is going to show up on that test so

you need to go into

overdrive when you're studying you need

to study over and above what you need to

know

to ace the exam all right and my last

tip

and my guide to getting a 4.0 is just

remembering

that getting good grades is not as

important as

understanding the material a lot of the

times they work hand in hand

but instead of focusing on the grade try

to focus more on

actually understanding what you're

learning and once you understand as much

as you can

when you're faced with that information

on a test or a quiz

you're able to ace it because you

understand it so instead of focusing on

the grade

try to focus more on the content alright

guys thank you so much for watching my

video i know this was a long one i'm

sorry

um i i can't thank you guys enough for

watching if you made it this far make

sure to give it a thumbs up and leave a

comment

and i wish you the best in your spring

2021 semester

and i will see you guys in the next

video bye