how I went from D's to STRAIGHT A’s | ULTIMATE GUIDE to becoming an academic weapon + free template

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares their journey from academic struggles to success, revealing their secrets to improve grades. They offer practical tips on creating effective notes, leveraging AI for study efficiency, and understanding exam patterns. A free Notion template is provided to help students stay organized and focused on their goals. The video encourages linking concepts in note-taking, using AI responsibly, and starting with practice questions to prioritize important topics, ultimately transforming study habits for better academic performance.

Takeaways

• 📚 Start with a 'Lifeline Notebook' for each subject to compile notes and track progress throughout the semester.
• 📈 Use loose-leaf paper and binder rings for flexibility in organizing and rearranging notes as needed.
• 📝 Keep a record of all topics, subtopics, and formulas in your syllabus to facilitate easy revision and memorization.
• 🔗 Incorporate 'linking text' in digital notes to connect concepts and improve the flow of information for better understanding and recall.
• 🤖 Utilize AI to your advantage for tasks like summarizing texts, translating, and simplifying complex concepts, but avoid using it for cheating.
• 📅 Maintain an organized schedule by noting down not only due dates but also the dates you plan to start working on assignments or projects.
• 📝 Record corrections and mistakes to learn from them and avoid repeating the same errors in exams.
• 📉 Analyze practice questions and quizzes first to identify important concepts and to understand the structure of exam questions.
• 🎓 Use the marking scheme to understand how to answer questions correctly and to spot patterns in exam questions.
• 🔑 Create a personalized Notion template to plan your academic life, including a calendar for tracking due dates and goals.
• 🎁 Engage with the content creator on Instagram to unlock additional resources that can further enhance your academic performance.

Q & A

Why did the speaker almost not go to university?

The speaker almost didn't go to university because their initial marks were so poor that they couldn't believe it and even messaged their lecturer for confirmation.

What academic achievement did the speaker eventually reach despite a poor start?

The speaker eventually turned their grades around and achieved distinctions repeatedly, even in university.

What is the 'Lifeline Notebook' and why is it important for academic success?

The 'Lifeline Notebook' is a dedicated notebook for each subject where the student records all important information, formulas, and corrections. It is crucial for academic success as it helps to organize and consolidate knowledge, making it easier to revise and improve understanding.

Why does the speaker recommend using loose sleeve sheets of paper and binder rings instead of regular notebooks?

The speaker prefers loose sleeve sheets and binder rings for their flexibility, allowing for easy reorganization of content during the semester without being confined to a fixed order as in regular notebooks.

What is the significance of writing down all the formulas and definitions encountered in a syllabus?

Writing down all formulas and definitions helps with memorization, especially for those who struggle with remembering them. It also provides a single reference point for practice questions, eliminating the need to flip through chapters.

How does the speaker suggest organizing notes for science subjects with a large amount of content?

The speaker suggests changing the way notes are taken by organizing all relevant information in one place, regardless of the order presented in lectures. This method reduces the need to remember hundreds of slides and simplifies the revision process.

What is the purpose of the 'linking text' in digital notes according to the speaker?

The 'linking text' serves to connect concepts between pages of notes, helping to create a chain of information that is easier to remember and understand. It prevents information from existing separately in one's head, which can make memorization and comprehension difficult.

How can AI be used to assist with academic tasks without resorting to cheating?

AI can be used to brainstorm ideas, write outlines, translate text, and explain difficult concepts. It should be utilized to enhance understanding and efficiency rather than to complete assignments on behalf of the student.

What is the 'notes first' strategy and why is it recommended before starting to study?

The 'notes first' strategy involves going through practice questions or quizzes before starting to study. This helps identify important parts of the topic and allows students to focus their study time on more critical concepts, avoiding the memorization of irrelevant content.

What is the speaker's secret to guaranteeing extra marks in exams?

The speaker's secret is to write down every correction made, regardless of how trivial it may seem. This includes recording the question, the wrong answer, the correct answer, and any explanations provided. It also involves noting the marking scheme answers to identify patterns and repetitive questions.

How does the speaker suggest using the Notion template to stay organized and achieve academic goals?

The speaker suggests using the Notion template to plan academic life by entering all due dates into the calendar, setting goals, and customizing the template to fit individual needs. The template includes features like AI summaries and point form notes to streamline the study process.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Overcoming Academic Struggles and Achieving Distinction

The speaker begins by sharing their personal academic struggles, admitting they almost didn't attend university due to poor marks. They recount their initial failure in economics and the subsequent transformation to achieve distinction repeatedly in university. The video promises to reveal academic secrets, including a free Notion template to help viewers stay organized and improve their grades. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating personalized notes that are better than textbooks and offers strategies to predict exam content, utilize AI for studying, and enhance memory retention.

05:01

📝 Crafting the Ultimate Study Notebook: The 'Lifeline'

The speaker introduces the concept of a 'Lifeline' notebook for each subject, which is a dedicated mini notebook to record and organize study materials. They advocate for the use of loose sheets and binder rings for flexibility during the semester. The 'Lifeline' includes a list of topics and subtopics, formulas, and definitions, especially for subjects like biochemistry where memorization can be challenging. The speaker also suggests writing down all formulas from the syllabus to facilitate memorization and includes a method for organizing and revising notes effectively.

10:01

🔍 Leveraging Corrections and AI for Academic Success

The speaker discusses the importance of recording corrections and mistakes to avoid repeating them, suggesting that understanding and documenting these can lead to higher grades. They also highlight the use of AI to assist with studying, such as summarizing texts, translating, and explaining complex concepts. The speaker shares their experience with Notion's AI features, demonstrating how it can simplify note-taking and provide summaries for quick reference. They emphasize that AI should be used as a tool to enhance learning rather than to complete assignments dishonestly.

15:03

🎯 Prioritizing and Strategizing with Practice Questions First

The speaker advises starting study sessions with practice questions or quizzes to identify important concepts and to avoid wasting time on irrelevant content. They argue that understanding the marking scheme is crucial and can provide insights into how to answer questions effectively. The speaker shares a personal strategy of intentionally getting questions wrong to learn from the correct explanations, which they compile into a document for exam preparation. They conclude by inviting viewers to engage with them on Instagram for a chance to access additional study resources.

🏆 Transforming Grades with a Commitment to Academic Excellence

In the concluding paragraph, the speaker expresses gratitude for their subscriber milestone and encourages viewers to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for future content. They invite viewers to comment their least favorite subject as a form of engagement and hint at a special prize for those who have watched the entire video. The speaker provides instructions to unlock an extra video designed to further assist in transforming academic performance.

Keywords

💡University

University refers to an institution of higher learning that provides facilities for teaching and research. In the video's context, the speaker almost didn't attend university due to poor marks but managed to turn their academic performance around. The term is central to the video's theme of academic improvement and success.

💡Academic Secrets

Academic Secrets in this video script refers to the strategies and techniques the speaker used to improve their grades and academic performance. These secrets are the core content of the video, aiming to help viewers achieve better results in their studies.

💡Lifeline Notebook

A Lifeline Notebook is a personal study tool mentioned in the script, used to compile and organize essential information for each subject. It is a key concept in the video, illustrating the speaker's method of creating a customized textbook that helps in academic success.

💡Formulas

Formulas are mathematical expressions used to calculate or define something. In the script, the speaker emphasizes the importance of writing down all formulas from the syllabus, especially for those who struggle with memorization, as a way to improve study efficiency.

💡Revision

Revision is the process of reviewing and practicing material to consolidate learning. The video discusses various revision techniques, such as using a Lifeline Notebook and linking text, to enhance the effectiveness of this process.

💡Linking Text

Linking Text is a method of creating associations between different pieces of information in one's notes. The speaker uses this technique to help viewers understand how to connect concepts in their studies, making it easier to remember and understand complex topics.

💡AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is used in the script to refer to technology that can assist with studying, such as summarizing texts, translating, and explaining difficult concepts. The speaker encourages the use of AI tools to save time and enhance learning efficiency.

💡Marking Scheme

A Marking Scheme is a set of criteria used to grade assignments or exams. The video script mentions using the marking scheme to understand how to answer questions correctly and to identify repetitive patterns in exams, which can help improve grades.

💡Practice Questions

Practice Questions are exercises that help students prepare for exams by simulating the types of questions they might encounter. The speaker advises starting with these questions to identify important concepts and to understand the examiner's focus.

💡Notion Template

A Notion Template is a pre-designed layout in the Notion app that can be used for organizing notes, tasks, and other information. The speaker provides a free Notion template in the video to help viewers stay organized and on track with their academic goals.

💡Academic Weapon

The term 'Academic Weapon' is used metaphorically in the script to describe someone who is highly effective and successful in their academic pursuits. The speaker's goal is to help viewers become 'academic weapons' by adopting the strategies and techniques shared in the video.

Highlights

Overcoming poor academic performance by transforming a failure into a distinction through effective study techniques.

Creating personalized 'Lifeline' notebooks for each subject to track progress and organize study materials.

Utilizing loose sleeve sheets and binder rings for customizable and flexible note organization.

Recording all topics and subtopics in a notebook for systematic study and revision.

The importance of writing down formulas and definitions to aid in memorization.

Changing note-taking methods to better remember and understand complex science subjects.

Guaranteeing extra marks by documenting corrections and understanding the marking scheme.

Scheduling project and assignment start dates to stay ahead and avoid last-minute stress.

Introducing a free Notion template to help students stay organized and achieve academic goals.

Customizing the Notion template to build a personalized academic planning system.

Linking concepts in notes through 'linking text' to improve memory and understanding.

Embracing AI to assist with studying, such as summarizing texts and simplifying complex concepts.

Using AI features within Notion to streamline note-taking and improve study efficiency.

Prioritizing practice questions to identify important concepts and skip irrelevant content.

Learning from the marking scheme to understand how to answer exam questions effectively.

A secret strategy of deliberately getting questions wrong to learn from the correction process.

Offering an exclusive video for viewers who complete the video, to further enhance their academic performance.

Transcripts

I actually almost didn't go to

university because my marks were so bad

in fact I couldn't believe my marks were

so bad I messaged my lecturer for

confirmation you can do the math I don't

think I've told this story before

basically 19-year-old me decided to take

economics in a levels tragic I know in

order to get into University I needed

AAR

AA with these marks in my first

assessment I could kiss my offer goodbye

but a few months later here are my final

marks so how did I do it how did I turn

a failure into a distinction repeatedly

even in University don't worry bestie

I'm going to give you all my academic

secrets in this video and even give you

a free notion template so that you don't

feel so overwhelmed starting so in this

video we're going to talk about how to

create notes better than your textbook

how to cheat the system and know exactly

what's coming out in your exam how to

use AI to your advantage and save

precious time as a student how to

remember what you study and so much more

this video is jam-packed with amazing

study tips so if you manage to watch the

entire video at the end I will actually

tell you how you can unlock something

that will tremendously transform your

grades first make your own textbook hear

me out okay if you want to turn your

grades around you need to learn from

your mistakes there's no way around it

basically for every every subject

whether they are in high school or

university dedicate One Mini notebook

for it this notebook will be your

Lifeline I'll try to include some clips

of different Lifeline notebooks that

I've had throughout high school and

throughout College feel free to

screenshot this but in this notebook you

will include for St subjects all these

things for essay based subjects like

economics or Bahasa malayu this is what

I included in my lifeline notebook let

me explain this in more detail because

from what I know no one else does this

you'll be starting with an empty

notebook then adding to it as your

semester progresses I don't actually

like using regular notebooks I prefer

using loose sleeve sheets of paper like

this one and binder rings because it

just allows for more customization I'll

link some examples in the description

box below it's because during the

semester you're definitely going to

shuffle things around so you want that

flexibility next here is an easy way way

to stay organized as a student in my

opinion the most important is seven and

eight but we'll go through the first few

first in your notebook physical or

digital feel free to screenshot and

replicate this but write down all the

topics and subtopics you go through this

semester during revision week you can

take off the boxes as you study them

that's why I recommend that you use a

pen to write everything down and a

pencil to ticket so that you can erase

everything and reuse the list as you

revise now here is a really important

tip to help you remember all the

formulas about the formulas and

definitions I want you to include every

single formula that you've come across

in your syllabus for that semester

especially if you're someone that

struggles with remembering formulas

because one when you do practice

questions you can just whip out this

notebook and all the formulas are in one

place you don't have to flip between

chapters because that can get really

annoying as someone taking two

biochemistry units this semester the

second reason why you should write all

the formulas down is because when you

actively choose to write something down

and it's in your own handwriting you'll

just remember all of them naturally so

if you struggle with memorizing formulas

or definitions if you're studying

physics then this will really really

help you next if you also struggle with

remembering the sheer amount of content

that is in science subjects changing the

way you do notes will really help you

for example let's just say you're trying

to study organic chemistry and many of

you tell me in FA films Academy that you

struggle with remembering everything

let's look at my notes these structures

are from lecture 1 and all this

information surrounding it are from

lectures 15 21 and so on there's

actually no order what's more important

is that all the relevant information is

in one place so your notes go from

looking like this where each color is a

different topic to looking like this

instead of hundreds of slides I only

needed to remember five or six pages for

the entirety of the functional groups

you can do these notes separately or

include them in your Lifeline notebook

up to you I prefer everything in one

place so that's why my lifeline

notebooks can look really thick I'll

leave the link to the live stream I did

two days ago in the description box

below where I talk about how to get

scholarships how to overcome exam

anxiety Focus for long periods of time

and so on feel free to check that out

next here is a secret way to guarantee

extra marks let's move on to seven and

eight every time you get a correction

write it down it doesn't matter how

silly that mistake was because if you've

made that mistake before you can make it

again write down the question your wrong

answer then the right answer if the

question is a little bit more difficult

then write down what you don't

understand after you ask your teacher or

lecture for an explanation remember to

write down their explan

below yours I would also write down the

marking scheme answers because let's

face it a lot of exams are repetitive

you'll start to notice a pattern where

either a question keeps getting asked or

one particular question has the same

answer or same format for answering it

so if you want to know how to bump up

your grades this is it if you found this

video helpful so far bestie be sure to

like this video And subscribe if you

haven't already next don't just write

due dates if you have a project or

assignment don't just write the due date

down but the date that you're going to

start it this is a tip that I've

mentioned in a previous video I did

about a year ago which you can check out

here but I still agree with it you need

to write everything down there's nothing

worse than realizing that a deadline is

closer than you think that's why it's

also so important to write when you're

going to start studying or start a

project but of course everyone knows

that it's important to be organized it's

just really hard to start don't worry

I'll help you out besy to help you on

your journey towards becoming an

academic weapon I've created a free

notion template that you can use and

download so that you can achieve all

your goals and stay on track scroll down

and there's already a calendar there

ready for you to enter all your dates

into the first thing I want you to do

when you finish this video is to open up

that template and write down all your

due dates for University or anything

into that calendar every single subject

feel free to play music while you're at

it since there's also easy access to a

Loi playlist this template is basically

everything that you need to plan your

academic life in 2024 let me show you

how to use it for any notion template

that you want to use go to the top right

corner and click duplicate then the

template will appear in your notion

after you've made a free account but

make sure small width and full text are

turned on the first thing to do bestie

is to change this into your your name

it's yours

now after the instructions there are

pictures you can click on that lead you

to separate pages click into it and

change the cover if you don't like the

ones I've picked you can press slash on

your keyboard to add any element into

your page whether that's headings tables

or to-do list scroll down and I've added

a space for you to add your top goal in

2024 and your most important ins and

outs that you want to remind yourself to

practice and a place to put your

favorite quote this is my own

handwriting and a quote that I always

say to you besties but feel free to

change it if you want something else

basically just click on any space you

want to edit my template is just a

suggestion feel free to customize and

build a system that works for you I'll

leave a link to this free notion

template in the description box below

alongside the link to create a free

notion account but of course I've made

other free templates before as well one

example is the master to-do list which

I've already added the link for in this

free notion template I talked about

previously it's an automatic to-do list

that sorts out your tasks according to

Priority click duplicate then scroll all

the way to the bottom here dump all your

tasks that you have so these two are the

staple free notion templates that I

recommend you start out with oh and you

can check out my detailed notion

tutorial up here as well it takes me

days to create these free templates so

as a payment please like this video and

comment down below I will become an

academic weapon this month to manifest

being the perfect student next don't

blindly

memorize when you're taking your notes

or revising you should be focusing more

on linking the concepts together rather

than just memorizing everything it

literally doesn't matter if your notes

has everything your teacher or lecturer

says there is no way for us to remember

everything especially if all the

information just exists in in our head

as separate blobs with no connection so

what I do for digital notes is to

include a short sentence at the top of

each page this sentence should describe

the link between the previous page and

the current page this is called linking

text I just made that up here's an

example that I have in my own notes in

this page my lecturer talked about how

the compliment pathway needs to be

activated to increase the inflammatory

response then in the next page you can

see that I put a linking text here it

says remember how we said that the

compliment pathway needs to be activated

followed by all my notes on how it

actually gets activated feel free to

pause to digest it my friends started

doing this and said it's a GameChanger

because sometimes after hours of

studying you just kind of forget what

you're even studying like why am I even

studying this activation thing for 2

hours that happens when you don't have

linking text in your notes all this

information is just going to exist sep

separately in your head which makes it

so hard to remember or understand

everything but when you have linking

text it's so simple to do but it just

makes everything flow and there's a

chain so you end up only needing to

remember one thing and then everything

else just flows naturally next stop

being so afraid of AI okay let me list

just a few things AI can help you with

brainstorm ideas for your assignments or

homework write an outline for your essay

translate text and explain a difficult

concept I know what you besties are

thinking and no I'm not asking you to

use AI to do your assignments for you

that's cheating and plus there are a lot

of programs now that can detect AI

writing instead you should use AI to

your advantage I posted this video a few

months ago and I highly recommend that

you go and watch it basically I talk

about how I use AI to help me memorize

200 pages of notes in a few days but

since I'm already giving you a free

notion template I thought I would just

share a few of the AI features that

notion has so that everything is kind of

in one place and you can start from

there just press space and notion AI

will pop up if you have a lot of reading

all you have to do is copy the paragraph

in your textbook and paste it into

notion then you can ask AI to summarize

it for

you then ask notion AI to change it into

Point form there you go all my notes are

in point form like this second example

you can ask notion AI to simplify

anything complicated that you don't

quite understand because of my new

internship and my uni work I just have

so many papers to read every single day

it's insane third example and my

favorite if you have a lot of notes all

in separate pages it can get really

annoying when you have to click into

each page individually to see what's

inside to fix this problem all you have

to do is create a table with all your

notes Here add a new property called AI

summary to a column and it'll literally

take all the content from the separate

pages and summarize it into the table

now you can just quickly scroll and

click into the page that you want this

has saved me so much time I'm going to

keep using it for the rest of 2024 it's

only $10 a month which in my opinion is

super worth it I've been paying for this

AI feature way before notion even

sponsored me and I'll leave a sign up

link in the description box below next

ditch the notes first now this is my

secret on how to become an academic

Beast before you start studying anything

go through the practice questions or

quizzes first you don't even need to

answer anything why first reason is that

you'll immediately know which parts of

the topic are actually important we all

know bestie that not every part of the

topic is important so why are we

spending the same amount of time

studying each part of the topic this is

what what an effective study session

should look like more time should be

spent on more important Concepts

compared to the rest and how do you know

which parts are important by looking at

the practice questions so try to find

all the practice questions that you can

and see what the examiner actually will

test you on so that you don't waste time

studying filler or irrelevant content

the second reason why you should go for

the questions first is so that you can

skip straight to the marking scheme

knowing how to answer questions is more

important than knowing the material and

what a lot of students don't realize is

that you can learn a lot from the

marking scheme like I mentioned in the

first tip most exams are repetitive so

skip to the marking scheme and start

highlighting all the keywords that they

use so when you watch your lecture or

read the textbook just look out for

those keywords for biochemistry what I

would do is I would purposely get every

single question wrong so that I could

get the explanation for how to answer

the the question correctly I just

screenshotted everything and put it into

a Google Document I studied this whole

document before the exam and sure enough

most of the questions came out if you've

made it this far comment down below your

least favorite subject to study and of

course I didn't forget about your prize

as a thank you for watching the entire

video I've actually filmed an entire

extra video that will really help you

transform your grades to get the video

go to my Instagram and follow me there

then message me this specific sentence I

will become an academic weapon I will

then message you a question and if you

can answer it you will be given the link

to the video and I hope you enjoy it

like this video subscribe and turn on

the notification Bell and set it to all

so you don't miss out on any future

videos thank you for 1,1 140,000

subscribers and I'll see you all in my

next video bye