How to become an A student for transfer?

CSB111
Sat, 20 Sep 2014 09:03:57 +0000

I won’t regurgitate my study habits, which were pretty horrible, but here is what I’d suggest speaking from what I would’ve done over:


Get on a normal schedule. Meaning try and take classes early in the day, then after class, work on your homework immediately and finish it all. My last semester I decided to take only two classes that were at night and this ruined my work ethic and made me a night owl. I liked when I had a full schedule of classes only twice a week because I’d be exhausted and wouldn’t end up going out/wasting time with my friends every night. If you aren’t totally disciplined like myself, forcing yourself in a school environment as much as possible will be most beneficial IMO. The two semesters I packed myself with a brutal schedule I got 4.0, the ones where it was more relaxed, I didn’t.
Do all your homework as it is assigned. This is crucial in math. I didn’t get As in a few of my Calc classes because I did this, the math/sciences classes I did get As in I did the HW immediately after the lesson was finished, did review problems and went to office hours if needed. Usually teachers assign review problems, so having your HW done before a test allows you do these. I got in a horrible habit of literally copying the solutions and then just memorizing concepts/formulas and trying to apply them. I did alright but you will not get As this way. It is so easy to coast and get Bs, but to really get As in math or science classes you really have to know your stuff. People complain about teachers giving quizzes, but when I had quizzes I felt obligated to do my HW…so quiz yourself somehow or make flashcards.
You need to focus on helping yourself first, then you can help other people. In my experience, the ones that try and teach other people never really know it because they think that since they can explain it to others, they’ll do good on a test.


Also, a lot of people tend to struggle at CC because they came from HS with not so good habits, or haven’t been in school for a while. You have to start new habits at some point because the system is a lot different. Less busy work and greater emphasis on tests, and no turning in things late/getting tests rescheduled. I got pounded with busy work and hard a** teachers in a lot of my HS classes, so it was a relief and things were a lot easier for me because I didn’t have to write 15 page lab reports (I had to do this in 10th grade) or color in and label 20 maps for history class (this happened in 11th grade).