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Espresso and Ambition

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Tips for Getting Straight A’s in College

September 8, 2017 by Taylor Leave a Comment

Tips for Getting Straight A's in College - Espresso and Ambition

One of the funniest things that has been said to me recently is “I can’t believe you just naturally do so well in school.” It’s funny because it’s actually pretty far from the truth. Getting good grades may have come naturally to me in middle school, but getting good grades in college is a result of a lot of hard work. As we get a few weeks into the semester, building the habits that set you up for success when final grades to come out are crucial.

 

Go to class (and be present!)

The first part of this sentence sounds obvious, but it’s so easy to fall into the temptation of skipping class, especially when class attendance is optional. The second part of this – being present – is a bit more difficult. When you’re in class, you should be paying attention and participating rather than messing around on your laptop. If you think that you’ll get sucked into Facebook or Twitter during class, put the computer away. If you’re going to make the trek to campus, you might as well be fully present in the class and actually absorb the information.

 

Participate in some way 

In high school, participation grades are often an easy A; in college, this is no longer the case. Professors who grade for participation expect frequent and valuable contributions to the class. While this concept definitely takes some getting used to, it’s important to force yourself out of your comfort zone. If you’re not quite comfortable speaking out in class regularly (and participation isn’t being graded strictly), participate in class by talking with the professor after class or during office hours.

 

Go to office hours

On that note, I cannot stress the importance of office hours enough. Getting face-to-face interaction with your professors is invaluable, and will help your grades tremendously. It can seem a bit intimidating, but most professors are more than willing to help. I’d really suggest going to office hours early in the semester – maybe for guidance on a homework assignment or to discuss something mentioned in class. That way, when the end of the semester comes around, your professor has a good impression of you and doesn’t think you’re visiting them in hopes of begging for a higher grade. Get to know your professors at the start of the semester and show them that you’re willing to put in the work, and it will pay off.

 

Don’t let bad grades sit 

I’m not suggesting petitioning for a higher grade or blaming the professor. Granted, if there’s a grading error, then by all means, get that fixed. But in most cases, you probably messed up somehow, not the professor. One bad grade won’t doom your semester, but multiple bad grades will. As soon as you can, meet with the professor, discuss what you got wrong and determine what you need to do in the future to get the grade you’re looking for. Case in point: I got a C- on my first assignment in a class last fall, but because I was proactive about the bad grade, I finished the class with an A.

 

Set up a study schedule

You’ve probably heard this everywhere, but cramming isn’t really an effective way to study. To really understand the material, it helps to learn things a little bit at a time. If I were able to study exactly the way I want to, I’d say you should look over your notes and work for 15 minutes per day. But I’m not perfect and that rarely ever happens for me. I do try to start studying for exams about 1.5-2 weeks in advance though. I find that that’s way more helpful than staying up until 3 am the night before.

 

Know how you learn best

As I mentioned in my LSAT prep post, there’s really no one-size-fits-all approach to studying. So I’m not going to provide some rigid set of instructions, because the best study tactics for you depend on how you learn best. I learn well from reading and writing, so I find that rewriting my notes is the way I study best. If you’re an auditory learner, reading your notes out loud may work better. Figure out what works for you and stick with it.

How to Get Good Grades in College - Espresso and Ambition

I hope these tips are helpful! At the end of the day, getting good grades in college is really just a result of hard work – so get out there and do just that.

xo, Taylor

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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