Boost your GPA!
Author: Sabour Al-Kandari
You’ve left high school to finally embark upon the “real-world”. All of a sudden expenses went from field trips, lunch and maybe the bus into thousands per semester and hundreds per book. Classes went from students being an eraser’s throw away (good times) to titanic lecture halls in the hundreds. No doubt a lot of people take hits in their marks/GPA and achieving less may just stick with you well into the rest of your education – but just because university is different doesn’t mean you can’t do as well or even better while you’re here. It’s easy to get comfortable with personal underachievement when following the graduation carrot-on-a-stick, but as a Muslim who has made the decision to become skilled in worldly knowledge and has invested a huge amount of (healthy-life) time and money – it only makes sense to demand the very best from your personal potential, maximize the efficiency of these resources and not let them be squandered.
Abdullah bin Abbas (Radiallau Anhu) reports that The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “There are two bounties of Allah wherein most people are deceived, health and free time”.
[Bukhari]
I use the word “personal-potential” to highlight that everyone’s capabilities are different. You’re not here to measure yourself according to Mr. 9.0 (who isn’t just a legend by the way) but according to where you stand. A C+ may either be a great personal success for a D student or a failure for an A student. Although I must say I do believe success in school has much more to do with nurture than nature.
Anywhoo, every time I give advice about school I seem to always get to the same talking points – so it’s about time I sorted it all into an article and saved myself some breath. This article is geared towards university students but a lot of the ideas are general and can be extrapolated for anyone to benefit insh’Allah.
Scheduling
First things first, you MUST know your degree program and all of its requirements like the back of your hand (all the way up to 4th year). You need this info to plan well ahead and do your best to beautify your semester’s schedule. This thing is going to be your soul-mate for the next three months so choose wisely and be very persistent and stubborn in getting what you want. I haven’t had a single semester where I wasn’t constantly tweaking my schedule and making rearrangements even after school started to get the best lab, tutorial or lecture. A lot of the time students really don’t take this as seriously as they should only to get owned mid way through and get their cash hustled by York on the drop date.
As for what makes a good schedule, that’s for you to decide and everyone is a bit different. It depends on your other activities, your work schedule and your commuting as well. If you live right beside campus coming 5 days a week might not be an issue for you, but if you have an hour and a half commute then having a day or two off will cut you a break.
The main idea though is you want to maximize your efficiency and use of time. You don’t want big holes where you have nothing to do and you don’t want the wrong kind of conflicts either. Some conflicts are OK and recommended because they are doable and give you a nice schedule in the end.
Also, ratemyprofessors.com is your bestest best friend fo eva. Do not be ashamed to internet stalk to oblivion and find out everything you can about a professor and the course you’re taking – and make decisions based on the information you get. Don’t underestimate the power of preparation, even if you find out he has a dog you know what to kidnap in case he pulls a fast one for the exam (muahaha). Seriously though this has made a world of difference for me and I’ve avoided so many headaches and/or prepared myself for them.
Lectures
You’re probably used to hearing the whole “go to every single lecture and take down notes diligently” cliché but that’s not always the most wholesome advice. I completely agree with the attendance part, in most cases, you have to be out of your mind to miss lecture – you will fall behind and you will pay for it. Since this is the clearest advice I can give I’ll say it again, YOUR MARKS WILL BE HIGHER IF YOU GO TO EVERY LECTURE AND TUTORIAL! No exceptions, even if your professor sucks it’s an hour or two spent that you would have otherwise wasted in the MSA comparing beards anyway. Look, I screw up and skip too but don’t justify it – it’s a bad move that results from poor planning, so don’t fool yourself. Learning is much more efficient in class time and tutorial and in most cases you have to spend hours just to get ready to begin learning what you missed. Even if you do learn faster at home lecture becomes your safety net and for a small investment in time you gain more exposure to the material so again, your marks go higher.
As for the actual time in lecture and tutorial, the following advice may seem a little unorthodox to some people. Paying attention and understanding the material in class is a much higher priority than taking notes. I see the vast majority of students diligently regurgitating notes with little to no understanding of the material in question and end up wasting the entire point of going to lecture and tutorial – which is to learn and be exposed to the subject. The textbook and lecture slides don’t need you to rewrite everything again, they are there for a reason and if you don’t know what you’re writing you’re just a printer. It’s more important that you remain human and sit there, pay careful attention, swirl the material around in your head, build neural connections with other knowledge, try to make sense of it, and ask questions if you don’t. I personally don’t take notes for most of my classes unless there is a lot of undocumented material being presented that I can’t access later. Kicking notes completely out the window like I have might be a little extreme because writing good notes is really helpful – just remember it’s not the priority, not by a long shot.
Oh and while you’re in lecture, please turn away from Facebook, your cell phone, and Starcraft (you suck anyway). There’s no point, if you try to half-do two things you end up less than half-doing and double failing. I completely understand some Profs are so horrible they are practically breathing out chloroform fumes when they speak, but you have to do your best to hang on and not give in. Sleep well the night before, bring snacks, and enjoy the show (I will bring popcorn to a lecture one day insh’Allah).
Labs
(If you don’t have labs you can skip this section)
When I think of students in the laboratory the only words that fit perfectly that I can think of is a phrase in Pashto, “war khata”. I really don’t know how to translate that, but it’s a lot like being a chicken with your head cut off. It’s when you’re confused, nervous, inefficient and just plain not using your head. No worries it happens to everyone, but sooner or later you should figure out the vibe of the laboratory and realize how repetitive and similar most labs are. Everyone wants to get out of there asap, so in order to prevent this confusion and inefficiency, reading the lab manual isn’t enough. You have to understand the lab in question and it’s not that hard to figure them out. Take for example this part I took right out of my CHEM 3030 lab manual:
Dissolve 2.5 g of [Co(NH3)4CO3]NO3 in 25 mL of water and carefully add concentrated HCl (2 to 4 mL) until all of the CO2 is expelled. Neutralize with concentrated aqueous NH3, and then add about 1 mL excess. Heat for 20 minutes, again avoid boiling….
To me that just translates into “take this thingy and put stuff in it” – and that’s most of the lab. The rest of the manual goes on to say “put funky stuff in machine and press print graph”. Remember you are actually going to reread the lab manual a zillion times again during the lab so there’s no point in getting tangled with the individual measurements and specifics. Just understand the jist of it, the important stuff/precautions and simplify! Oh and try to understand the actual science behind what you’re doing so you can actually learn something and appreciate the awesomeness of what you’re doing (unless you’re in bio1010 – nothing to learn in those labs lolol). Also, try to get away from negativity and the “oh man labs suck” attitude as much as you can, it just makes your life harder.
As for writing reports, I must have pumped out about 20 reports this semester alone (alhamdulillah I’m still alive). You get faster at them as you go along and each class and TA has their own style for the level of detail (read: redundant explanations and overkill of the subject) they expect. It’s really helpful to actually know what you did in the lab. Also, my gr.12 physics teacher taught me a technique where he would just run through every section (intro, results, discussion) and jot down quick points for what needs to be there to make it easier to fill in later. If you understand the lab just tabulate the results/calculations nicely (I usually do this first) then have quick explanations of what went down in the relevant sections and if your marker wants wordy jargon you can build that around this core.
Essays
(If you don’t have essays you can skip this section)
One of my biggest criticisms of the current school system is the weakness of the writing skill it pumps out in its students. The issue with good writing is that it’s an art and a science at the same time. It requires a lot of core logic in the skeleton but a lot of stylistic sense to build around it. Nobody is born knowing how to write by the way, and so these are skills that you have to practice with, take continual criticism with and nurture throughout your life alongside with strong speaking which is connected closely. This is something that you will reap the benefits from your whole life. The secret here is to thrive off criticism and constantly push yourself to figure out where you can get better – don’t ever get comfortable with the level you’re at.
Learning by observation is excellent for this, and so you have to develop a personal love of reading. There are zillions of topics out there and many blogs on different subjects from Islamic studies to useful/interesting worldly knowledge, so you have to figure out what you’re interested in and indulge into the world of the pen. A lot of the time people who are usually good at writing read more than others.
Aside from this work at the personal level, for actual assignments you have all the resources available to you with professors/TA’s/peers that will edit and give you the feedback that you need, but then another problem sprouts up…
LAZINESS. The vast majority of weak writing (and speaking) does not have the proper time and effort put into it. You need to edit, edit, edit and then edit again. This isn’t just about spending hours and hours but actually spending hours and hours efficiently and targeting the right issues. If your core skeleton is weak and you don’t have strong and clear arguments and research to back up your thesis, pulling an all-nighter to rephrase all your paragraphs isn’t going to help. Similarly, if you have all the research and arguments to support a well-defined thesis but your writing has no natural flow, is confusing, hard-to-understand and riddled with grammatical and spelling errors more research isn’t going to help either. Again, you need to get feedback from others because a lot of the time things sound good in your head but don’t read the same when most people are looking at it.
Evaluations: Tests and Exams
Here it is, crunch time! Regardless of how hard you worked and how much you know the material, it all goes through the filter of how well you perform on the evaluations. This is why, and most people still don’t get this, test taking is an art and science in and of itself.
I should have put this in the “scheduling section”, but aside from labs/assignments this is where the beauty of having an agenda really shines. I personally use the calendar part (with two months on one page) of the York agenda to fill with all the due dates, tests and assignments (and other reminders) to really see and plan ahead. You know, having three exams in two days isn’t as big of a surprise or an issue when you’ve been seeing it on your desk for a month and a half beforehand and can figure out where the open spaces are for good studying.
On top of this, you really need to find yourself a nice place to study. A nice, comfortable, quiet zone of awesome where you can concentrate on your work and have all the resources you need (books, paper, internet) to do any and every kind of studying and/or plan for world domination. A lot of people really love studying at school and in the library which I don’t quite understand to be honest, but hey whatever works best for you. For me personally my optimal studying place is in my room at my desk with the door closed. I have all my books and utensils and can go to my computer to access online resources (like googling subjects and looking for helpful websites/videos) and I can take enjoyable breaks and grab food without having to pack everything or make time and money wasting trips to the student center.
As for studying itself, I always say there’s a difference between studying hard and studying right. You can study hard for a zillion hours and pull all-nighters but it won’t make any difference if you are inefficient. What defines efficiency depends on the nature of the course, the material and the professor. Some courses are really heavy duty memorization (I’m disgusted by this more than you are) so you need to be able to list out all the important stuff you learned from going to lecture and asking the professor and learn memorization techniques like association, grouping, and repetition. If you try this with other courses however that are heavy problem-solving you’re going to be turned into road kill. For those you need to actually learn to solve problems ON YOUR OWN and develop those skills which you’ll only get from doing the assigned problem sets and going to tutorials. I can’t count the number of students in chemistry/physics courses that think they can get away with reading the textbook for hours and walk into the exam. Or, they do the problem sets but only through LOOKING AT EVERY ANSWER without learning to do it on their own. The formula for success is very simple; you’re not going to have the answers on a test. Figure out what you’re going to have to do for the exam (remember stuff/solve problems etc) and practice doing that on your own in a simulated test environment.
This is actually one of the reasons organic chemistry (CHEM 2020) has a reputation for being such a hard course, because it requires serious memorization, understanding the concepts and being a pro at problem solving at an even higher level than most people are used to. What happens is a lot of students (especially biology noobs) walk in and see the stuff as simple and easy to remember at the superficial level but don’t fully understand the high degree of actual comprehension, ingenuity and problem-solving skill it requires to answer the questions on the test. So please, if you’re in organic chemistry, do all the problem sets and be able to solve the questions on your own.
Being able to predict what type of questions you’ll get on the test and understanding your professor’s style is another skill that you have to develop as you go along.
Conclusion
As stated in the beginning, I am convinced that doing well in school usually has more to do with nurture (putting in the time, effort and work to grow) rather than nature (being born smart). Again, are you here to pay with time and money to be a sub-par version of yourself, or are you here to reap the benefits and grow from being challenged? Get motivated, and get rid of laziness and procrastination because those are diseases that will affect everything you do for the rest of your life – not just school.
The final point I want to make is one of the most important things I learned about work-ethic and ties the constant theme of efficiency together. A true lazy student never procrastinates. Laziness stems from the desire to minimize work, but procrastination implies you have to do it sooner or later (choosing later). The contradiction here is that procrastination actually increases the work load you have, and makes things more difficult and punishing and the only way to balance out the increase in work load is to do a worse job. Efficiency is really just a fusion of laziness and the desire to do a good job. As a result, you use your brain to target the right things to minimize the overall work load but maximize results. So if you’re in school, get efficient! Get your schedule organized, don’t procrastinate and think critically about how to get the most out of your time. You’ll do a better job, have less work to do and actually enjoy the time you spend at school!
Oh, and learn to relax and enjoy play time as well. Believe it or not, a lot of people who truly don’t know how to work don’t know how to have fun either because of inefficient wasting of time. Honestly, if you spend 6 hours for a 1 hour study session because of distractions and piling up studying, you just lost 5 hours of free fun time.
Like I said on the marriage article, I’m hardly an expert. So please, add to the discussion with your own knowledge, experience and study tips so we can all benefit insh’Allah.
May Allah grant us all success in this life and the next and make our education full of barakah, easy and fun. Ameen!
| Print article | This entry was posted by Sabour Al-Kandari on January 2, 2011 at 11:21 pm, and is filed under Worldly Success. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
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about 7 months ago
Asalamalaikum, I am currently in highschool and although the purpose of this article is mainly on University students i find it very helpful for me too. I have really been struggling with my studying habits and by reading this article it helped me out alot! I really liked how you talk about the different learning habits of people and how it really should be done. Mashallah very nice article thank you for posting.
about 7 months ago
Walaikum salaam,
Glad you could benefit bro, you have a long road ahead of you to “learn how to learn”. This article is a start, but keep your eyes open and take advantage of any resources you can to help yourself make learning easier.
Education is a lot more fruitful if you enjoy it!
about 7 months ago
Salam, first and foremost great work done by the author…pointed out what needs to be done.
I can relate from my own experience that time management is the most important thing when in uni. Pick the best labs, the classes that dont ruin ur beauty sleep, and make a schedule that allows for ease with regards to prayer. Once u manage ur time, its like making a fantasy all-star hockey team…u have all ur resources all u gotta do is go out and CRUSH THE OPPONENT!! In this hypothetical case, the opponent is the degree and crush is to earn. May Allah grant us success in this world and the next!
about 7 months ago
Walaikum salaam, Ameen to the dua.
Good advice still, I forgot to add that you want to build your schedule around salah time. Keep that 1:30 slot open for jum’ah, but there are some classes (like biol1010) that you don’t have a choice for. Prayer is always still the priority and you can easily make the ends meet by catching up with class for this special case. I came at the last 5 min of every Friday class of biol1010 and still did well alhamdulillah.
Love the fantasy hockey analogy, but I would have preferred some sort of Avengers or X-Men reference =P.
Something tells me you’re a Miami Heat fan…
about 7 months ago
Astagfirullah what kind of accusation is this?! How can I support the tyranny and oppression of the Eastern Conference that is the miami (insert funny word here) heat?!
Definitely with regards to BIOL 1010, its impossible to get both class and jum’ah, but personally speaking I’ve never felt disadvantaged in that class when leaving for jum’ah. And with respect to X-Men analogies…is it really possible to create an all-powerful all-star team?!
about 7 months ago
Don’t hate, Jordan had Pippen, Kobe was stacked, Boston was stacked.
BIOL1010 is one of the only courses that falls right on jum’ah and c’mon it’s mostly review of gr.12 – there were SO many lectures devoted to mitosis/meiosis lol.
And yeah, it is possible to have the most awesome schedule ever – I came close. Alhamdulillah in this fall semester I had at one point 19 credits and a 3-day school week. It was still too much though and I had to drop a course. For what was left if I had a regular course instead of a 3-credit full lab course I would have had SO much free time.
Plan your future years way in time ahead! Explore your future courses and their times NOW!
about 7 months ago
Assalamu Alaikum Wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu. Its good advice still. And it makes sense. KEEP up the good work beard Aghha.
about 7 months ago
Nice read; Surprised to say I read it all even with my current 0-attention-span lol.
A lot of information to take in. Personally; I’ve learned these lessons myself after having an almost-fail first year; and in doing so thought I’d be doing great this year.
Tho i did learn amazing new study techniques and started implementing them as best I could; i still didn’t do that great this year. Part of it was from the increasingly difficult courses; the other part.. as i’ve realized.. is in maximizing the efficiency of your study time.
Learning the best techniques and implementing them most efficiently. Organisation saves you a WORLD of stress and time management. But mastering your studying techniques is key to success. As you mentioned, things like repetition, studying out loud, and especially making crucial connections in your head about the content; are what you need to focus on.
Another tricky course is psych 1010; where for one test you’ll end up studying 4 chapters; aka 200 pages; aka 6-8 hours of reading. Sure with 6-8 hours you can get thru the content but that’l barely get you a B if you’re lucky… you’ll need to add an extra 4 hours and focus on those techniques on top of getting thru the content, that’s how you succeed!
Remember, just because it took Goku one minute to learn the Kamehameha doesn’t mean it was as strong as it was after he practiced using it for years.. :)
about 7 months ago
Lol I’m honored that this was enjoyable to read despite its freakish length.
I can completely relate to your experiences akhi, I have taken a LOT of hits in marks over the years and it can be really de-motivational when you put in your best effort. The secret though is to hang on, stay positive (despite how hard it can get) and use that discomfort to completely and thoroughly re-analyze to grow to an even higher level.
The other hurtful part is a lot of times the difference between getting a really bad mark and getting a really good mark is not that much in how much better you should have been. So a lot of times even though you can completely bomb a test you could have been inches away from an A+. You could look at that as half-empty or use it as motivation to make that final leap.
PSYCH 1010 is a great example for a case study for what worked for me. It’s one of those courses where you have to do painstaking research before you enroll into a section to figure out who is the best teacher (this carries into the first few days of class when the names pop up). I had the course with Jubis and she was heavily based on the textbook so I didn’t take notes and spent my time listening and enjoying the lecture. The tests were heavy multiple choice with some simple short answers. The short answers were easy if you had a good general understanding (gotten from lecture), but multiple choice could still be killer. Before you even begin training for them you have to have a firm background in the chapter’s concepts so the reading has to be spread out nicely and skimming through actually was helpful for me. Once you have the background, you have to do MASSIVE amounts of practice quizzes and multiple choice questions as much as you can, there are some in the book and more online. From those you could figure out where your weaknesses are and then supplement with patching up the holes by going back to the book – making use of efficient studying/memorization techniques (writing cheat-sheets that you won’t use based entirely on memory is really helpful).
Long story short, it follows the ideas in the article of:
-> preparing for what you actually have to perform on the test (heavy multiple choice) ** most important **
-> picky scheduling
-> good use of lecture time
-> spacing out reading
about 7 months ago
Wanted to add on the multiple choice ques. bit as I used to enjoy doing them:- use the ”cancelling” technique where you have two options that are similar or close in meaning–either two numbers or two sentences– which were meant to confuse you, its likely the answer is one of them.Cancel the rest out and Focus on these two then pick the one out of them you feel is most correct.
This worked everytime.
about 7 months ago
That’s interesting I’ve never heard that before. I shall put it to the test insh’Allah.
I hate how multiple choice tests can make a person really paranoid though. It screws with the natural preference of symmetry/organization in my head and if there are too many answers of one letter I feel like something’s horribly wrong lol.
about 7 months ago
Alhmadulillah Great advice, especially for new comers entering post secondary. In the end it all comes down to what grade you aim for and how serious you take your education. On the other hand, a downside I personally see to post secondary education is OSAP as a big spoiler. Aside from the other issues, if it was our own money we would have that extra push to try harder. I was once listening to Muahmmad Alshareef’s lecture and he mentioned how we should avoid loans and strive to earn the money ourselves. While striving and thinking of innovative ways to earn that money we might end up pulling off a succesfull business plan. :O awesome.
Anywayssssssss some personal tips I can share that help me out to succeed in school would be the following:
- ALWAYS writing down new assignments on your AGENDA (a must have)
- set your priorities in your AGENDA ( gotta have 1)
- use your time wisely and do as much work as possible near the begging of the semester! It was something new I attempted the last semester and I gaurantee or your money back! you’ll end up loving yourself when assignments start piling up near midterm. I also had some advice from my night school teacher where he gave an analogy of a track and field runner. In the beggining of the race their all full of energy and willing to give it 110%, near the middle their at a constant speed declining here n there and in the end they just want to get it done with (Unless your Hussein Bolt). So why not pull off as many assignments near the beggining… unless your Hussein Bolt ofcourse.
-Always give ur self dead lines and write down what you plan on accomplishing each day. I myself find it easier to achieve goals when I can see them. If their floating thoughts in my mind I wont bother with it unless I see a class mate doing it in the library and thats when I panic.
- Which brings up a good point. Become friends (Muslim if possible.. but dawa is always fun :D ) with people who are always on top of things. Whenever I see classmates doing an assignment I havent started yet I start to stress out. Its probably just me, but in the the results are 5 hairy thumbs up :D.
I also recommend Muhammad Alshareef’s brain dump techniqueee. It’s pretty awesome.. you can probably find it on his Facebook page.. or if i find it il post the link.
Enjay!
about 7 months ago
Mash’Allah excellent advice akhi!
Agree with everything you’ve posted so you can add my thumbs up to that (why is it an odd number?). I’ll be sure to check out the brain dump technique insh’Allah!
about 7 months ago
Thats what I call a bomb article,mashAllah.Lots of stuff going on.And the comments are even better-definitely agree with buddying up with brainies, they can be useful…otherwise work on your own.
Labs- try and read the material a day or two before you go and do it. Helps you gain more time and reduce stress.
Lecture notes- I usually take down notes a lot ,especially when I sense the prof. keeps hovering over a point like its going to come in the exam and bite you!Thats if they’re nice profs. I always focus on their expressions for this lol..
I would add excercise (like 20 minutes twice a week) and make good use of weekend-time..they go so fast!.
Exams- theyre a challenge and to enjoy them you need to arm yourself with the knowledge required to blast them out of oblivion.
Try to *think* like your examiner,what do you think theyd want from you,what do they want to see? etc.,”think like the criminal”.
And for the exam timetable- plan revision atleast a month before and put a copy of that timetable *everywhere* – haunt yourself.
Also when you enter the exam hall bring with you a relaxed brain not an anxious one-the former will be more useful whereas the latter is on fight/flight mode- more useful when running from a lion. To switch modes,take deep, slow breaths.
The last bit about a true lazy student,will be hijacked as my motto for the rest of the year.
about 7 months ago
Mash’Allah Jazak’Allah khair for sharing some excellent tips,
Yes, it’s super important to have the rest of your life balanced out nicely with good food, exercise, sleep and everything else.
And yes, it is totally possible to really enjoy an exam despite the pressure being on. First year calc was a big exam for me as I had a lot riding on it (or at least really thought I did) and had a really downhill year for that course. I had never been that nervous for a test/exam before but after I prayed dhur just before I left my house and reminded myself that it’s still just matters of the dunya I felt unbelievable calm and I really, really had fun writing the exam.
So yeah, enjoy yourselves in school and during examinations! Is it really that crazy? I mean people love sudoku/puzzles/video games and love pressure time for sports right?
about 7 months ago
Mashallah, this was a well summarized article! Keep up the good work!
I am in complete agreement with regards to making personal goals as opposed to comparing oneself with a classmate. At the end of the day, it is about self-satisfaction and that your hard work paid off or that you achieved a level that you wanted to reach. Also, going to lectures indeed will get you higher grades because when a professor stresses on a point, you know to make a star beside that point as it will come back on an exam or you can re-use it in an essay to please your professor.
However, on the note of the unorthodox advice; I do agree that paying attention in class and understanding the material is a higher priority however I’d like to bring forth the idea that many people have different learning styles. One may be auditory while another visual. Thus, the students that appear to be regurgitating notes like myself understand the material as they write it out as opposed to sit back and listen because I’m not the greatest listener. I learn better when it is written out. Thus, suggestion would be to find out a learning style that best suits you and apply it.
With regards to writing skills, I feel one should always be open to criticisms/suggestions as everyone could use feedback with regards to their writing. Also, it is a learning experience because everyone has a unique writing style. Thus, editing a paper by others and yourself is really helpful.
Another tip while studying is that many tend to review concepts that are known to them thus try to focus or give more time to concepts that are more difficult and challenging because if you master the harder material, the others will be easy for you.
Also, with regards to facebook and cell phones or a wandering mind – I’ll end this note with what a professor once said that stuck with me is “Be IN the room”. In other words, while in class don’t think about summer vacation and while in summer vacation mode do not think about school. Likewise, in a lecture stay focused on what is being presented just like the way you try your best to be focused while performing Salaat.
about 7 months ago
Mash’Allah more excellent advice!
Agree with everything you have there. I’m glad you brought up the notes issue and you’re totally right, my style might be extreme and everyone’s learning style is a bit different so you gotta find out what works for you.
about 7 months ago
Alhamdulillah
Loveeeee going to my classes as nerdy as that is on many levels.. But with alll these tips it makes learning so much easier! and with years more to go, i’m actually going to apply these tipss..starting NOW!!!!
I found that in highschool I was a fulllll out nerd..but when attending a lecture for the first time last year and with course load this year, you automatically begin to get lazy. it sucks :(
Plus, there’s this bug going around..called the procrastination bug..and I never thought it would get around to me but it is :|.. But Alhamdulillah
keeping these tips in mind success in uni should’nt be that hard.. insha’Allah!!!(unless I get a professor who hates me)
about 7 months ago
Very good post, inshallah this will help me in my endeavors in university. I needa get on top of my game once im in this will surely help guide me in smacking up my GPA.
about 2 months ago
To begin, time management and sleep is my biggest killer and I’m working on fixing it (need to work harder) before my 3rd year begins. Since I started university I’ve been having sleeping problems, I began drinking coffee in my first year but it only made the situation worse. So I;m trying to make my schedule so that I can get my beauty sleep (as few 8:30 classes as possible), With regards to time management one thing that helps is creating an agenda, a very comprehensive one. Everything I need to do for the day and approx. how long it’ll take me to do it. I like making them because I feel proud of myself at the end of the day because of everything that I’ve accomplished but I don’t like making them because I feel micromanaged. Making the agenda is easy but sticking to it is the difficult part, especially when you’re surrounded by so many distractions (blackberry, facebook and youtube >_< )
Secondly, don't forget to take time out for yourself. I RRREEEAALLALLYYY DISLIKED York U before I began taking Tae Kwon Do classes at York. I was one of those students who would go to school, study and work at a part time job, I did not take time out to relax and enjoy myself. When you schedule some relaxation time it will help you become a better student. My Tae Kwon Do classes helped me relieve my stress and taught me how to suffocate a man using one finger (CHYAAA!). Don't forget that your body has its rights.
Lastly, I cruised through my first 2 years of university without fully applying myself for one reason, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had a rough idea, but it wasn't specific enough for me to fully apply myself academically. Getting good grades is easier when you have a goal. Don't be one of those students who go to university and take random classes just for the sake of going. Alhamdulillah I did some soul searching and research and I decided what field I will be going into and what I need to do to get into it.
Try to keep your earnings halal and stay away from student loans. Believe me, it's not difficult to work and go to school at the same time. At the end of the day it's about time management, a skill that will open up many doors for you if you master it.
Wa billahi tawfeeq (and success is with Allah),
don't forget it!
about 1 month ago
I agree with Quadri,
Time management and sleep is the way to go.
I’ll give the example of my second year (last year).
ALL of my time was solely focused on 3 things.
School (A full course load), Islamic Relief (An almost full-time job last year), and Work (20 hours per week, whereas I’ve never met any student working more than 10/wk).
I literally cut family time, sleep, and fun time off, in order to make ends meet. In the end, I can really say it did suck to a certain extent, but my year was also amazing to other extents. This summer I have caught up on my family time, and I can admit it was well overdue and missed. Same with sleep, last year, throughout the ENTIRE winter semester, I would sleep in on friday and make it JUST in time for jumuah, missing a class or two in the morning…
Set your priorities straight is the number one answer, like Quadri, I also coasted through the beginning due to lack of a target goal to achieve. What, degree? Easy, just get all C’s. Grad school? B it up. Med school? Ace it. You have to set certain ‘goals’ for yourself in order to fully drive yourself to achieve.
I urge people (and ourselves included) to learn from our mistakes, and make the most of their time on this Earth inshAllah.