How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less

I bought How to Become a Straight-A Student for my reference and to add to my bookshelf, and it’s an absolute gem. The advice is straightforward, practical, and based on real student experiences. It offers smart strategies to study more efficiently without burning out. I love how it focuses on working smarter, not harder. A valuable resource I’ll be referring to throughout my academic journey.

I first have to say I practiced what the author tell us to do, and that semester I got A's on all my classes, and my GPA has improved considerably (I wish I had read this several years ago).I bought this book at the end of 2011 and decided to put to practice what it says. I was very amazed at my former roommate's 5.0 GPA and scholarship to Stanford once he got his minor in Biology. This guy would just come home, watch movies, go out with his girlfriend, play sports a lot, go dancing, etc. We never saw him cramming or pulling one all-nighter, NOT EVEN ONCE!. The other 2 guys were jealous studying like crazy but with 3.85 GPA. When I asked him about his success he said he wasn't doing anything special, except for staying in school until he finished his homework for the day. It didn't make sense since we saw him at home around 6 pm. "I just divide the work for each assignment unless it is too easy, and I never stay more than 1 or 2 hours doing just one assignment, That helps me usually get over 100% so at the end of the semester I don't have to worry too much about tests and other stuff like that; I don't read the whole thing, EVER! I would never be able to read the 100+ pages required each week, plus memorizing, and then doing an essay, it is ridiculous."I read a few books about getting A's (I am from Mexico so the grading system is different), but they all said the same: read the whole thing, learn everything to avoid surprises, repeat it but in your own words, make notes in every paragraph, develop mental maps, and so on... This book is different (some of the things are similar but not the same).Here's the most useful piece of advice I got from it: It is very often more important to know what NOT to study, than what to study. Time is very limited and we shouldn't waste it trying to read all the materials, learn absolutely everything for the tests, etc (especially the night before whatever is due). Your brain will shut off before you can do that, so you're better off knowing what you can and cannot do without burning out.I also have to say I enjoyed precious nights of deep sleep, and going to the test with a fresh mind (and scent), instead of tired, desperate, stinky, and trying to memorize 5 minutes before the test. This book is a lot about having free time to enjoy (not just getting drunk like some reviewers said) while others are wishing they would have studied earlier. It is a lot about structure and dividing the workload throughout the semester, month, week, day. You need to pay attention since at some point it could get a little tedious, like when he explains how to prepare for an essay. But if you try them they will work; the ultimate goal here is making college less tedious, more enjoyable, and an experience that will enrich your life instead of becoming a very expensive hell. It is also worth mentioning that the author is not giving you something he just though of, but these are common habits among top students attending top universities.I can also suggest you try the methods in the book and combine them with others such as mnemonics; I memorize whatever information I don't think I'll need in the future, and just pour it on the test, then forget about the rest; I do this ONLY with useless info that won't help me in any other class, and when I know the test will allow it (like multiple choice, short answers, yes/no, etc).Would definitely recommend it.

This book is not that revolutionary, but very helpful. It essentially tackles three main problem areas for college students: 1) time management skills, 2) studying and exam prep, and 3) essay writing. Some of these are common sense things that many people resist implementing. If you are struggling with college, or are a high school senior unsure of what to expect in college, this book is very helpful.The true value in this book, for me at least, was in providing the satisfaction that these strategies worked. I would often start out a semester by doing the things listed in the book. I would manage my time, study effectively for exams, thoughtfully plan out papers and assignments. Halfway through the semester, I always had straight As. But as finals crept up, I would panic. Since every other student spent hours in the library studying, I abandoned the effective strategies to follow suit. As a result, my final exam grades were inconsistent and my final papers were always rushed. This book gave me the satisfaction of knowing that I can trust these time saving strategies. You do not need to spend hours and hours on projects to get a good grade. It's okay to not spend hours in the library studying for a final. Trust that these strategies work, and enjoy your stress-free semester.But, the book does have faults. While this book provides very useful information, I feel it misses two aspects of the college experience that can have a large impact on your grade: presentations and group projects. (Also the dreaded group presentation). While you can implement some of these strategies in these situations, it would be nice to know how top students manage working in group project settings, especially those that require research. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a group project where half the group doesn't show up to meetings, members refuse to do their work, or people drop the class halfway through the project. I still haven't figured out an adequate way to deal with these situations besides just doing the work myself at the last minute.Bottom line, this book is well worth the money. Whether you are a college senior or a high school senior and everything in between, this book will help you as long as you faithfully implement the strategies. But do search out other resources for help with managing group projects.