Terri Ramsey Beavers After working hard and trying your best, you may still find that your grades don’t reflect your efforts. It can be disappointing to learn that you’re not doing as well as you had hoped, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make improvements.
Sometimes, adjusting your environment, routine, and other parts of your life can lead to positive grade changes. You may also see value in trying some of the following unusual but effective tips:
Eat Nutritious Meals
What you put in your body can significantly impact how focused you are and how much work you can achieve. If you haven’t been nourishing your body with healthy food, now is the right time to start. You may be surprised at how much of a difference it can make.
Arm yourself with fruit and vegetables, cooking utensils, a recipe book, and some high quality nonstick cookware. You may even like to create a meal plan that allows you to prep ahead of time and budget for the food you eat each day.
Make sure you include plenty of brain food in your diet, such as fatty fish, blueberries, nuts, broccoli, and small amounts of dark chocolate as a treat.
Change Your Study Environment
Sometimes, your study environment can be to blame for substandard results in college. You might be studying for hours on end, but that doesn’t mean you’re absorbing what you’re reading.
If you’re easily distracted, opt for a quiet space such as a bedroom or an unused part of your college library. Alternatively, time your study periods for when your roommates or family won’t be home.
Alter Your Learning Strategies
There are four different learning types in education: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and reading/writing. The study methods you’re currently utilizing may not be appropriately matched to how you actually learn the best.
Try different learning techniques from each of these types to see if one helps you retain information better than the others. For example, you might absorb information easily from a book, or you may improve retention through flashcards.
Stay Organized
It may be unusual to think that your level of organization can impact your college grades, but it can. If you don’t organize your notes for each class, you may find it harder to study before a big test.
To make study time easier for yourself, consider assigning folders and binders to each subject. You can then access neatly organized materials for each class.
Eat Snacks
While eating a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be crucial for putting you in the healthiest state to study, you may also see the value in snacking.
Keep your physical and mental energy high with delicious and nutritious snacks like vegetables cut into sticks with hummus, muesli bars, and fruit. In between classes, you can nourish your body to benefit from complete focus in the classroom.
Take Breaks
Working hard can help you achieve excellent grades, but it can’t be all work and no play. Studies have shown that taking purposeful breaks can refresh your brain and body and increase productivity, energy levels, and focus.
So, while you’re studying, take a 10-minute break every 50 minutes. Get up, stretch your body, go for a walk, and have a snack. Refrain from using social media, which may distract you from your study plan altogether.
From eating brain food to taking breaks, there are many different ways to improve your college grades. If you’re worried that your grades are slipping or you’re not achieving at the level you expected, consider unusual changes like dietary improvements, keeping organized, and taking breaks.