Always A's!.... Start with the Certitude that you always do A+ work!
You may well earn an “A”… Or, if the class work beats you, fine; you’ll at least get a "B”-- and will know that you gave your best throughout the year!
In contrast, targeting "good enough" means a "B" is the best you'll ever do -- and you might even fail* with a “C.” Here you’ll know – and know with Certitude -- you did not give your best!
Why?... Belief matters! You must see yourself as an A+ student, as you will never outperform your self-image!
There is a common misperception that "A's" are pefection! It's not true.
A's are not perfection!
Perfection is the ideal, 100%. "Excellence" is promity to perfection. In the case of grades, yet you need only be within 10% of perfection to earn an "A," so they're not as hard to get as you may imagine. There's a built in safety zone! Yet, in the eyes of colleges and employers, if you have "straight A's" you have perfect grades.
When you find your grades 11-13% off the mark (87-89%, or at a high "B"), it would be "insane" not to score a few points and claim an "A!" It would like being on the 3-yard line, about to score, only to settle for a loss! You have the ball. Get it over the line!
Hovering just above 90% is dangerous as well. You need a buffer! From 90% you could easily drop into the "B" zone at the next grading event, which will have an outsized 4:1 negative effect on your GPA (do the math below!). You should view the 90% mark as the 3rd rail of academia. Touch it, you die! "B's" are not cool!
"A man's reach should exceed his grasp" — Robert Browning
That's why you go for A+ work! First, this sets your sights on the ideal, on 100%; not the actual result. This is your "reach," not your "grasp." The ideal is not the final point count, so get any idea out of your head that you can't get within 10% of A+ work. Believe! You can.
Then, front load the effort. Continously stive for A+ work and never slack off until you're so far above 90% that, even if you fall short, you'll still be within the "A" zone! For most classes and most student, that will mean considerable effort to end!
In contrast, you can predict what happens when you set your aim at 90%. It's the human factor! Seldom will you "grasp" your aim so, quite naturally, you'll get lower results. When a "B" is the best you can imagaine, that's is the best you'll do. This is a failure of vision!
Stiving for A+ work ingrains the habit of doing your best! Why do that matter? Through your work, you will become your best.
Play for Joy!
Above all, find joy in your work and the work will be effortless!
Almost every adult has taken some class that was life changing and may have lead them to their lives work; often due to a special bond with the instructor, but also because they discovered a special joy in the subject matter. There's joy beyond effort, but always after you "get it." So, do the work. Seek its essense. You never know what joy lies just beyond!
Student Mantra:
"B's are trailing; C's are failing."
-- BigDreams.com
Three Steps to A Work!
Okay, so how do you do this? It's all well and good to aspire but, if you want to perform, you need a plan. Here ae the three steps to A+ Work:
Plan Ahead— Look over your work and start planning as soon as home work or exams are assigned. The goal here is NO SURPRISES! You should alway begin exam prep at least 3 days ahead, never the night before. You want to internalize the material before the exam and your mind needs time to work. When creativity is involved, it is of the essense to give your mind time to work!
Work Ahead— Get over the fact you need to give up large chunks of your weekend to perform. That what it takes to do A work. Period. If it takes every waking hours of the weekend, you're either overloaded or allowing distractions to slow you down. Save the chat, text, and email for breaks!... You should have all your homework finished through Tuesday by Sunday night. The goal here is to BUFFER or SUFFER. If you fall behind during the week, you'll then be eating into your buffer rather than turning in half-ass work.
Ask— Whenever you feel stuck or don't understand something, ask. The goal is NEVER GET STUCK. Use your resources; mom, dad, teachers, friends, siblings. etc. You can see how this will become impossible once you're buring midnight oil, on the night before, and no one's available to help.
It takes discipline to do your best, but this is your job.
Plan ahead, work ahead, and ask!
These are the same skills you'll need to do a paid job well. One of my friends, a mom with two kids, says, "If you're going to goof-off now, why should I pay tens of thousands to have you goof-off out of town?" Good point. The treat of living at home and going to a JC should be motive enough to get good grades.
*Yes,"C's'" are failing!...
Go to any top-ranked university like Ohio State, Michigan, or Notre Dame and you'll learn the average entering GPA is 3.8 or better. If you were thinking Harvard, Standford, or Yale, consider "B's" to be failing!
GPA is not the only thing, but it's one of first things they look at-- and provides an easy threshold to drop high school appllicants from consideration.
Consider this: How many "A's" does it take to nullifiy just one "C," yet still maintain a 3.8 average?
You may be shocked to learn that it takes nine (9!) "A's';" that's 2 years worth of hard work!... It takes four (4!) "A's" to offset just one "B." Do the math.