Hi, this is GmanLyfe, and you're watching 5 simple tricks I used to get a 4.0 GPA in
high school.
So let me preface this video by saying that I, as the title may suggest, am a high school
senior who has earned a 4.0 GPA throughout high school.
Now, I'm not saying this to brag, or show how smart I am.
Actually, I'm doing the opposite.
I don't really think that I'm personally that inherently smart, but I implemented these
five tips and also worked really hard throughout high school to earn all A's in honors/AP classes
since freshman year.
Honestly, I'm pretty sure that almost everyone can do it too.
So, without further ado, let's get into tip #1.
Tip #1: Get into as many AP & Honors classes as you can.
Basically every high school in the United States offers honors classes, or AP classes,
or both.
Taking these classes is a great way to boost up your GPA.
Now you may be thinking that taking all honors and AP classes is going to be way too much
work, and that you might not get all A's if you take all honors and APs.
That may be true, but because AP and honors classes are weighted differently GPA wise,
a B in an honors class is pretty much the same as an A in a non-honors class, GPA wise.
Also, from a college admissions standpoint, they want to see that you are taking the hardest
classes that you can, and challenging yourself, so getting the B in the honors class is a
lot better than getting the A in the regular class.
Now, the next few tips will allow you to actually tackle those harder classes.
Tip #2: Ask questions during and after class.
This may actually be the most valuable piece of information in this video.
It is crucial that you make sure that every teacher is on YOUR side.
What do I mean by that?
Don't ever forget that teachers are human, just like the rest of us, and so, it's inevitable
that they are going to have some favorites and some kids that they don't like that much.
Now I'm not telling you to kiss up to the teacher or act like a teacher's pet, because
most of the time that actually works against you.
But, if you show that you are interested in the material that the teacher is teaching,
it makes the teacher feel good about themselves and makes them feel like they're doing good
to the world, and that you're actually someone that they want to see succeed.
When that teacher is grading your test, for example, they'll assume that you worked really
hard on it, and studied a lot, and they might cut you some extra slack.
I would make it a goal to ask at least two relevant questions, per class, per day.
Then, once a week in each class, or once every two weeks, go up to the teacher after class
and ask some sort of "further thinking" question.
In a foreign language class, you could ask for a teacher's opinion on a certain TV show
in that language, or a certain artist who sings in that language.
In a math class, you could ask for the proof of a theorem that was discussed in class and
ask the teacher to walk you through it.
Your teachers will begin to like you a whole lot more if you start doing this, which can
help you not only for grades, but also for teacher recommendations, which you're going
to need if you're applying to college.
Tip #3: Do your homework.
This may seem really simple, but a lot of the "smart" kids tend to feel too good to
do the daily homework.
Maybe you already understand the material and you don't feel like doing mundane practice
problems, but in a lot of classes, your homework grade is 10-15%, and if that's not at 100,
you're missing out on a huge chance to boost your grade.
Especially in AP classes where teachers move very fast through the material, you're going
to want to make sure that you're doing all of the homework so you can stay caught up,
and also so if you flunk a few tests you'll have that "cushion," which is your homework
grade.
Tip #4: Concepts first, details later.
This tip is primarily for when you're studying for a test.
When you're studying for a physics test, say, don't just study the formula sheet, and try
to memorize every single formula.
First, you have to understand WHY each formula exists, what the different elements of each
formula are, and what it can help you solve in real life problems.
In AP Euro, for example, before memorizing the list of crops that was brought from the
Americas to Europe during the Columbian Exchange, understand why Europeans funded mass exploration
during this time period, and why they ended up dominating the Native Americans.
Khan Academy, LitCharts, and Crash Course are all great free online resources that really
help you to grasp the concepts of something, and once you've studied those, you can go
into your notes and learn the little details of each lesson.
You'll probably find that it's actually much easier to memorize the details once you understand
the big picture.
Tip #5: Never give up.
I'm a total believer in the notion that succeeding in high school is about 90% hard work and
only 10% talent, intelligence, whatever you want to call it.
That said, no matter how hard you work, there's always going to be some tests that you fail,
some papers that you bomb, things like that.
You might feel like switching out of a class, especially if it's the first test and you've
already done poorly on it, but if you think about it, one test in the grand scheme of
things does not have a huge effect on your grade, especially if you can get on the teacher's
good side later and work to ameliorate that mistake.
Also, dropping out of an AP one month into classes will really look worse to colleges
than simply getting a B in the class.
So let's say that you just failed your first test in AP Physics.
Now, assuming that you've followed tip #2, you're already asking questions to your teacher,
your teacher already knows that you're there to learn, and you are interested in physics.
Now because you've built up the image in your teacher's mind that you are someone that wants
to succeed, they will be more than happy to go over the test answers with you, and possibly
even give you some points back.
Also, after you've met with a teacher, you can always ask if there are any extra credit
opportunities that you can pursue to make up for some of the lost points on the test.
If you're a good-natured kid, and your teacher sees that you're really trying to succeed
in the class, they might actually take you up on it!
And there you have it!
Now, these tips are very easy to understand, but the difficult part is actually putting
in the work to implement them.
There are going to be days where you feel just too tired or too bored or too distracted
to ask relevant questions during class.
But, it's the small things that add up, and end up making a big difference.
I will be posting a new video every Monday, so if you found this helpful, please hit that
subscribe button so you don't miss next Monday's video.
I will be posting mainly about college admissions, education, high school, things like that.
This is GmanLyfe, and I will see you next week!