7 Study Habits That Actually Raised A College GPA From 2.9 To 4.0

Many people think that improving college GPA is just about being naturally gifted at school, but that is rarely the case. It's typically a few habits that can be repeated again and again over time. These seven habits are what really helped a GPA from under 3.0 to all the way to a 4.0 in the last few semesters of a college career, despite a mediocre first-year GPA and a mid-semester transfer between colleges.

Build a Support System on Purpose

Having others in your environment who are studying the same major and/or have similar academic ambitions that you are creates a natural form of accountability. Membership in a club related to a study area, or attendance at the same lectures by regular classmates, provides access to individuals learning at the same time and facing the same deadlines. Describing an academic objective – such as a 4.0 in a particular term – also adds social accountability and increases the likelihood that those who know the objective will notice and say something when effort begins to wane.

Use digital tools instead of rewriting everything by hand

It is impossible to write down all of the material a professor gives when reading a lecture, especially in classes where the information is as dense as anatomy. One more efficient way to do this is to copy key information from lecture notes to Quizlet (or another flashcard site) and study the flashcards in rounds. The first pass should be only a recognition pass, not a memorization pass. Cards that are not recalled are marked and reviewed again in the next round of the game, making it obvious that only a few are really hard and require specific, careful, written study.

A digital calendar that has classes, work shifts, and assignment deadlines all color-coded and has reminders built in the day before something is due eliminates the need to keep mentally noting the changing weekly schedule.

Consider Starting With Smaller Class Sizes

Community college courses or even summer courses offered at a smaller college or university may have smaller classes and may allow for easier interaction with the teaching staff, rather than a larger lecture hall at a bigger school. It is not necessary for academic improvement but can be a valuable way to develop good study habits before going onto higher course loads, and the courses will still count toward transfer requirements at most four-year institutions.

If you want to calculate your current GPA or plan out a future GPA target, check this free unlimited GPA calculator: GPA Calculator & Planner

Identify Personal Peak Study Hours

It is not the same time of day for everyone when they study best. If there are specific times during the day that he or she usually has trouble concentrating, then they can be used for less important tasks. Similarly, people may struggle to focus on learning for more than two hours, and spaced learning is more likely to be retained than one long session.

Use Office Hours To Build Direct Relationships With Instructors

Frequent attendance during office hours shows active involvement in the course and provides direct access to the clarification of difficult material. Most teachers are more ready to give guidance and/or flexibility to their students whose names they know in cases where they show a strong willingness to participate in their courses than they are to those with whom they have never had contact other than in graded assignments.

Watch For Motivation Triggers That Actually Work

Watching others study or work productively can be a motivating external cue that will help to get out of the low motivation state. This is not a core strategy, but it can be useful as a small, easy-to-use support to get a session started, which might otherwise be put off.

Avoid Excessive Self-Criticism

A focus on improving one's GPA can lead to a tendency to take every assignment as a major test, which can actually add stress to the situation rather than actually improve one's grade. Lower grades should be viewed as a learning experience instead of a personal failing, as lower grades caused by the chronic stress of self-criticism can diminish focus and working memory during tasks that require it the most.

Why These Habits Work Together

All seven of these habits are interdependent and do not work independently. Without self-discipline in using a calendar, it will do no good, and a good support system is of little benefit without an efficient method for handling course material. The common denominator of all seven is to minimize unnecessary effort, which is time spent on unnecessary lecture notes, time spent studying during a period of little value, time spent ruminating about a single lower grade, etc., in order to maximize the time available for study when it's needed.