It seems like it would be impossible to ace a boring class. We’ve all suffered through that one class that didn’t have even an ounce of life in it! I’ve been there with a class or two and been unable to do anything but stare at the clock. But with a few small adjustments, I’ve been able to ace a boring class time and time again.
I have loads of friends who don’t ace a boring class simply because they won’t do their homework. I personally view skipping homework assignments as throwing away free points! Even if your homework is only worth five points, skipping it each night can mean the difference between an A and a B. Plus, while homework often seems like busywork, it’s great practice for tests, which are worth much, much more. So when you come home from a long day at school, turn on some music, grab your text book, and devote thirty minutes to your lame assignment, because you won’t regret it.
Imagine yourself locked in your room during finals week. You’ve got your veggie chips sitting next to you and your favorite playlist blasting, and about fifty pages of notes you need to review. That was me studying for my biology final, and I was dreading opening my binder so I searched YouTube for a biology tutor. Turns out, the world is a pretty nice place and there are tons of really helpful videos out there for virtually any subject. So next time your fingers tremble as they turn the pages of your notebook, check to see if the world wide web can save your grade first.
Even if in class your teacher makes calculus much more dull than it has to be, try talking to him or her during their office hours. It’s amazing how different teachers are in a one-on-one meeting than in a class full of rowdy youngsters. Odds are your teacher will respect you for dedicating time outside of class to the subject, and eagerly do whatever they can to help you succeed. If you’re struggling in a class simply due to lack of interest or because you don’t understand the content, private tutoring can make a whole world of difference! Be confident when you approach your teacher, and stay focused because what they’re telling you is gold!
Memory devices will surely help you come test time for your boring class. The sillier the device the better! For example, to help me remember the stages of mitosis in my biology class, I memorized "Pretty Men Answer Telephones," which is much easier than "Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase." The phrase doesn’t make much sense, because I’m certain men of all levels of attractiveness answer their telephones, but I’ll never forget the order of mitosis again! Memory devices can be hard to come up with, but once you do it’s worth it! Just repeat it often so that you remember it.
I think everyone can agree that in a boring class, even a blank wall can be more interesting than whatever your teacher is droning on about. But I cannot stress enough how important taking detailed notes is if you want to ace any class, especially a boring one. You should try to write down every important point your teacher makes, and study them later. Plus, if your friends haven’t been taking good notes, they’ll ask you for help. And when you teach someone what you’ve learned, you get a chance to learn it all over again! It’s the ultimate way to study!
While your teacher might think you’re just goofing off, doodling on your notes can really help you ace a boring class. Doodling stops you from completely vegging out in class, so you’re bound to register at least some of what you’re teacher is telling you. Doodles can also come in handy during a test when you’re trying to remember notes from a certain page. If you can remember what you drew, you might remember what you wrote next to it. Then you’ll have that ah-ha moment and ace your test!
If your parents aren’t already breathing down your neck about getting straight A’s, then you should set personal goals. Setting semester goals is great, but that can be overwhelming. You can make goals on a quarterly, monthly, or weekly basis. Goals like "I’ll do every assignment this week" or "I won’t get lower than an A- on my quiz" can challenge your to succeed. You wouldn’t want to disappoint your parents, so why would you be okay with disappointing yourself? This can also maintain your interest in the class, because although it may be a completely lifeless subject, your internal competitiveness will stop you from loosing all enthusiasm for learning.
There you have it, seven simple ways to ace a boring class! And they aren’t too intimidating. But as a student, I’m always looking for more efficient ways to ace a class. What other strategies have you used to ace a boring class?