With finals upon us this week, we’re all frantically questioning those super smart people always score well on exams. They just seem to know everything - totally unfair! I bet we all are starting to wish we were a bit more like them at this time. So, how do I become a nerd?, you ask yourself. Well, it’s not as easy (nor as difficult) as it appears!

1. Develop proper study habits

Effective study habits are absolutely key when it comes to preparing for any exam. You should sit down to study with the expectation that you won’t allow yourself to become distracted. Forcing yourself to focus on the material at hand will eliminate the possibility of procrastination.

2. Know your learning style

Do you learn best from seeing examples, writing problems out yourself, or listening to someone explain? Once you figure this out, your ability to absorb and truly retain information you learn will strengthen greatly.

3. Set goals

If you set reasonable goals for yourself in regards to length of study time or score on an exam, motivation will manifest within you as you now have something solid and defined that you are working towards.

4. Stay organized

Organization is another crucial aspect to success! Instead of always telling yourself that you’ll simply “remember” it, write down all assignments and exams. Keep all notes for the same class together and don’t allow your notes for other classes to mix in. Managing your time properly will come naturally once you sort out all of your top priorities.

5. Find subjects that you can immerse yourself in passionately

The easiest thing you can do to encourage yourself to study more is to immerse yourself in subjects that you are truly passionate about. It will get to the point where work doesn’t even feel like work because you are enjoying what you do so much.

6. Constantly question

Don’t take anything for granted. If something doesn’t make sense to you, ask for clarification. Go to office hours. Use any extra help resources that are provided for you - that’s what they’re there for!

7. Pay attention to details

A couple of details can be so significant to an assignment or exam - don’t forget them! Paying attention to details could mean the difference between a B and an A.

8. Think outside the box

Have the confidence in yourself to go against the flow and challenge society’s norms. Every innovator proposed a way to improve society; without these people, our communities would not be able to grow and enhance towards more success.

9. READ

Reading can not only teach you so much new information, but it can also produce many other benefits, such as mental stimulation and memory improvement.

10. Sit near the front

Upon entering any lecture (especially the larger ones), sit towards the front! You don’t need to eagerly sit in the very first row, but sitting closer to the professor will reduce the possibilities of distractions and encourage you to pay more attention to what is being said, rather than being on your phone or speaking to a classmate.

11. Practice writing fast and neat

Appropriate note-taking should take priority always! Make sure to only write down key words when taking notes, as to waste as little time as possible.

12. Know the expectations

If you are aware of what standards you must achieve, you will feel more relieved knowing what is expected of you. Often times, you will even feel more inclined to exceed those expectations by going above and beyond.

13. Form study groups

You can learn so much from other people - not just your professors or teaching assistants, but from your peers as well! Everyone learns differently and people could understand things better than you do, or could have heard something during class that you missed. Creating study groups, as long as they are productive and focused, will greatly contribute to your academic success.

14. Get enough sleep

Sleep is so underrated, especially during college, because we often assume that our assignments and desire to study are more important than our need to rest. Nearly every time, this is not true. Sleep can actually help you to retain information - getting enough sleep is truly vital to academic success!