Dear Students:

First of all I want to congratulate you on trying to get an education during such challenging times, and second I want to take the time to tell you how to get good grades regardless of your race, socioeconomic background, or ability. Fortunately since it doesn’t require money, a high IQ, or support from others, you don’t have to worry about that. What it does require, however, is hard work, persistence, and curiosity. Learning has to be your lifestyle and a lifelong commitment. That means no matter how old you are you should still be taking classes and adding to your store of knowledge, whether that’s through traditional written material (i.e., books, magazines, and newspapers) or on the Internet.

Now I’d like to reveal the tools I used to succeed in an extremely challenging MA program in Fashion Journalism at Academy Of Art University, where I earned all A’s and B’s.What made it twice as hard as an on-site program was it was all online and all of the courses were taught by professionals in the field. Since it was organized into 15 weekly modules, where you basically worked independently, it required excellent organizational, reading, and writing skills as well. While you probably aren’t dealing with a cirriculum this difficult yet, you can still utilize my tips to get better grades and more out of your classes and education.

Academic Tools:

Reading:

(a) Get a library card at a public library and check out a variety of books, for your age, every month. Then read about 20 minutes or a chapter a day. Besides finding books, and other materials, for fun you can also find books that will help you with school. The reference librarian and the library website is also another excellent resource for you while you’re going to school.

(b) Subscribe to a major urban newspaper (i.e., Los Angeles Times or The New York Times) that you can read for enjoyment and school projects. The Sunday edition, of both papers, would be a great choice because they have various sections that are very informative and well-written. Read these papers every week, and clip out relevant stories to use for school when needed. (If you can’t afford to subscribe to a newspaper, read it at the library, then Xerox whatever you need every week).

(c) Subscribe to a magazine that reflects your interests to build up your reading skills (i.e.,Vogue if you’re interested in fashion, etc.,). Read it every month, then at the end of the year, clip out relevant photos and articles that will help you for school when needed. (If you can’t afford to subscribe to a magazine, you can always splurge and buy one at the grocery or drug store, or read one or more at the library. Just like the newspapers, you can inexpensively Xerox whatever you need at the library).

(d) Read all of the materials required for your classes (i.e,. textbooks, class readings, etc.,) right after class, then write down any questions you have about parts of it you don’t understand so you can ask your teacher in class.

(e) Buy a dictionary and a thesaurus, then learn how to use them, by looking up words you don’t understand from class and whenever you read. This will not only improve your reading comprehension and vocabulary it will also improve your writing. (You can get an inexpensive dictionary at the 99 Cents store, etc.,).

Writing:

(a) Buy a small notebook, at the Dollar Tree and free write in it for five minutes everyday. You can make lists, create a story, express your feelings, anything you like, as long as you write.

(b) When in class (this includes Zoom classes too) make sure you have writing materials (i.e., spiral notebooks, notebook paper, pens, and pencils ✏️) so that you can write everything the teacher writes on the board and to take accurate notes. You can find inexpensive writing materials at the Dollar Tree,Target, etc.,

(c) Instead of sending a text or email to a friend or family member, write a letter. It’s another good way to practice your writing.

Organization:

(a) Buy a school assignment or datebook and record all of your assignments in it when they’re first assigned by the teacher (i.e., in the book you should always include the title, a description, and its due date).

(b) While working on projects, make a TO DO list of all of the things you have to do to complete it, then check them off as you complete them.

Lastly I hope these tips will help you and that it proves to you that learning can be fun once you learn how to navigate the academic arena. Good luck and take care.

Victoria Moore