How can an average student ever get a perfect 4.0 G.P.A? How can I earn good grades for all of my classes? Well the good news is that it is possible for an average student to earn good grades and thus also earn the perfect 4.0 G.P.A that every student is dreaming about. Today with hard economic times and lots of unemployed people, graduating from schools/ universities with an average G.P.A is not enough to get you an entry level job. When you’re graduating nowadays, you may be competing with 100,000 applicants (undergraduate, graduate students, and experienced unemployed professionals) nationwide for a single job opening. So the questions will be “How am I going to differentiate myself among the crowd to get hired?” I would say that work experience is no longer enough, since there are many of unemployed experienced job applicants are hunting for jobs. Graduating from a reputable universities may give you an edge, but a 4.0 G.P.A certainly distinguish your resume among the crowd especially if combined with some related work experience and related academic background. 

To get a 4.0 G.P.A you don’t need to be a genius. In fact, all you need are hard-work and persistence. The difference between a genius/ smart students and an average student is that it may takes shorter amount of study time for a smart student to get an A, whereas it may take a longer study time for an average student to get an A. What matters is that you get an A and thus that 4.0 G.P.A at the end of the quarter or semester. Of course you need to make tradeoffs if you’re an average student wanting to get a 4.0 G.P.A; tradeoffs such as: studying hard over the weekend instead of partying, listen to class lectures attentively, be actively participate in class discussion, read textbook/ class materials ahead of the schedule, and so on. A 4.0 student has a clear objective (e.g. get an A) and always relentlessly work hard to earn his/her objective by the end of the term.

Don’t trust people that say you can’t get a 4.0 G.P.A! They’re just telling you a lie. Anyone can get a 4.0 G.P.A and there is no secret formula in getting that perfect grades. The key elements, as we all know, are HARD WORK and PERSISTENCE. Recently I conduct interviews with many top executives enrolled in the Executive MBA programs at my school. Almost all of these executives agree on one point, “A student with a 4.0 G.P.A shows courage, hard-work ethics and intelligence; these attributes are what we’re essentially looking for when hiring new employees.”

Written by ClickNSmart.Inc Team

So, you’re have a 4.0 G.P.A during all your university career. Now that you’re almost graduating, What’s next?

Above is the typical questions that we often ask to a 4.0 students; we’re so excited to know “What’s Next?” for these bright students. After graduation, students usually have only 2 options:

A) Get a Job

B) Go to Graduate school

If you choose option A, then people will say “Welcome to the Real World”. Getting a job is not just about being smart. but it is about a combination of the following: smart, networking, and persistence. If you decide to get a job afer graduation, then at least 1 year before your graduation date, start creating a job resume, network with people, contact as many people you know and let them know that you are looking for a job after graduation, and last but not least go to your school’s career center website and go to career fairs to look for any job openings. 4.0 students usually pick the company/ industry they would like to work, and research and find out as much as possible about the best possible companies in the industry, instead of just blindly sending out resume to any job opening. They understand that working for a “WRONG” company may means a “Career Suicide” for them. However, regardless whether or not you’re a 4.0 students, you should still follow this good practice.

If you choose option B, which is to go to graduate school directly after finishing your undergraduate education. Many 4.0 students fall into this category since usually professors offer them PhD or Master education directly after graduation. Some schools even pays for graduate education. If this sounds like you, then one think you need to carefully consider is whether or not the extra graduate education will help you to move your career forward. Grad school should not be a way for avoiding the “Real World” if you don’t know what else to do after graduation; this is the wrong motivation going to grad school. However, graduate school (e.g. MBA or J.D or M.D) is what you need to achieve your dream career, then you’re on the right track. 4.0 students prepares this at least 1 year in advance before graduation to do the followings:

-research the grad schools they would like to get into (and possibly visit the campus);

- take any graduate admission tests (GMAT, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, etc);

- ask for recommendations letter; and

- write an application essay.

Again regardless whether or not you’re a 4.0 student, you can follow the practice above to increase your chance in getting admitted into graduate school of your dream.

To look for more information about:

1) getting a job and preparing for job interview, check the following:

http://mathforsuccess.clicknsmart.com/

2) getting into top grad school of your dreams and admission tips, check the following:

http://topuniversity.clicknsmart.com/

Good luck for your next journey.

4 STAR* refer to students who get many 4.0 GPA’s. I always wonder what’s on the mind of these amazing students, what moves them, and of course some study tips from them will be nice. So I want to make some interview with them. Next is Mr. Jefery Kusnadi, my best friend and a writer for this blog (we don’t make this up, honest).

Jefery Kusnadi is attended UCLA for his undergraduate where he graduated with highest honor in Applied Mathematics/Phyics. He is now attending California State University Long Beach to earn his Master in Business Administration (M.B.A). By now (1/15/2009), he receives 4.0 G.P.A during his first year MBA having taken an average of 6 courses per semester. He is a recipient of a Phoenix scholarship (USD 4000) this year and also he is currently representing CSULB MBA team to compete in the International Business Strategy Competition in San Diego on April 2009.

Me: Please tell us a little more about yourself Jefery

JK: As an international student from Indonesia, I grew up and attended schools up to senior High School in Indonesia. As a kid I was never like studying, in fact the only 2 subjects that I “studied” are mathematics and physics; I spent most of my time in the field playing basketball. Basketball was my life and my childhood dream was to get into UCLA and played on their basketball team. Well, only part of this comes true, which is getting into UCLA part, but the other one goes unfulfilled.

Me: What do you found so different between the system here and Indonesia?

JK: In Indonesia, you learn how to look at a subject from the textbook and to take lots of exams. During my times, there were shortages of qualified teachers. In fact, even in the physical education, my teacher was trying to teach us play basketball, but turns out he called me to teach “practical” basketball in the field instead; however I travelled back to Indonesia one and half year ago, the education system is much better now. In America, one thing I notice is that you need to “learn by doing” meaning that the instructor/ professors often challenge us to think “outside the box” not only based on the textbook; therefore, the learning process comes not from the exams, but by actually “working” in the projects.

Me: From your scholarship and GPA, I think you’ve done it really well so far. What do you think is the key of your success?

JK: Thank you, but I would not consider myself as being successful yet. But if there’s anything to share, I would advise “Don’t worry making a mistake. Be persistent in pursuing your goal.” Most of the time, I learned a lesson the hard way (making lots of mistakes). Some people are afraid of failure and making a mistake, but this is part of the learning process and success in life.  Other thing is that “Try to do more than you have done today.” If you always do more, then you will make an efficient use of your time. I always study more than my instructor assigned me to do, for example: in my international business class, we were assigned to state the challenges of doing business internationally; I was not only searching on the possible challenges, but also go ahead and apply my findings into a specific country, Indonesia, and find out whether foreign companies doing business in Indonesia are actually facing these challenges.

Me: It is easier said than done though, how do you manage your time?

JK: Right now, I am in the middle of these activities: doing research in Marketing “What role does Second Life, Facebook, MySpace and other social media play in building a company’s brand”, preparing for the international business competition, and also starting up a company. I mean it’s a tough thing to do all at once; however, somehow by cutting most of my leisure times and allocate these times for work, I can still manage to make progress in all these activities.

Me:  Tell me more about the International Business Competition that you are involved currently? How proud are you having to represent your school in this event?

JK: Well, to tell you the truth, I am nervous about this competition. Last year, our school won the second place in the competition. The competition is a simulation game competition, in which more than 40 business schools from the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Europe, Saudi Arabia, India and other countries are participating. Each time is assigned to manage a company that operates in both United States and one of the foreign operations (Asia, Latin America, or Eastern Europe). The winning criteria is judged based on the quarterly managerial decisions and how profitably the company is at the end of the game.

Me: Is there any study tips you’d like to share to other students, in particular since you have studied both science and business?

JK: When you work on homework, try to do it yourself first, before you look up other student’s answer for comparison. Go to office hours and ask lots of questions for clarification when you have done reading textbooks and lecture notes; you never know if you missed any concept unless you ask questions to your professors, TA’s and classmates. Try to get together for group study after you do your individual study; this works very well for me since group study requires us teaching each other in the group and the best way to test whether you know the material is by teaching others.

Me: Now, what advise would you give to students interested in getting their MBA?

JK: Ask yourself, “What Good an MBA will do for you?” If you can not answer this question, then I would suggest that after finishing your undergraduate, go find a job to work in any field you’re interested in, doesn’t have to be related to business. In fact, almost 45% of my classmates in MBA, like me, do not have any business background at all. In an MBA, you will find most of the teachings are more relevant when you have some sort of full time work experiences; this way you can better relate the business lessons to what you have done or are currently doing. Also, an MBA is not a guarantee for success; after all, Bill Gates of Microsoft, Richard Branson of Virgin, Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google, and many successful entrepreneurs do not have an MBA degree. So before you commit yourself into expensive tuition, you better know what you can get out of an MBA education.

Me: Just out of curiosity, do you have a girlfriend?

JK: haha.. (he chuckles) I am actually in a relationship with a girl, whom I met at UCLA. We have been dating almost 2 year now. She gives me lots of motivation and comforts when times get tough.

Me:Thanks for you time to share with us Jefery.

JK: “You’re welcome. I am glad to be able to share my experience to others.”

That is all everyone, a glimpse of Jefery Kusnadi, our second 4.*, a very hard working students with many achievements but yet he keeps a low profile.

I hope you like the tips and I hope his stories inspire you. What did you guys think? Which part of the interview ‘touched’ you? Is there some questions that are unanswered? Ask me, I’ll ask Jefery when I met his again later. There is no login required to leave a comment

~ Soma, Founder of ClickNSmart Inc

How many of you guys are having a G.P.A of 4.0?

How many of you ever get some sort of scholarship?

How many of you have both 4.0 G.P.A and also receive scholarship?

Excellent student are a group of motivated and passionate students; as a result, it is no wonder that many of these students score high on their exams, have a perfect 4.0 G.P.A and also get scholarship during their academic career. 

I would say that if you’re clever and have not yet received scholarship, you should try to search and apply for one; the reasons being, why not apply for free money to pay for your tuition and other expenses if what you need to do is just write a compelling personal statement that genuinely show about who you are, what you have accomplished, and what you will be doing that will make meaning in other people’s life. If you think you get all these qualifications, I think you should start to look for scholarship available both inside your school or from outside sources. The truth is that there are many scholarship for residents and non-residents out there that are available every year. Ironically sometimes, the scholarship donor do not give scholarship funds to anyone not because of lack of qualified students, but rather there are not many people are applying to these scholarship.

I would like to share my experience in having a both 4.0 G.P.A and receive a scholarship fund of 4,000 USD as a graduate student pursuing Master in Business Administration. Having not only good grades, but also actively involved in the volunteering activities in various non-profit organization helps in crafting a compelling essay for scholarship applications. Such volunteering activities includes, but not limited to, the followings:

- Become a Student Leader Representative in the International Student Inc (ISI Orange Country Branch), a non-profit organization with a mission to introduce American cultures to international students; . I have been involving in this organization for 5 years already, and now my current position in the ISI is Student Representative Leader, in which I am responsible for giving counsel and advice in planning activities for international students with leadership team. 

- Volunteering in tutoring College students and High School students in mathematics and physics every Sunday evening; 

- Mentoring young K-12 students that want to pursue higher education, such as: going to universities and pursuing graduate education or professional school.

-etc..

In my case, I wrote in my scholarship application that using this scholarship money, I will pay for my school tuition so that later after graduating, I can make meaning in other’s people lives. This is what a success in life meant for me; this is the kind of quality that most Excellent students are striving to achieve. The motto of Excellent student is “Hard work and follow your passion in pursuit of excellence and success.”

For more information about how passion can drive success, you can check the following articles:

http://mathforsuccess.clicknsmart.com/?p=145

My advice is: “Start looking for many scholarship opportunities out there and apply for one that is most suitable for yours. In addition, work hard at school and volunteer in your spare time to make meaning in other people lives. My guess is that if you do all these, then success is not far away from your reach.”

~ Jefery Kusnadi, Founder of ClickNSmart Inc

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Many people talk about whether or not it is important to get a 4.0 G.P.A in school. While getting a 4.0 G.P.A at school and being recognized as a valedictorian (highest honor) on the graduation ceremony, can be self-rewarding; however, in the school of real world, it is generally not required.

What do I mean by getting a 4.0 G.P.A at the school of real world?

School of real world is the environment in which we are all living after we leave school (after graduation). At this environment, we work to fulfill our daily needs. All of us went to school to become successful in the real world; a success in the real world setting is what I meant by getting a 4.0 G.P.A in the school of real world.

Several distinction between REAL WORLD vs School:

1) Grade Report Vs. Credit Report

In school (universities/college), we students are judged (by other students, professors and our parents) as smart or not by our grade report; however, in real world, we are judged (by our bankers that lends us money and other people we interact with during the course of our life) by our credit report. If we have good credit history then we can easily borrow money from the bank to buy cars, houses, etc. Success (4.0 G.P.A) in real world often directly related to a good credit history

2) There is no professors/ teachers and no classroom in the school of real world

People learn from past mistakes and learn from their colleagues/mentors (or even their parents) in order to be successful in the school of real world. Do not expect other people teach you on a regular basis like what our professors do usually in the classroom. The exams are usually events in your life that requires decision making process. The homework is personal development process to get better and gain more knowledge day-by-day.

3) Real World is very competitive

Universities will not terminate students unless students severely violate the universities regulations. Real world terminates people all the time (even with no apparent reason sometimes). For example, we see many people get terminated from their jobs due to the economic downturn, which has nothing to do at all with the persons ‘work’ performance.

4) 4.0 G.P.A at school Vs. 4.0 G.P.A in Real world

Many people know that 4.0 G.P.A at school means getting all A’s in all classes. However, 4.0 in real world means being successful (however people define success is). Some people may define success as making lots of money; some people define success as fulfilling their dreams/goals; others may define success differently.

There are many books out there that teaches you about how to become successful in the real world; however, below I have tips gathered from many advices from my mentor, parents and previous employers who are all getting a 4.0 in the real world:

1) Learn from your past mistakes and do not repeat in the same mistake in the future;

2) Read many newspapers to get updated about what’s going on in the world;

3) Get a work experience and gain some hands-on practical knowledge;

4) Find a mentor and ask for guidance and advices;

5) Network and build connection through joining organizations and other means of networking;

6) Commitment to a continuing education (your education should not stop after you graduate; many successful people continually keep up and polish their knowledge and skill sets to stay competitive in the marketplace);

7) Lastly, HAVE FUN in whatever you do (this makes you a productive person);

Good luck and let’s work hard together to get a 4.0 G.P.A in the school of real world.

~ Jefery Kusnadi, Founder of ClickNSmart Inc

Have you ever seen the movie “Beautiful Mind?” Great movie, isn’t it?

Not only I like the movie very much, but I am inspired to become the smart guy in that movie, John Nash, mathematician that developed “Game Theory” and won the Noble Prize in Economics. I want to be smart and be a 4.0 student, too.

So what, Jefery? some of you may ask this question.

As the title of this article goes, 4.0 requires 90% hard work and only 10% intelligent for me. If your friends or your professors said that you’re just an “average” or “below average” kid, then do not listen to any of their opinions, because believe me they really do not know how much you can do and/or achieve.

Growing up as a kid, I used to have a hard time in almost any subjects in school (from Elementary up to High School). All I knew back then was just one thing, namely: “Basketball” and care less for studying at all. Many of my teacher told me I was just “below average” kid and compared my performance to that of my older sister’s performance. Unfortunately, I went to the same elementary, junior high and even senior high schools that my sister had gone before me. My sister was a genius on campus, always 4.0 G.P.A and A’s all of her classes. On the other hand, I was always barely got a “C” grade in almost all of my classes, except one class in which I got an “A”. Can you guess?

It’s Physical Education class, of course it is obvious, right? Yeah, everybody that I knew told me that “I was just a below average kid.” However, let me tell you the secret recipe for my success later on in my life: “Be Stubborn and Don’t Care What Others Think of You.” I knew even back then that I could achieve great things and never take other people opinion personally; this attitude helps me to build self confidence and courage to prove to people that I was not “just below average kid.”

After graduating from High School, I went to Golden West College and majored in Mathematics. In Golden West, I studied hard (day and night + weekend) and also worked part time as a mathematics tutor at Golden West College; I became a 4.0 students back then and got accepted to UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. I chose UCLA since it is my child dream to go to UCLA because UCLA has the best basketball team in the country and of course best mathematics program as well. At UCLA, it was different experience; UCLA courses are much harder than classes at junior college, but again with “90% hard work and 10% intelligent” in addition to being stubborn and persistence, I was able to earn 4.0 G.P.A for a consecutive 4 quarters at UCLA. During that time, I applied for a program in Physical Chemistry and Physics PhD and did not need to take any GRE test at all due to my good grades and excellent connections to my professors.”

I abandoned my plan and now, I am enrolled in Master in Business Administration and also Master of Science in Physics simultaneously at Cal State Long Beach. My first semester, I “A”s all the courses both business and physics graduate courses. Now, I would like to ask my dear past friend and past school teacher, ” Shame on you guys. The below-average-kid is now outsmarting you Big Time.”

The lessons are these my friends:

“Believe in yourself and do not take other people’s opinion personally.”

“To get 4.0 G.P.A, you only need 10% intelligence and 90% hard work.”

I wish you all good luck in your academic journey.

~ Jefery Kusnadi, Founder of ClickNSmart Inc

How many of you have crammed in school and still get an A at the end of the term? Any of you ever see your friends crammed at school and still get an A at the end? Most people usually raised their hands when I asked these two questions during my discussion session.

Now, the next question I usually ask is, “Any of you ever farm? Ever cram at the farm? You know, like playing golf in the spring and summer and hit it real hard during the fall and then harvest in the fall as well?” Most of the audience usually laughed when I said this to them. They know how ludicrous it would be to cram at the farm. Farming is based on a natural process, but our school is based on value, social values to be exact. Some of us would think it is kind of a social norm to cram or procrastinate at school and still get a good grade at the end, so some of us would just follow the social norm.

However, we can get a degree, but NOT an education. The development of human mind is like a farming, which is based on the natural process. It takes time for us to learn the material; by studying regularly, we can store the knowledge and information in our head for future use. This is what I am referring as “Getting an Education.”

Grades matters! I am also a proponent of getting a 4.0 G.P.A, but how great of a deal it would be if we not only get a 4.0, but you also get valuable knowledge that will stick in our mind as well.

Good Luck on your journey to a 4.0 G.P.A!

~ Jefery Kusnadi, Founder of ClickNSmart Inc

4.* refer to students who get many 4.0 GPA’s. I always wonder what’s on the mind of these amazing students, what moves them, and of course some study tips from them will be nice. So I want to make some interview with them. My first 4.* is my good friend, Julia Chin.

Julia Chin is an international student taking her 1st and 2nd year in Green River Community College with perfect 4.0 GPA. She then transfer to UCLA and is on her 4th year now majoring in Biology. By now (10/19/2008), she still consistently get A’s except for 1 class only. She’s also a recepient of a full scholarship from Saudi Arabia for her Senior Year. That’s at least $27000 !!

Me: Please tell us a little more about yourself Julia

J: As an international student, I grew up in Malaysia, studied in China, and I will be going to Saudi Arabia for my graduate studies. As bizarre as it seems, living in all these countries gave me the skills to mold quickly into different environments, especially to adapt quickly into the academic discipline in different countries.

Me: mold quickly huh, what do you found so different between the system here and China?

J: In China, you learn how to look at a subject from pure theoretical aspects, you are trained to solve numerical problems and to take tons of exams. Though the process is monotonous, at the end, you become a good test-taker. While in US, the expectations shifts to a more holistic evaluation. i.e. You need to explore outside curriculum to build your resume

Me: and from your scholarship and GPA, I think you’ve done it really well so far. What do you think is the key of your academic success?

J: “ok, I don’t really consider myself ’success’. [me] err… [/me] But if there’s anything to share, I guess it is to always know what your priorities are at a given period of time. Especially in the US, you can be bombarded by so many opportunities at once. With your priority in mind, you would always have to devote some chunk of time to fulfill your priority task first, no matter what.”

Me: It is easier said than done though, what is the hardest time for you to stick to your priorities?

J: “The hardest time would be that I am committed to too many tasks at one time. I took research + 19 units + hospital volunteer + tutoring job. I couldn’t handle all the commitments, I got sick (physically), and felt depressed because I didn’t do well for each and every one of my tasks. ”

Me: How did you handle it and how did it go?

J: “It is good that someone stepped out to tell me to drop one of my job. Sometimes talking to advisors, mentors or even professors can do a lot good. Though you would think that they are extra busy and you shouldn’t bother them to increase their work load, they are actually quite happy to hear from you and point you to a direction that you yourself are not able to figure out alone. After I dropped my teaching job, things start to get better. Of course as a consequence, I have to withdraw from a scholarship award that is associated with my teaching.”

Me:  [note] Sacrificing the least important thing is necessary [/note] ic ic. well, I’m glad you made that decision too Julia, you take too much. (2 jobs, 1 research, 4 class!). OK, let’s continue.. is there any study tips you’d like to share to other students especially those in Biology majors?

J: “the key is your professor, because there’s where you get your grades from…It would be best if you know what your professor is looking for in exams. I use the book to complement with my lecture slides. It would be best if you can do all the readings (which can be very time-consuming). If time is not permitted, I will at least find the figures on the powerpoint lectures, trace them back to the textbook, and read the figure captions. In this way, you get a fuller picture of the lecture materials.”

Me: So professor is KING and lecture + book in case of emergency. Thanks for the tip Julia. Now, what will you say to a new student?

J: “Starting in a new environment can be challenging, but never forget the excitement part of the explorations too. If you are a quiet person in the past, now that you are in a brand new school, why not take this chance for a change? Take advantage of all the opportunities and re-union activities at the school. From there you will find friends, supports, resources and know who to turn to in A-Z situations. I know people who only interact with 5-6 friends in their entire two-year at the US. That really defeat the purpose of you coming here”

Me: That is why you have many friends here right. Thanks for you time to share with us Julia.

J: “You’re welcome. OK back to study again”

Me: Oh yeah… me too… after I post this article :p

That is all everyone, a glimpse of Julia Chin, our first 4.*, a very hard working students with many achievements but yet she remained humble. When she’s free (rarely), she’s a really nice friend to hang out with too.

I hope you like the tips and I hope her stories inspire you. What did you guys think? Which part of the interview ‘touched’ you? Is there some questions that are unanswered? Ask me, I’ll ask Julia when I met her again later. There is no login required to leave a comment

~ Soma, Founder of ClickNSmart Inc

1. Be over prepared
Why? Because you never can actually gauge how much time you will need to study for a test. Don’t make the assumption that you can study everything 1 day before the test. For some test, you can’t (exception if and only if you’re a super genius). So what is the easiest solution? OVER prepare yourself for ANY test.

One argument against it will be that it is unnecessary.

What is wrong with over preparing?

Do you ‘waste’ your time because you put too much time to study for you midterm?

Do you say ‘damn, I should have studied 1 hour less and I can still get that perfect score’?

Do you think I start at the right moment and end at the right moment and finished learning everything right before that midterm?

Trust me, I thought about that before… but when I see that 95… 100 score after quiz. It doesn’t matter; I got the A on that quiz. All my (extra?) hard work pays off. That’s all that matters.

What happen when you over prepare is you might finish preparing early, which is a good thing. Then you can let all that knowledge rest deeper in your memory way before the test which will improve your performance in the test. Good things only come by preparing too much.

2. Make sure you go to the class before the test

This is something that is easy to do but sometimes we’re busy studying for our test, we feel that we should just skip that boring lecture anyways right? Don’t…, come to class! Many professors give hints, specific test preparation tips, review list, and even do the review themselves. If not, well you’ve prepared a little for your next test. It is normally worth your time; don’t miss the lecture or discussion before tests.

3. Eat just enough before test

This is something that is natural to me because I like to eat. Hehe :p

Many students study too much before the test that they skip eat. Eating before test, especially about 1 hour before the test, is a boost to your body. It will give you that extra focus (and piece to your stomach) during the test. Never eat too much though as your body will actually be using too much energy to burn that food and this will make you sleepy.

4. Try to show up at least 5 minutes before the test start.

This is nothing fancy, just common sense. Getting early to class before test will give you calmness and the feeling of preparedness before the test. Trying to get to class 5 minutes earlier will give you time buffer if something slows you down on your way to class (maybe a girl or guy you like or something). Just do it!

There, that’s top 4 things that I think is essential in preparing for a test. What do you guys think? Anyone disagree? Anything you guys want to add? Please comment, you don’t need to login to leave a comment. Help other students too if you got more tips.

~ Soma, Founder of ClickNSmart Inc

“Yes, everyone says that… but it’s hard to do… not everyone can do it”, a friend of mine says. Why? Because no one ever really thinks what’s the advantage of this simplistic algorithm. Here are 4 reasons why you should:

1. (Time required for early starter) <= (Time required for late starter)

Assume: Carlos and Russell have the same brain power.

Carlos does his homework the day it is given, after 3 hours, he’s stuck on homework #5 and #10 (The though ones). He tried to solve it, no good? He yawns, goes to bed, and put more hours tomorrow with hints from his TA or teacher… In about 5 hours it’s done almost perfectly.

Russell starts the same homework a day before it’s due. After 3 hours, he’s stuck on #5 and #10 also. He tried to solve it, no good? He panicked, yawn, get that coffee (or worst, adderall), and tried to solve it. After 30 min of being stuck, he called his ‘genius’ friends. Errr, they’re asleep… OH NO. He then has to go for the half genius… ooh… they can’t do it too… after 30 min of calling… he decided, he’ll pull an all-nighter. After 3 hours of plunging his time to the hole, God feel sorry for him and light him with the answer. For those of you who don’t believe in God: poor Russell. He spent at least 6 hours with panic, coffee, and Godly miracles. He might not even finish it. The stress, the pain, all for nothing. He just can’t achieve perfection. He then has nightmares in his night time.

Carlos took 5 hours of peaceful homework hours, Russell took 6 hrs with miracles, nuff said.

Wait! That is if they got stuck right? Okay, let’s increase their brain power to the maximum level such that both of them can answer any questions. How long does it take to finish the homework? Awwwww, it’s the SAME. The best case scenario of the late starter is equal to the early starter. (Time required for early starter) <= (Time required for late starter). All of you who go to school and don’t understand this, shame on you.

2. Shit happens … well, I got 3 more days to clean them up, HAAaaaaaa

How many of us are genius? Ask any of them, ever got stuck? Hell yes… I got a cum laude friend, he got stuck. A good homework is supposed to challenge you. Leave room if you’re not up to the challenge, don’t be a hero. Just win the battle.

3. Take advantage of your teacher and TA

Hate to be taken advantage of by your teacher and TA? Strike back. Use them as you please to help your homework problem. Some of them will give you initial hint, some of them do half of the problem, and some of them do it all. Seems silly? Maybe, but some of them care so much that you understand the materials; they are willing to do so. For the ones that don’t care, hey, they deserve to be taken advantage of (You paid them). Therefore, use them.

4. Ace it and have fun

Do something better than panic, than stress, than procrastinating. Finish your assignments!

Then go out, get some money, get a date, go to gym, or parteeeyyy!!! You choose! You only live once, why spend it more than you have to on assignments? Let’s enjoy our youth, start early.

I hope I’ve convinced some of you with these reasons, now, I really really hope that you stop reading my blog, kill that assignments, then maybe (just maybe) leave comments of how great that feels.

What do you guys think? Anyone disagree? Is there anything I miss? Please share it with us. The point of this blog is to build a community for people to help each other getting a 4.0. Again, login is not needed to comment!

~ Soma, Founder of ClickNSmart Inc