ClickNSmart Team

Are you frustrated because you have a low GPA? Are you struggling with getting good grades in school.
No worry, I have been in your situation before. Now I want to share some success secrets and traits of an A student.

My Success Secrets :
- Time management is crucial;
- Focus, don’t wander around when studying with all the hype social networking sites;
- Study efficiently : read all the reading materials before you do assignments;
- Hard work and persistence.

Some Traits of an A Student:
- Persistence;
- High level of curiosity;
- Hard-working;
- Never give up attitude;
- Like challenges;
- Hardly procrastinate;
- Passionate with the classes.

You may try to follow my success secret tips and pick-up some of the traits above in order to perform better at school and to become an A student.

Good Luck and remember that “Hard Work always pays off at the end“.

Written by ClickNSmart Team

ClickNSmart Team

Got frustrated? Got confused for bad grades and low GPA? Do not abandon your dreams of becoming an engineer, scientist, medical doctor, MBA’s, accountant, computer programmer, etc.

I have a Bachelor degree in Mathematics and a Material Engineering Master degree from UCLA, and also an MBA degree from California State University, Long Beach. I want to share some of my tips for solving problems:
1) Read the problem carefully;
2) Think of any physical example of the problem that relates to your day-to-day experience;
3) Do the easy problems first and re-do examples from textbook and lecture notes;
4) After you do the problem, ask yourself a question: Does my answer make any sense at all? If not, what’s wrong with it? By answering these questions in your head, you will sometimes uncover new concept. This is the key to success in problem solving.
5) Do group study with your classmates and go to Professor’s Office hours to ask for help if necessary

What are the traits of an A student?
1. Persistence;
2. High level of curiosity;
3. Hard-working;
4. Never give up attitude;
5. Likes challenges;
6. Study diligently;
7. Hardly procrastinate;
8. Passionate with his/her classes.

Written by ClickNSmart Team

ClickNSmart Team

“Can I get a 4.0 GPA and also a girlfriend at the same time?” This is a question that most of us as a student will ask. Most of the time, we meet a smart student in our class, but he or she does not have a girlfriend or a boyfriend since what he/ she does is mostly just studying; this kind of person may lack social intelligence as he or she does not socialize much with others. However, occasionally we meet a student with 4.0 GPA who is currently dating; now, this is very special and we want to know “What’s the secret to this student success?”

I had a chance to interview 5 of my friends, whom I consider geniuses from universities like UCLA, Harvard, Columbia and UC Berkeley, about the secret to their success in maintaining a 4.0 GPA and in maintaining a romantic dating relationship. Below is the summary of their secrets:

1) Time management is crucial - you need to schedule when to study and also when to spend time with your boyfriend or girlfriend, for example: maybe you study and finish all your homework during weekdays and spend the weekend with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

2) Focus, Don’t wander around when studying! - with all the hype of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, some students may get distracted and lose concentration when studying and  update their social network account simultaneously. You need to know when to seriously concentrate studying and when to take a break. It is perfectly okay to login to your social network account after you finish studying.

3) Study Efficiently - It sounds like a common sense, but many student missed this point. You should read all of the lecture and reading materials first, before you attempting to do your assignments. If you get stuck, seek help from your teacher, professors or classmates. This will save a lot of your time.

4) Communicate Often everyday - It is important to communicate to your boyfriend or girlfriend often everyday. Brief communication via text message, twitter, phone call, or other media can signal that you care about your partner. Notice that often does not meat excessive; excessive contact may distract your study and also bother your partner as well.

5) Have Faith and Trust your partner - this maybe difficult in the early stage of dating relationship; however, it is extremely important that you trust your partner. Jealousy can creates conflicts. Resolving conflicts can consume a lot of your time and thus affecting your performance at school as well. Point number 4 above “Communicate often” can help to build trust and faith in your dating relationship.

I have shared with you all of my friend’s tactics. Hopefully this article will motivate and answer some of your questions and doubts about getting good grades and maintaining a dating relationship simultaneously.

ClickNSmart Team

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

ClickNSmart Team

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.

Written by ClickNSmart Team

“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