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Is your GPA not quite what you want it to be? Here are some quick tips you can try to increase your GPA and your all-around academic performance and carry throughout your college education.

Small things make a big difference

There are somethings that may seem too easy to help your GPA but in the long run they really will put you in better academic standing.

• Go to class regularly. When you attend class you will be able to hear first-hand lectures, discussions and questions that other students have. These may be the same questions that you are thinking. There may also be surprise quizzes, chances for extra credit or even visual material that you may not have access to if you are not in class.
• Participate in class. This will show the professor that you are eager to learn and also participating will help you remember the material you are learning.
• Organize yourself. Try a couple of different study methods to see what works best. Once you discover that. Stick with it and organize your material accordingly.
• Turn in your work on time. Many professors grade on participating and completion of your work. This is also a great way to see what gaps you have in your knowledge of the subject you are studying and will help with future quizzes and tests.

Take advantage of on-campus opportunities

You want to succeed and the college you are attending wants you to succeed. Colleges provide a lot of on-campus support to help you in your studies. There are student success centers, tutors, and advisors. You can also ask faculty for their help. They have office hours outside of class time to put in extra time to support you as well as providing their contact information for outside of class time questions.

Make use of the library or find a quiet spot on campus. A quiet spot is a great place to hide away from distractions and help you focus more.

That’s what friends are for

Do you have friends that are taking the same classes you are? Ask them to study with you or create a study group. This is also a great way to meet new people. See that person sitting beside you in class? Ask them if they want to study together or pull in even more people from class.

The NOT to do list

There are a couple of things to avoid throughout the semester to help in the long run with your GPA.

• Avoid all-nighters. Usually this means you may have been slacking off or not planning out time to study. This may work for you one or two times but it will catch up with you and turn from working into stressing pretty quickly.
• Don’t take on too much. Putting too much on your plate will stress you out as well. Find a good balance of the things in your life. Maybe its athletics, the right amount of credit hours, family, work, there is a lot to jungle in everyone’s life so make sure to find the balance that works for you.

Last resort

If you have tried everything you can and things still aren’t improving for you there is another option. You can contact your advisory and ask them about dropping the class. Hopefully before it gets to this point, you have tried everything you can but this is a step you may be able to take.

Find what works for you. Make a plan and adjust to see what you need to succeed. You can always ask others what works for them as well to get ideas. The main job for some college employees is to be available to students to support and help them. Take advantage of the services available to you at both Marshalltown Community College and Ellsworth Community College if you need help.