Improve Your GPA GradePoint Average

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Improve Your GPAGrade-Point Average

• A 12-Step Recovery Program for Poor Grades

Counseling Services Pellissippi State Technical
Community College
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12 Steps to Recovery

• Choose Education with a Purpose
• Be Classroom Wise
• Make Smart Work/ School Trade-Offs
• Keep Track of Your Grades
• Identify the Causes of Poor Grades
• Take Difficult Courses Individually

• Take Responsibility For Your Grades
• Know Your Learning Style
• Calculate Your Grade- Point Average
• Manage Your Time Wisely
• Prepare Thoroughly
• Visualize Success

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Choose Education With a Purpose

• Why are you in college?
• To get career preparation
• To get a good job that pays good money
• To avoid working full-time (right now)
• To learn a particular skill
• To become a more cultured person
• To gain a general education and appreciation of
  ideas
• To improve reading and study skills

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Classroom Observations

• Attend class every day.
• Do not plan a vacation during the semester.
• Save sick days for real emergencies.
• If you have excessive absences, consider
  withdrawing from the class.
• If you must miss class, contact the instructor
  ASAP to find out what was missed and the deadline
  for making up work.

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Make Smart Trade Offs
How might this student plan differently for the
next semester?
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Typical scenario

• Student A wants to get to UT as soon as
  possible but must work to make tuition, gas and
  car payments. The student signs up for 15 credits
  (5 classes) and works 20 hours per week. Student
  passes 3 classes, gets a W in one class and an
  F in the other.

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Keep Track of Your Grades

• Review your class syllabus for the grade
  calculation formula for each class.
• Ask about your grades before the withdrawal
  deadline.
• If you are doing poorly, talk with your
  instructor about what effort is required to pass
  the class.
• If it appears that you cannot make up the work to
  achieve a passing grade, drop the class.

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Identify the Causes of Poor Grades

• What are the causes of your poor grades?
• Attendance
• Academic skill background
• Preparation and study
• Notetaking
• Classroom participation
• Motivation
• Tutoring
• Personal or family illness or emergency

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Choose a Different Approach for A Difficult Course

• If a particular subject gives you trouble,
  consider these options
• Take it as an only class.
• Take it in a different format.
• Speak with an instructor or counselor about how
  to study for this course.
• Attend stress management, test-taking workshops.
• Hand choose the instructor whose class you will
  take.

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Take Responsibility for Your Grades

• Stop making excuses.
• Repeat classes in which you earned a D or F.
• Be prepared to make compromises.
• Choose wisely. Your choices will either have
  positive or negative consequences.
• You often control the outcome.

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Know Your Learning Style

• Explore how you learn by taking a learning style
  assessment.
• Maximize your learning style (audio people
  recite, hands on people write, visual people
  draw). When necessary, use all of the learning
  modes.
• Talk to your instructor about his/her style of
  teaching and the strategies you can use to adapt
  to this style of learning.

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Calculate Your Grade-Point Average
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Manage Your Time Wisely

• Base hours per week 168
• Sleep -56
• Meals -20
• Classes (15/hr) -15
• Study (2/hr rule) -30
• Personal maintenance - 7
• Balance 40

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Prepare Thoroughly

• Start studying for 10-15 minutes at a time and
  then build up to longer periods of time. Take
  adequate breaks
• DO NOT CRAM!
• Eliminate distractions.
• Sit near the front of the classroom.
• Ask questions.
• Keep up with assignments

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Visualize Success

• Keep sight of your goals expect to achieve
  them.
• Do your best, then let go.
• Combat negatives thought with positive self-talk.
• Take care of yourself (eat well, get necessary
  rest, exercise, etc.).
• Remember, what you decide to do
• today affects your long-term goals.