How to Become a Straight-A Student

If your teenager needs to develop stronger study habits, I recommend Cal Newport’s How to Become a Straight-A Student. The author explains how top-college students earn high grades while studying less than their peers.

Topics include time management, note-taking, exam preparation, and research paper writing. The book is jam-packed with strategies, techniques, and tips from elite students and the author’s own academic experience.

Although college and university students are the target audience, middle and high school students could benefit from adopting the practices before facing the rigors of higher education. Moreover, those entering the workforce could also benefit because they need study skills for their careers.

The book is divided into three parts: basic study habits, quiz and exam preparation, and paper writing. The first part focuses on time management, limiting procrastination, and study tips. The exam preparation section shows how to take notes and study for tests, both technical and non-technical ones. The final section reveals how to research, write, and edit a paper — the author’s approach works for term papers, but it is also suitable for writing short nonfiction books. 

The most helpful parts are his strategies for time management, note-taking, test prep, and the research phase of paper writing. For note-taking, he teaches students to focus on the lecturer’s question, evidence, and conclusion. For test prep, Newport explains how prep ought to begin on day one of class. For paper writing, the most helpful section is the research section. He shows how to plan it out and find resources. He also emphasizes the need to separate the research, writing, and editing stages. (There is much more.)

I like how the book helps curb procrastination and encourages planning one’s activities, leaving room for interruptions and leisure. If followed, the book’s strategies and methods can lower stress and anxiety, and as the author contends, increase opportunities.

Takeaways: 

• Plan your school semester out in advance.
• Plan each week out in advance.
• Schedule time periods for each day’s known activities. 
• Jot tasks that come to mind throughout the day in a planner.
• Reschedule tasks that were not completed the previous day, and schedule tasks that were jotted down.
• When studying for a test, recall the main ideas and concepts, and explain them out loud. 

Warning: the book contains a few inappropriate references like “debauchery” and “party like a demon” (38).