The Secrets of Top Students: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Acing High School a

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Groundbreaking advice on how to excel in college from a top student and former valedictorianStraight talk and tips from top students to help make academic excellence a lifestyle.Getting a passing grade is one thing-cramming to memorize facts, knowing what's on the test, finishing a paper just before the deadline-but being a top student is something else entirely. So what makes the difference between a good student and a top student?Being a top student is a lifestyle, not just an A on your transcript. The Secrets of Top Students- Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Acing High School and College offers advice from lifelong top student, Stefanie Weisman, to help you learn the keys to studying smart, staying motivated, and making academic excellence a part of your life.Tips from 45 Top StudentsLearn strategies on making the grade with first-hand advice from valedictorians, Rhodes scholars, Fulbright scholars, Intel Science Fair finalists, a National Spelling bee champion, and more!Lifestyle Tips and TechniquesDiscover tips and mantras that will keep you on the road to academic success.Helpful ExercisesPractice makes perfect. Put what you've learned to the test with easy exercises on taking notes, staying motivated, and more.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Author Biography

STEFANIE WEISMAN was born and raised in Queens, New York. She was valedictorian of Stuyvesant High School and graduated from Columbia University with the highest GPA in her class. She has a B.A. in History, a B.S. in Computer Science, and an M.A. in Art History. She works in the technology industry in New York City.

Table of Contents

ContentsIntroductionWho Am I?Who Is This Book For?What Makes This Book Different from Other Study Aids?Why Should You Want to Be a Better Student, Anyway?Chapter 1: What's My Motivation?How Important Are Grades, Anyway?You've Gotta Have GoalsWhat Motivates Top Students? (Hint: It's Not Just Grades)Do You Have to Be a Perfectionist to Be a Top Student?Six Simple Ways to Stay MotivatedExercisesChapter 2: Time Management 101Taking Control of Your TimePreventing ProcrastinationChapter 3: The Mind-Body ConnectionHow to Use Sleep to Maximize Your Learning PotentialCaffeine: A Necessary Evil?You Are What You Eat (and Drink)Exercise for Your BrainExercisesChapter 4: How to Play the Game (Navigating Academia)Game Strategy 1: Be Smart about Your ScheduleGame Strategy 2: Get in Step with STEMGame Strategy 3: Know Thy ClassGame Strategy 4: Know Thy TeacherGame Strategy 5: Appeal a GradeChapter 5: In the ClassroomHow to Take Killer Notes (Hint: Less Isn't Always More)Sample Lecture and NotesSeven Common Excuses for Taking Bad Notes (and Why They're Wrong)Technology in the Classroom: Why Ditching Your Laptop May Be Good for Your GradesExercisesChapter 6: Learning to Read (Again)How to Be an Active ReaderSample Text with NotesDigital Books: Not Quite Ready for School?When to Read: The Before or After DebateHow to Talk about Your Readings in ClassExerciseChapter 7: Honing Your Homework SkillsGeneral Homework TipsSTEM Homework StrategiesGrappling with Group ProjectsChapter 8: How to Write a PaperStep 1: Getting On Board with GuidelinesStep 2: Choosing a TopicStep 3: Going on a Research CrusadeStep 4: Coming Up with a ThesisStep 5: Getting Ready to WriteStep 6: Writing the Paper (Finally)Step 7: Revise, Revise, ReviseHow to Budget Your TimeSix Grammatical Mistakes You Should Never, Ever, Not in a Million, Billion Years, Make in Your PapersSample PaperExerciseChapter 9: Getting Ready for the TestWhat to Do When the Test Is in SightPut Your Brain to Work: The Art of Active StudyingThree Game-Changing Learning Techniques: Self-Testing, Interleaving, and SpacingHow to Become a Master of MemorizationPhysical Tips for StudyingA Soundtrack for Studying?Study Groups: Join with CautionHow Much Is Enough?ExerciseChapter 10: The Art of Taking TestsThe Countdown BeginsTaking Care of BusinessFifty Grade-A Test-Taking TipsIt Ain't Over 'Til It's OverConclusionAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorEndnotes

Review

"An insightful guide for high achievers-and those aspiring to such status-from an authoritative source. Stefanie Weisman's book about the secrets of academic success is all the more amazing, given the learning disabilities that she overcame to become the ultimate academic overachiever. I believe students can find happiness and achieve great things at any number of schools, and Weisman offers hard-fought wisdom about how to get there." - Alec Klein, Northwestern University professor, best-selling author and award-winning journalist"This is perhaps the best and most pragmatic guide to academic success I have read that is relevant to today's students. One thing that sets this book apart is that it provides special information for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, aka STEM subjects." - Educated Quest"The author's conversational tone and practical advice contribute to a relaxed style that makes the information seem easy to apply...a must-read for students in middle school and up, teachers, parents, and guidance counselors as 21st-century students learn to excel in the new educational landscape in which they find themselves." - School Library Journal"It's loaded with strategies on how to get the most out of school in a healthy, well-rounded way, that will continue to serve your scholar well throughout their life...Weisman's writing style is relaxed and often humorous as she conveys wisdom she's gained in the course of garnering numerous academic accolades." - Brooklyn Family

Review Text

"An insightful guide for high achievers-and those aspiring to such status-from an authoritative source. Stefanie Weisman's book about the secrets of academic success is all the more amazing, given the learning disabilities that she overcame to become the ultimate academic overachiever. I believe students can find happiness and achieve great things at any number of schools, and Weisman offers hard-fought wisdom about how to get there." - Alec Klein, Northwestern University professor, best-selling author and award-winning journalist

Review Quote

"It's loaded with strategies on how to get the most out of school in a healthy, well-rounded way, that will continue to serve your scholar well throughout their life...Weisman's writing style is relaxed and often humorous as she conveys wisdom she's gained in the course of garnering numerous academic accolades." -- Brooklyn Family

Excerpt from Book

Everything a Top Student Would Never Tell You If You Were Competing for a Grade Getting the grade is one thing--cramming to memorize facts, knowing what''s on the test, writing a passable paper--but being a top student is something else entirely. So what makes the difference between a good student and a top student? Being a top student is a lifestyle, not just an A on your transcript. With advice from Stefanie Weisman, a lifelong top student, you''ll learn keys to studying smart, learning well, and staying motivated. She combines her expertise with the additional experiences of 45 of the nation''s best students to offer strategies and tips that will make academic excellence part of your life. Hear From Top Students Learn strategies on making the grade from valedictorians, Rhode scholars, Fulbright sch Introduction Who Am I? June 24, 1999. I am standing on the stage of Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, and I feel like I''m about to throw up. My hands are trembling, my stomach is turning, and my heart is pounding so violently that I can hear the blood rushing in my ears. I''m here to give my valedictory speech to the graduating class of Stuyvesant High School, one of the most competitive and academically rigorous schools in the country. The school is so big (more than 700 students in my class alone) that we had to rent out part of Lincoln Center to accommodate everyone. The eyes of all my classmates and their parents follow me expectantly as I stride up to the podium with long, quick steps, trying to appear confident. Smoothing out the damp paper I have been crumpling in my hands, I begin to read in a quavering voice: The day I found out I was valedictorian was one of the happiest days of my life. But then, after the euphoria wore off, I realized something that sent a shiver down my spine: I had to make a speech. I''m a pretty shy person, and to stand here in front of thousands of people is not easy for me. The terror I felt at public speaking almost made me wish my GPA was a few points lower, so I could avoid this nerve-racking ordeal. Almost. All I could do was write the best speech I could and try to present it without fainting. So now, I''m going to take a few deep breaths, hope for the best...and picture all of you in your underwear. Okay, so maybe it wasn''t the classiest speech in the world. But the crowd laughed, and I loosened up after that. I began to enjoy myself. It felt good to be the center of attention and to have people acknowledge all the hard work I had done over the past four years. I never expected to become valedictorian of Stuyvesant, a public high school in New York City where fewer than 4 percent of students who take the entrance exam actually get in.1But my academic success didn''t end there. Four years later, I again graduated with the highest GPA in my class--this time from Columbia College, the undergraduate school of Columbia University. My grade point average was over a 4.0, causing lots of people to ask me how I got more than a "perfect" A. Simple, I told them: teachers at Columbia give out A+s, and each of those little beauties is worth 4.33! I also came away with awards such as best senior thesis on a non-U.S. topic, best performance in Columbia''s core curriculum--a required program for all undergrads that includes classes in literature, philosophy, music, art, language, science, and more--as well as summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Several years later I was admitted to Yale Law School, consistently ranked by U.S.News & World Report as the top law school in the country.(I eventually decided not to go to law school, but that''s a story for another book!) Instead, I got a fellowship to attend New York University''s Institute of Fine Arts, where I earned my Master''s in Art History in a year and a half instead of the usual two and graduated with a GPA of 3.95. Around this time, I became interested in technology and went back to Columbia to get a second bachelor''s degree, a BS in computer science. For two years I took nothing but courses in my new major. They were the hardest and most frustrating classes I had ever taken in my life, but I still managed to graduate magna cum laude, with a GPA of over 3.8. As you can see, I''ve been a top student for a long time in a variety of areas. But it wasn''t because I was so smart that everything came naturally to me. In fact, it was just the opposite: I had an undiagnosed learning disability that made it very hard for me to understand spoken words. I can''t tell you how many times I would walk out of a classroom feeling like the teacher had been speaking a foreign language--and this was not in Spanish class. In science labs, I would stare helplessly at the Bunsen burners and microscopes in front of me because I couldn''t process verbal instructions. Most of my classmates, on the other hand, would merrily proceed to burn their organic compounds and gawk at the bacteria in their swamp water. I often felt frustrated and stupid, and there were times when I hated going to school. But, ironically, I believe that my learning disability made me a better student. It meant that I had to become extra good at things like taking notes, studying, and writing papers--the big three in the life of a student--to compensate for my poor listening comprehension. I also became an expert at keeping myself motivated. I refused to let my learning difficulty limit what I could do. By the end of my academic career, I had developed an extensive collection of techniques, habits, and ways of thinking that helped me excel in school--and which I will now share with you! However, I wanted this book to be based on more than just my experience. That''s why I surveyed forty-five other academic superstars, including Rhodes scholars, high school and college valedictorians, students who made it into Yale Law School and Stanford Medical School, Intel Science Fair finalists, a winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and many more. If there''s one thing I learned from this survey, it''s that there is no one single way to achieve academic success. Anyone who tells you that he or she knows the "correct" way to study either is lying or has a superiority complex. In fact, one of the keys to being a top student is recognizing how you learn best. Another is being able to adapt to each particular situation. This book will provide recommendations, advice, and ideas for improving your academic performance, but not hard and fast rules. Above all, it will help you discover the methods that work best for you. Who Is This Book For? This book is for anyone who wants to be a better student in high school or college--and by that I mean improving your GPA, studying more efficiently, honing your writing and critical thinking skills, and learning how to navigate the labyrinthine world of academia. All that''s required are an open mind and a desire to excel. Whether you''re at the bottom of the class, in the middle, or nearing the top and trying to take it to the next level, this book can help you. By the way, you should not buy this book to become valedictorian. If that happens, great, but you''ll go crazy if you put that kind of pressure on yourself because too many factors are beyond your control. I never aimed for the number-one spot in high school and college, but I got lucky--very, very lucky. This book will help you achieve your personal academic best, whatever that may be. What Makes This Book Different from Other Study Aids? First of all, if you''re in a bookstore or library, look around you. Do you see any other books on how to improve your grades? Probably not. You will, however, notice lots of thick, brightly colored tomes on how to raise your score on the SAT and other standardized tests. While there are shelves upon shelves of books on test prep, precious few address how to achieve academic success. But isn''t doing well in school--which represents years of hard work to acquire knowledge and skills that will last you the rest of your life--more important than gaining a few points on a single exam? That''s a rhetorical question, by the way. Colleges, graduate schools, and employers care more about your grades and the rigor of your curriculum than they do about your standardized test scores. The truth is, most people want a quick fix. They figure that a good SAT, GRE, LSAT, or MCAT score will outweigh a poor or mediocre performance in school, but that just isn''t the case. I''m not saying that standardized test scores don''t matter; it''s just that what you do in the classroom is so much more important. "A good GPA, even from a lousy high school, is a far better predictor of whether a student will finish college than a high mark on the SATs. Not coincidentally, GPAs reward perseverance, character, time-management skills, and the ability to work well with others." --Belinda Luscombe, "Failure Is Not a Bad Option: Resilience Helps Kids More Than High SATs Do," Time magazine, September 2012. A small number of books do claim to show you how to get better grades. So what makes my book different and, dare I say, better? Here are some reasons. * My experience as the number-one student in both high school and college. Most of the other writers have observed top students but have little firsthand experience. A few of them may have been good students in their time, but not great ones. And wouldn''t you rather get your advice from an actual top student than from someone who just writes about them? * My broad background in science and math, as well as the humanities--unlike most of the other writers, who specialized in the latter and are somewhat clueless about the former. And

Details ISBN1402280793 Author Stefanie Weisman Language English ISBN-10 1402280793 ISBN-13 9781402280795 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2013 Short Title SECRETS OF TOP STUDENTS Series Cat Star Chronicles Imprint Sourcebooks, Inc Country of Publication United States Subtitle Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Acing High School and College AU Release Date 2013-05-07 NZ Release Date 2013-05-07 US Release Date 2013-05-07 UK Release Date 2013-05-07 Pages 288 Publisher Sourcebooks, Inc Publication Date 2013-05-07 DEWEY 371.30281 Audience General We've got this

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