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Hi, I'm pretty newish. I'm 37 and have (too) many plates in the air. I think I've decided to author. I don't know what anybody does here at Apolyton -- but this is one way to find out. I just play Civ when I'm not playing poker, chess, guitar, Oblivion, (I'm really sure I'm done with The Sims again), programming, or researching various esoteric topics. Or reading -- I have a running balance on Amazon. I think most of my recent time has been spent posting all over the net. I got a couple greetings here, so, I decide to give you all the opportunity to reject me. [Um, I just switched to Dvorak; I am still making several weird-looking typos. Excuse me.]
I intended to post my only humorous attempt. I mean, I've written hundreds of documents (mostly essays) and I know many people appreciate my dry wit. But only in one have I intended to be funny. [I usually have a large stick vertically inserted.]
But, I have another unique one, and this one is more relevant. That is, perhaps I can help someone. And that will be my intent when I seek to be published. The following is unique because it was a "how to", which feels like a remedial concept, yet it is certainly one method of writing to help.
I had some serious constraints. This had to be 5 paragraphs (at least the next to last should have been 2.)
I put myself in serious time trouble, but apparently my outline was sound. There are bound to be some typos, and I know there's one parallelism error that I will not fix at the moment.
So, hopefully someone will find this useful. If not, feel free to rip me up; I thrive on criticism because I don't have any feelings.
_______
How to Get Good Grades in College
Written by: Rob McCrea
Submitted for: public review
Getting good grades in college can be extremely important. A key to enrolling in Ivy League and other notable graduate schools is to get a 4.0 in any undergraduate program. Having excellent grades will create more opportunities to receive financial aid for further education. Earning superlative marks is a fine qualification to mention in job interviews. Even family and colleagues may additionally pressure students to perform well. Many students, feeling not especially smart, lack self-confidence when it comes to getting good grades. Fortunately, the one trait most curriculums reward is not intelligence, but work ethic.
In traditional classroom settings, an accurate view of the situation is that the student must plainly satisfy the instructor. Usually the teacher has constructed the course from scratch, and will emphasis the topics they believe are important. There are some exceptions: an instructor may be assigned to teach a course at the last minute and will often choose to follow the curriculum of the previous semester; or when a teacher has not taught the course before, many times the routine is to straightforwardly teach the material from a specific textbook. Regardless of the specifics, how the grading of the course will be treated is detailed before the instruction of students ever begins. Understanding the grading structure is fundamental to achieving high grades. For example, classes such as public speaking and debating will benefit little from work outside the classroom. For such programs, it is likely that homework, quizzes, and knowledge tests will not apply to the final grade; “book smarts” do not apply well to the subject. It is far more likely that categories such as “attendance”, “participation”, “speeches”, and “final speech” will be emphasized by the grading system. The details contributing to the final grade are found in the class syllabus, which should be available from the instructor. Understanding what the teacher expects from students in general, and specifically the grading system, is the first step to earning good grades.
Knowing what in general must be done is followed by tracking and completing specific tasks. Thus, organization and time management are the next topics students should address. All assignments and due dates should be recorded, understood, and completed. Assignments should be reviewed to estimate the time requirement in order to schedule appropriately. All assignments and handouts should be saved with other course materials for possible future review. When actually faced with choosing between completing one task and another (due to time constraints), we refer to the specific grading system. This can be complex, but at least a simple approach is better than no systematic approach. If a choice has to be made, the student should estimate the expected contribution to the final grade, and pursue the task that contributes more significantly. For example, if I had only half an hour before school, and had to choose between a homework assignment and studying for a test, I would consider the value found in the syllabus. If homework were worth 15% of the final grade and tests were worth 25%, I would still have to figure how much the individual assignments were worth. If I were given 2 homework assignments every week so far, then I could expect perhaps 28 homework assignments throughout the semester, so a single homework assignment is worth 1.9% of the final grade. If there will be 7 tests, this test is worth 3.6%. But what is most important is that I will receive a 0 on the homework if I don’t complete it, even though I may be confident I will fail (50%) the test without studying. If I don’t do anything, I will still earn some grade on the test contributing perhaps 1.8% ( = 0.5 x 3.6%) to the final grade. If I do the homework, I’ll probably earn 90% of its potential. Even if studying for only half an hour will allow me to score 90% on the test (which is unlikely), my final contribution only increased to 3.2% ( = 0.9 x 3.6%), where as doing homework might grant 3.5% ( = 0.9 x 1.9% + 0.5 x 3.6%). Clearly doing the homework is the superior choice. All this complex math can boil down to one rule of thumb: complete every assignment. There is also a corollary concept: since studying is practically never more important than completing other schoolwork, then studying must occupy the student’s otherwise-free time. There are many students that do not have sufficient time to study yet still get good grades by simply completing everything required as outlined in the course syllabus.
Beyond this scientific yet holistic fundamental approach to getting good grades, there are basic habits which should be followed. There is no need to be the teacher’s pet, but maintaining a pleasant relationship with the instructor has a chance to help. (This is not by design or even intent, yet by chaos and human nature.) Paying full attention in every class is crucial although perhaps difficult. Taking notes is an excellent method to reiterate the instructor’s gospel and to ensure paying attention. Asking questions is a fairly rare yet very important concept made difficult. If students were to ask every question that occurred to them, there would easily be no time in class for anything else. Whether to ask questions about subject matter is left for the student to ponder. But asking all questions about the curriculum and grading system is mandatory. Doing assignments with other students is highly encouraged; there is no rule that every student cannot earn an A. If a class is missed, do whatever is required to discover any new assignments, and do not hesitate to ask to copy a classmate’s, or even the teacher’s, notes. Extra credit is generally worth at least as much as ordinary assignments and should be completed whenever possible. How to study and how to take tests are different skills than getting good grades. Nonetheless, knowing what to study will enhance performance on tests: a student needs to know if the tests were provided by the textbook publisher; constructed by the instructor based on the textbook; or based completely upon the teachers own knowledge. In the first two cases, studying the textbook is fitting; in the latter two cases, studying notes and handouts will be appropriate.
Time is the limiting factor of almost any goal in life. Students, like all people, need to efficiently approach tasks to succeed. Understanding and providing what the instructor wants is the basis to getting good grades and is described in the course syllabus. Failure to complete any course requirement is the most significant factor prohibiting good grades. These two points, along with general tips, should be enough to ensure a student does well. Getting good grades in college often has less to do with learning and intelligence than demonstrating a good work ethic by completing assignments.
I intended to post my only humorous attempt. I mean, I've written hundreds of documents (mostly essays) and I know many people appreciate my dry wit. But only in one have I intended to be funny. [I usually have a large stick vertically inserted.]
But, I have another unique one, and this one is more relevant. That is, perhaps I can help someone. And that will be my intent when I seek to be published. The following is unique because it was a "how to", which feels like a remedial concept, yet it is certainly one method of writing to help.
I had some serious constraints. This had to be 5 paragraphs (at least the next to last should have been 2.)
I put myself in serious time trouble, but apparently my outline was sound. There are bound to be some typos, and I know there's one parallelism error that I will not fix at the moment.
So, hopefully someone will find this useful. If not, feel free to rip me up; I thrive on criticism because I don't have any feelings.
_______
How to Get Good Grades in College
Written by: Rob McCrea
Submitted for: public review
Getting good grades in college can be extremely important. A key to enrolling in Ivy League and other notable graduate schools is to get a 4.0 in any undergraduate program. Having excellent grades will create more opportunities to receive financial aid for further education. Earning superlative marks is a fine qualification to mention in job interviews. Even family and colleagues may additionally pressure students to perform well. Many students, feeling not especially smart, lack self-confidence when it comes to getting good grades. Fortunately, the one trait most curriculums reward is not intelligence, but work ethic.
In traditional classroom settings, an accurate view of the situation is that the student must plainly satisfy the instructor. Usually the teacher has constructed the course from scratch, and will emphasis the topics they believe are important. There are some exceptions: an instructor may be assigned to teach a course at the last minute and will often choose to follow the curriculum of the previous semester; or when a teacher has not taught the course before, many times the routine is to straightforwardly teach the material from a specific textbook. Regardless of the specifics, how the grading of the course will be treated is detailed before the instruction of students ever begins. Understanding the grading structure is fundamental to achieving high grades. For example, classes such as public speaking and debating will benefit little from work outside the classroom. For such programs, it is likely that homework, quizzes, and knowledge tests will not apply to the final grade; “book smarts” do not apply well to the subject. It is far more likely that categories such as “attendance”, “participation”, “speeches”, and “final speech” will be emphasized by the grading system. The details contributing to the final grade are found in the class syllabus, which should be available from the instructor. Understanding what the teacher expects from students in general, and specifically the grading system, is the first step to earning good grades.
Knowing what in general must be done is followed by tracking and completing specific tasks. Thus, organization and time management are the next topics students should address. All assignments and due dates should be recorded, understood, and completed. Assignments should be reviewed to estimate the time requirement in order to schedule appropriately. All assignments and handouts should be saved with other course materials for possible future review. When actually faced with choosing between completing one task and another (due to time constraints), we refer to the specific grading system. This can be complex, but at least a simple approach is better than no systematic approach. If a choice has to be made, the student should estimate the expected contribution to the final grade, and pursue the task that contributes more significantly. For example, if I had only half an hour before school, and had to choose between a homework assignment and studying for a test, I would consider the value found in the syllabus. If homework were worth 15% of the final grade and tests were worth 25%, I would still have to figure how much the individual assignments were worth. If I were given 2 homework assignments every week so far, then I could expect perhaps 28 homework assignments throughout the semester, so a single homework assignment is worth 1.9% of the final grade. If there will be 7 tests, this test is worth 3.6%. But what is most important is that I will receive a 0 on the homework if I don’t complete it, even though I may be confident I will fail (50%) the test without studying. If I don’t do anything, I will still earn some grade on the test contributing perhaps 1.8% ( = 0.5 x 3.6%) to the final grade. If I do the homework, I’ll probably earn 90% of its potential. Even if studying for only half an hour will allow me to score 90% on the test (which is unlikely), my final contribution only increased to 3.2% ( = 0.9 x 3.6%), where as doing homework might grant 3.5% ( = 0.9 x 1.9% + 0.5 x 3.6%). Clearly doing the homework is the superior choice. All this complex math can boil down to one rule of thumb: complete every assignment. There is also a corollary concept: since studying is practically never more important than completing other schoolwork, then studying must occupy the student’s otherwise-free time. There are many students that do not have sufficient time to study yet still get good grades by simply completing everything required as outlined in the course syllabus.
Beyond this scientific yet holistic fundamental approach to getting good grades, there are basic habits which should be followed. There is no need to be the teacher’s pet, but maintaining a pleasant relationship with the instructor has a chance to help. (This is not by design or even intent, yet by chaos and human nature.) Paying full attention in every class is crucial although perhaps difficult. Taking notes is an excellent method to reiterate the instructor’s gospel and to ensure paying attention. Asking questions is a fairly rare yet very important concept made difficult. If students were to ask every question that occurred to them, there would easily be no time in class for anything else. Whether to ask questions about subject matter is left for the student to ponder. But asking all questions about the curriculum and grading system is mandatory. Doing assignments with other students is highly encouraged; there is no rule that every student cannot earn an A. If a class is missed, do whatever is required to discover any new assignments, and do not hesitate to ask to copy a classmate’s, or even the teacher’s, notes. Extra credit is generally worth at least as much as ordinary assignments and should be completed whenever possible. How to study and how to take tests are different skills than getting good grades. Nonetheless, knowing what to study will enhance performance on tests: a student needs to know if the tests were provided by the textbook publisher; constructed by the instructor based on the textbook; or based completely upon the teachers own knowledge. In the first two cases, studying the textbook is fitting; in the latter two cases, studying notes and handouts will be appropriate.
Time is the limiting factor of almost any goal in life. Students, like all people, need to efficiently approach tasks to succeed. Understanding and providing what the instructor wants is the basis to getting good grades and is described in the course syllabus. Failure to complete any course requirement is the most significant factor prohibiting good grades. These two points, along with general tips, should be enough to ensure a student does well. Getting good grades in college often has less to do with learning and intelligence than demonstrating a good work ethic by completing assignments.
I don't like that one though. I did a creative analysis of one of his, if you would like to see.
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