Hacking your class: How to Student

Light begins to beat past the brim of the academic building outside as a young twenty something groggily steps toward the direction of their classroom. A thought floats by every morning, coffee in hand, how did they find themselves in yet another 8am? But they show up, most of the time.

The class begins, and in 20 minutes into the lecture they’ll nod off. Maybe wind up noticing the piano in the corner wondering what it’d be like to actually know its keys. Next thing they know the lecture is over, a quiz is presented, and once again the question of early learning efficacy floats on by.

Now imagine this sequence repeating day in and day out for an entire semester with little improvement.. That right there is the average student.

You know what it takes to be above average in this world? Not a whole lot. But who wants above average, we want A’s and scholarships to make the small fortune paid for the opportunity of education — mean something.

We’re here to help accelerate students through the process, one way of doing so is delivering the vital information that you can only get from experience, or someone who really wants you to succeed.

Now lets start by marking what above average is..

1. Showing up; yeah literally. Especially when you don’t want to. Feel like you are doing too much, or not enough? Probably are, but take a quick glimpse of The Rock’s insta and you’ll garner some perspective on whats possible. Its all about consistency in the end, showing up in those “little” moments builds to showing up big when finals come around. If motivational videos are your thing, here’s for you.
2. Bow to your Sensei. 99% of the students in class never speak to their professor outside of class. 20% introduce themselves the first day only to never speak to the prof again until they really need something. 10% will visit the professor for extra help and deeper learning. 1% build relationships. Guess which sector of these students wins big long term.
3. Piece by Piece: Develop the habit of getting things done early. Semesters are a longer grind then they seem. Emphasis on the grind, especially for all you 8 am’s out there. That means it lives and dies on morale, many students get burnt out and struggle to cope when deadlines begin to rush at them. There’s no better way to handle it than to chop them down early, check your syllabus, and adjust your schedule.
4. Make a schedule! This is heard all the time.. Do you really wonder why?? Don’t keep details in your head, put them onto paper, it makes them real. The amount of knowledge you have to acquire leaves little memory room to keep track of moving deadlines and event times. Don’t be that person that plans every minute of their day out, get on google calendar and simply upload your framework of class times. The real part is goes back to rule 1, check it daily. Look at it in the morning, or at night. You need to know where you’re standing during the middle of the week.
5. Find a routine. What do you enjoy? Guitar, rock climbing, golf or tennis? Whatever it is, make time for it. The best way to do this is in the evenings or early mornings. Hit the gym for a 30 minute lift every day, there is no better way to wake up. Again, everything comes back to rule number 1. When you are consistent, you don’t need to spend an hour or two on something to get results. 45 minutes a day is nearly 5 & and a half hours a week. Do that for 5 years straight and Malcom Gladwell will call you a Master.

“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” — Bill Gates

Nxed is an ed-tech firm of talented creatives whom are deeply passionate about bringing universities into the 21st century by the intersection of technology and education. Stay connected with our story and leave a comment, check us out at Nxed.io.

Until then, “Keep Thinking” — Nxed team.