YOU ROCK! How To Be A STAR Student & Still Have FUN
by
Suzanne Raga
PUBLISHED BY:
Suzanne Raga at Smashwords
You Rock! How To Be A Star Student & Still Have Fun
Copyright 2010 by Suzanne Raga
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Smashwords Edition License Notes
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Cover design by Katrina Joyner
You Rock!
Attitude – Good Vibes
Success – Do the Math, Dude
The Basics – Get Your Act Together
Preparation – Stay Ahead of The Beat
The Classroom – Center Stage
Participation – Play It Loud
Note Taking – Hit The Right Notes
Your Image – Play Well With Others
Homework – Get In The Rhythm
Tests, Tests, Tests – It’s Showtime
Extracurriculars – The Background Singers
Weekends & Friends – I’m With The Band
Perspective – Achieving Harmony
Bonus: Music Websites You’ll Love
You Rock!
Hey guys, you rock!
Don’t you hate those boring study tip books? Blah, blah, blah. Zzzzzzzz! Too much long-winded nagging and old school thinking from educators and experts. They mean well and know a lot, but they haven’t been students for years. They’re always obsessed with wanting you to get straight A’s, but they’re not the ones who have to go to school and put in the effort – you do! I’ve always wondered, how many A’s did they get in school anyway?
You rock. I get it. You’re too cool for school. So was I. I love Rock ‘n Roll. In 2nd grade, I started playing electric guitar. I bet my parents never thought that I’d love it so much that I’d still be playing today. When I started college, figuring out how to pack my guitar on the cross-country flight from Los Angeles to Princeton, New Jersey was super important to me – I couldn’t imagine being without it!
But it wasn’t just about the guitar for me. In 6th grade, I learned to play the drums. As it turns out, I loved playing the drums as much as I loved playing guitar. Throughout middle school and high school, I was the drummer in my own pop rock band with three of my friends. We were called “Killer Boots,” and we didn’t just jam in my garage on the weekends. We played at parties, battle of the band competitions, school fairs and talent shows, and even at Walt Disney Concert Hall, in front of over 2,500 people!
Now, before you get the wrong impression, I wasn’t some music virtuoso, focused solely on playing music 24/7 throughout middle school and high school. I was also a serious – and seriously successful – student, and I earned straight A’s in all my classes year after year.
You might think there’s no way on earth that I managed to be such a high achiever academically while also having so much fun playing with my band. Perhaps you think I never slept. Maybe I was like the Energizer Bunny and would get home from school, study for my English Literature test, do my Algebra homework, fit in a rehearsal with my band, wolf down dinner while I study flashcards, pull an all-nighter, then repeat the whole process the next day.
Well, you’re wrong! Sure, I had a few busy times in high school when I had to study for multiple midterms while simultaneously preparing for a battle of the bands competition, but those times were the exception. I rarely stayed up late (let alone forced myself to pull an awful all-nighter!) to get homework or studying done, and I created a balance between school and music.
In other words, I managed to be a STAR student and still have FUN.
Learning how to achieve this balance between academic dedication and having fun turned out to be really important for college, too. Everyone here at Princeton, the #1 (or sometimes #2, if you count Harvard) ranked university in the world, seems to be some kind of star or top scholar – not many slouches around.
So, how did I get here? How can YOU be a STAR student and still have FUN? In this book, I’ll share my tips, strategies, experience, and wisdom.
Read on because I’m here to help you, and together we’ll create a rocking, pop music masterpiece!
Attitude – Good Vibes
Before a concert, everything like the sound equipment, amplifiers, lighting, and musical instruments have to be checked to make sure they work and are properly adjusted. This sound check ensures that all the individual components are functioning well so that they can come together to create a fulfilling performance. The same principle applies to your role as a student.
We’ll explore elements of being a star student like preparation, classroom etiquette, participation, taking notes, doing homework, taking tests, extracurricular activities, and your social life. We’ll also see how your life outside the classroom is just as important as your time inside it.
First, though, let’s get a sense of the big picture. Set goals at the beginning of each school year and reevaluate them at the start of each month. Write them down! Nobody wants to write them down, but it’s no big deal to do it and it will make a positive difference. It’s a list. Keep it short, sweet, and simple. You don’t have to show it to anyone else, and you can always change it as you go along. Do it for YOU.
Second, ask yourself, why do you want to get good grades? Have a good reason, not just that your parents want you to get A’s or that you’re afraid you’ll be a big, fat failure in life if you don’t – you won’t!
Negative thinking like that is not going to help you. It won’t provide you with positive energy and productive feelings. You will need motivation for long-term success. If you try to be curious and want to learn more about certain topics and subject areas, the stellar grades you receive will be a nice by-product of your genuine interests and passions.