How

to become a straight-A student. Cal Newport.

Notes

1 Study Basics

Ef@icient short burst of high intensity work instead of pseudo working

5-minute calendar. Update every morning. Be realistic/pessimistic.

Sidestep procrastination.

Keep progress journal. Maybe only for dif@icult periods.

Drink water “constantly”.
Choose your hard days

Study early. (As in before dinner)

Study in isolation.

Study no more than one hour at a time. (5-10 min breaks)

2 Quizzes and Exams

Take smart notes in class.

Use laptop, possibly notebook for number-heavy courses

Non-technical courses:

Identify the big ideas for non-technical courses:

Question
Evidence
Conclusion

In discussions note insightful points / prof comments.

Format notes aggressively. Dev personal shorthand.

Polish notes immediately after class if you have time

Technical courses:

Record as many sample problems as possible

 (Usually) Don’t do (all of) the reading but bring it to class and follow
along.

Demote Assignments

Spread work

Don’t do all the reading

Always read from favored sources

Don’t read all context reading

Argument > Description > Context

Record Skipped Reading for possible later review

Take smart notes on favored reading

Do some of the problem sets in study groups

USE OFFICE HOURS

Write solutions formally every time, from the @irst time.

Organize resources

Build a study guide / Mega problem set

Prepare memorization aids

Don’t organize and study on the same day

Study for the exam.

QUIZ AND RECALL

Say things out loud! Give a lecture.

Alternatively write answers.

Mark problems/q’s you had problem with

Review those again. Recurse

Never have absolutely unknown topics – exam insurance.


Provide A+ answers

Review all q’s

Build time budget

Easy to Hard

Outline essays

Check work

3 Essays and Papers

Shift through existing arguments.
Form your own.
Communicate it.

Steps:

Choose interesting topic if possible

Start general, move one layer deeper until you @ind a thesis.

Seek second opinion

Research hard.

Formulate argument – outline.

Consult your expert panel.

Write. Well.

Edit. Read out loud.