Quote:
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"80 percent of success is just showing up" — Woody Allen
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This is probably one of the most appropriate quotes regarding doing well academically in my opinion. If you just make an attempt on every assignment and show up to every class, you're almost there. Skipping classes is
usually a sign that someone isn't going to do well in a class.
Beyond that, I'd say you should try to understand the material as you go, especially if it's a class that builds on itself like mathematics. Never fall behind in that kind of situation. If you actually learn the fundamentals, the class will be a lot easier. I took an introductory economics class during my first semester. I quickly learned the law of supply and demand and I noticed that almost every other topic in class was a variation on that law. I literally slept through most lectures, but the class was a breeze because I understand that one concept, a rather simple one honestly, that the entire course was built on.
I also like the 80/20 rule and it may help you in school. Now, the obvious thing to realize about it is that 20% effort can yield 80% of the results, but we're not talking about 80% of the results. You want to be at the top and that means 95-100% results. Some classes are easy enough that you only need to put in minimal effort. Usually after the first set of big grades (papers, tests, projects), I'd have a good idea of what classes were going to be tough and I couldn't get by with minimal effort. Those are the classes that you really have to focus on.