As the first semester comes to an end, every student is faced with a fresh opportunity to improve their grades. But, many students are unsure of how to do any better than the previous semester. Luckily, there are several tools that students can utilize to improve in every subject. 

By far, the most beneficial method to improve is simply organization. Students must self-assess to determine if their personal causes of low grades include missed assignments, lost papers, or cluttered notes. If so, organization is most likely the most effective and easiest way to remedy such problems.  Keeping a planner can help students keep track of assignments and due dates. Additionally, it can make it much easier to prioritize assignments when everything is easily viewable. This way, students can get a clear idea of what they need to spend their time on in the upcoming days, weeks, and months.

If cluttered notes are the cause of struggle, color coding may be the solution. Colored pens and highlighters are the most effective, but only if students develop their own color-coding system. For example, each vocabulary word could be colored pink, and every equation could be blue. 

It is important that whatever system students choose to develop, it must be easy to remember and be effective. However, it is also important to ensure students don’t focus too much on making their notes look “pretty,”as it is much more important to make sure students get all of the information copied down.

If math is the cause of grade trouble, the best solution is to practice as much as possible. The only way to study for a math test is to practice the problems. It can also help to write out all of the math problems on printer paper, so as to make sure every problem or equation remains organized. But, if students still find themselves facing problems, teachers are always willing to help. Or, websites such as Khan Academy can explain problems in different ways. 

If writing is a source of difficulty, consider using an online source such as Grammarly, which will check written work for errors. Even consulting a trusty thesaurus or a dictionary can help to ensure the best paper possible. 

Overall, second semester grades will reflect the amount of effort students put into their work and the amount of effort students put forth in trying to improve from the first semester. Regardless of how students choose to or not to improve, best of luck in the second semester!