Once freshman year is over, teachers progressively increase the workload, but students rise to the challenge. Despite the pressures of busy schedules, including sports, extracurriculars, and clubs, students find ways to be productive and get their work done. Although this seems to happen often, freshmen still worry and anticipate the challenges of high school. Upperclassmen, who are in the unique position of having experienced both sides, have valuable tips and advice on how to make this transition as smooth as possible.

From studying for big exams, to working vigorously on projects, students work hard to show they are capable of meeting the high standards of excellence that teachers in higher-level courses demand. One key to succeeding in high school is to stay organized. Binders and planners are staple school supplies designed to optimize productivity of the average work day. These products help keep track of events and deadlines, easily schedule study times, and prevent conflicts to allow for as stress-free learning environment as possible.

Another valuable key is not procrastinating or leaving things to the last minute. “It’s so much better to be prepared and ready for whatever comes your way rather than being flustered and scrambling to finish it on time. Being finished earlier allows for more time to check over the quality to ensure that it was your best work possible,” says senior Emma Lavin. The worst feeling is when both the student and the teacher know that the work did not reach its potential, but if it was allotted an adequate amount of time, the work would have been more successful.

While class notes may be enough for some, others have discovered many resources to appease the studying process, both online and in paper. Index cards and recitation are non-digital ways to efficiently study notes for an upcoming test. Rote, the rewriting of notes on paper for repetition, has been proven effective in many studies and shows a high level of memory retention, good for remembering facts and understanding the information. Index cards can be used as a practice quiz with someone else’s help by flipping them back and forth, one side indicating the definition and the other having the name of the word. Recitation allows the student to say it aloud and hear the information while ingraining it into his or her mind. Also, this technique is similar to explaining it verbally as if talking to someone that is completely uninformed on the subject. Reading over the text and annotating it with post-its or while creating an outline has also proven to be successful. Finally, it is very important to understand what kind of a student you are and what type of studying is most beneficial for you, which is mostly based on your study habits. This will allow you to get the most out of your study method, whether it is visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (motion).

For visual learners, it is most helpful to learn from charts, graphs, and images. This type of learner would learn easiest by drawing diagrams and pictures of the information while taking notes. Auditory learners would be most productive listening to the information in recordings, verbally answering questions, and doing call and response. Kinesthetic learners are very hands-on and prefer to be interacting with the information by participating in demonstrations or writing down important points to remember.

In addition, there are countless online resources that can help students understand topics. Quizlet is a website that has online flashcards and learning activities. Vocabulary.com is very productive for learning the definitions of words and their contexts in sentences. Khan Academy explores many subjects in numerous fields such as science, math, history, arts, and more. Teachers such as Antonella Tranchina love Quizlet and use it all the time. Also, English Teacher Christine Gallehugh and Special Education Teacher Kristen Burke are known to use Vocabulary.com often as well. YouTube is another option that provides many enriching videos from subscribers. For example, Crash Course is a channel that was created by brothers John and Hank Green to help students learn about different subjects in a short period of time. For more specific information, students can find a paper with the list of passwords for access to Lynbrook accounts for databases located on the LHS Library website. Library Media Specialist Maureen Bertolini explained that the databases are “an essential part of information consumption.”

Asking questions in class and attending extra help are essential keys to success in high school. “If I am ever confused on a topic or there is something that I don’t understand, I don’t hesitate to ask for help. All teachers have extra help a couple times a week, and it’s more personal to your needs because there usually aren’t twenty other students in the room,” says sophomore Ami Carey.

Along with the other study habits, the basic generalities should also be observed such as getting a good night’s sleep, staying hydrated during the school day, eating breakfast (“the most important meal of the day”) and taking comprehensible and legible notes. This is important because if one’s body is not up to its fullest potential, it will not be able to work as productively, and when looking back at notes, it is imperative that you can understand them.

Study habits begin with discipline and cannot change overnight, but little things such as not reaching for your phone as much or planning to sleep for at least seven or eight hours can help lead to a higher rate of success. While some may think that cramming the night before is the way to go, the body must be fully rested to be able to retain the information and perform well during the exam. Many neglect the body when considering the study process, but it is vital to acknowledge these key points in regard to the material so that you do not cheat yourself out of a good grade. Studying may be difficult; however, resources on and offline are proven to help lighten the load.