By Seidel Bethune

Statesman Staff

"Not-so-good grades in the past have caused me to evaluate once lofty career goals," Ray said. "I've had to switch from wanting to become a lawyer to thinking about a career in social work but I still want to succeed... and I've got to figure out how to improve my grades?"

Ray is not alone in that desire.

Here are five of the hottest tips to improve your grades, from top students, instructors and counselors at the University:

•You have to want to improve.

This may sound obvious but one student who vastly improved his academic performance cautioned: there is a difference between a student wanting to improve and a student WANTING TO IMPROVE. The former, says Gaber Elgendi, whose term grade point average leaped from 3.84 in the spring of '98 to a perfect 4.0 last semester, probably comprises all "sane" students, while the latter is motivated by self- determination. "You want good grades" said Elgendi, "Then be prepared to do everything you must to get them, including making sacrifices."

This may mean juggling class schedules, home life and relationships - a difficult but not impossible task, considering the fact that generations of other college students have managed to do that quite nicely. Such steps, then, becomes more than a desire to improve your grades, they become action, and, as the old adage goes, "action speaks louder than words."

•Study your favorite subject last and the one you dread first.

Brisette Gantt, a junior majoring in political science, said she applied this strategy when preparing for finals last semester with dramatic results. "I had to take a math class to fulfill one of the requirements for graduation," Gantt said, "And I hated math."

But by applying this strategy, Gantt said she was able to force herself to devote more time to a subject in which she was not strong and reduced time studying subjects she was really into and, by extension, better at. "By doing this I was able to neutralize the difference between love and hate for particular classes," said Gantt.

She credited the strategy with helping her to obtain two A-'s, including one for the math class, along with three grade A's in her political science classes last semester.

•Study and then study some more.

There is no surer way of improving your grade than to study and then study some more, says Davis, an honors student with a 3.91 GPA. "Even if you have a photographic memory you've got to re-examine the material for its deeper meaning," Davis said. "So, it's a good thing to start studying sooner rather than later for your exams."

•Associate with the right people.

Choosing the right friends are very important to your academic success in college, says Brian McConnell, assistant director of the Center for Academic Advising at the University.

Too often, he said, bright students get sidetracked by friends for whom school may not be a priority. "Students should carefully select friends with whom they can have a mutually beneficial relationship," McConnell said. In pursuing such relationships, a student should seek out other students who are stronger in a class that he or she is not as strong.

By doing this a student can have a valuable study partner. "Often times, a fellow student can explain things to a colleague, in the kind of language that they both understand and a professor may not be able to use," McConnell said.

In addition, having a friend in a class makes it easier for you to get the notes for missed classes.

Finally, students can give themselves a reality check by asking themselves: how can this friend help me to elevate my life?

•Visit your instructors and teaching assistants during their office hours.

Students seldom takes advantage of this or do not make the maximum use of this opportunity. "Most students who visit my office hours usually have technical questions instead of questions related the subject matter of a lecture," said sociology instructor, Maria Cole.

Several instructors also observed that its only when its close to exams that their office hours are maximized. Thus, a student may not get to spend as much time with an instructor at such times because chances are other students will also be waiting.

In addition, one student said regularly visiting professors and teaching assistants during office hours allows him to get personal attention that is often lacking in his big classes. "These one-on-one session are great," said freshman Frederick Davis. "I definitely come out with something I did not go in with."

Students who visit instructors also develop a relationship with the instructor, which in many cases is used as a criteria in assessing a student's knowledge of course material and thus can translate into a better grade in a class that takes into account the student's participation.