How the hell do I get my grades up

im still in high school but i have a few tips:

1)know the syllabus

2)if you attend classes look what the professor has stressed on,likely will come in tests

3)this is the most important:do everything you can to find previous year question papers(last 5 years, see whats asked, you will find a pattern) remember 70 percent questions come from 30 percent of the portion and vice versa

4) if you have friends study with them, far easier to get distracted on your own

5)this is risky but if you can copy, its upto you, i personally have no problem with copying(there have been exams where ive copied more then half the paper)

6)find notes and learn them

7)talk to seniors and ask them for advice on how best to do a course

8)never leave a question empty, bullshit it, do anything dont leave it empty unless it has negative marking

9)there is a method to studing depending on what youre studying, learn how to do things and if possible try to get step marks

10)just a tip for copying if your scared to do it in class,i f you have never copied/feel is immoral or wrong dont do it: take whatever material you have and put it in the washroom, goes without saying it shoudnt have your name etc, mid exam go to the washroom, even if someone finds it(no way of proving its you, you have 0 downside if done correctly)

if you could specify what you are studying maybe i can help more, on a side note which country do you study in?assuming its in the eu since you listed eu

i dont know if you edited your post or i read it wrong, i just saw that you study law, idk how helpful a lot of what i said is now, still i think the 3rd point could help you.

Good luck

I’m gonna go ahead and say Do Not Cheat. That shit can get you an automatic F and probably expelled if you keep it up. 
 

One thing you can do is retake all of your classes you did bad in and extend graduation so you can re-recruit. At my school retaking a class replaces the grade so I would look into this. That’d be a grind though. Go on college gpa calculator and see what your grades will be if you get straight As here on out. Then you can see how many classes you’ll have to retake. 

2.6 is definitely not 66% in EU. I can only talk for myself but in the UK getting 66% would be pretty average and you could apply to City firms over 60%.

With regards to your problems, I have been struggling with similar issues but it has been getting better. What I would suggests is just sitting down and doing the work. This may not sound like what you want to hear but you need to build up a routine of just putting in the work. You may get distracted, your mind may wonder off into different directions during your work but you just have to get back to focusing on your work again. Studying is a bit like running. You start to feel exhausted after a while (for me it comes after half an hour) but you need to keep pushing and you will get that "runners' high" and then you can keep doing your work for 3-4 hours without having the urge to check your phone or any shit like that.

So the idea is just to keep pushing. If you get distracted keep pushing. If you fee like your eyes are pouring out from your skull keep pushing.

In lieu of cheating as previously recommended - I really beg you to make flash cards.

You can buy stacks of lined ones online if you don't have a guillotine of your own - and they're seriously the best revision tool. Every teacher and lecturer who knew their shit about recruiting and examinations recommended these things.

You're basically taking your notes, and condensing them down into the useful bits (with sufficient elaboration as to maximise marks)

Saved me a bunch of times when cramming. Even if you've got a good 60+ cards full of info, it's super easy to find what you need and revise quickly and efficiently.

Become friends with the nerd in the class. Be the cool social kid that invites them to parties, etc. and in exchange figure out how they study and ask for help on the material.

This works way better than you would think so long as you don’t do something stupid like ask for the kids assignments to copy from or the like and actually uphold your end of the deal so it doesn’t feel like you’re just using the nerd and giving nothing in return.

hire a tutor. They'll teach you better than the professors

Adderall

My advice: take some summer courses to catch up/get that extra edge. I find that by taking intersession winter & summer classes I’m able to focus on them better so I can achieve higher grades which in turn boosts my gpa. Good luck!

If its a motivation issue, you have to find the motivation and grind man. I had a 2.01 at the end of my sophomore year and made it to a 2.94. Covid probably helped by keeping me inside more, but you really have to find what you want to do and try to set a plan to get there. Also make sure you’re interested in your classes that helped me a lot. If you don’t like your classes and they aren’t interesting its only going to get harder and your grades worse, so if thats the case bite the bullet and maybe switch into finance from now. Good luck, you got this!

I apologize if some of these are obvious, but I see few people giving advice above any more except don't cheat (which I will echo once here and then drop).

My academic background: STEM Canadian Undergrad. I was a smart, unmotivated kid (like it sounds you are). My grades were mediocre. I scored well on exams (I knew the material), but my general course work was sub-par (Just lazy). Later in life, I had a rough patch and it made me want to kick it into high gear which included studying for the CFA as well as doing an MBA.

1. Change Your Environment - I lived uptown in my city and my school library was downtown. I took the subway (a 30-45 minute commute each way) to study for a three hour block. I had to get away from my house, friends and family and sit in a quiet cubical on a random floor where there was 0% chance I would bump into anyone I knew. Head down. Ear plugs to block out ambiant noise (I could "hear myself think" - it makes a difference) and just grind what I needed to grind. Spend time with the material - no distractions.

2. Ritualize It - To the extent you can, make studying a ritual. Part of my commute was going to a nearby coffee shop and getting the exact same coffee everytime. I know this is going to sound crazy, but by the third coffee (it was just a small black coffee) - I swear it started to taste better, because mentally I felt like I was accomplishing something: I was breaking a lifelong bad habit, I was getting the shit done that I needed to, I was becoming a better person (I know we are more than just numbers, but as I was scoring higher on mock tests, I felt like I was getting something done - My first three mock tests were fails. My fourth test was a pass. It felt good).

3. Group vs. Solo - Depends on your style, but you can either: find likeminded people in your program to study with or go it alone. Pros and cons to both and I would recommend doing both. Studying with friends helps you bounce ideas off them if a concept isn't clear. Obvious con is it can be very distracting and hard to coordinate, especially on a regular basis (make a point to study anyways even if a few people drop out). I found that different subjects commanded different styles (for mechanical mathy topics, I wanted to be solo, for more creative/designy type problems, I would prefer working in groups).

Hope that helps. Good luck.

Idk if anyone else has said this, but get assessed for ADHD.

i can relate to what you've said in your post, OP. You are not lazy (evidently). And you want to improve. But for some reason, doing the same thing as your peers (putting your head down, and grinding) is much more challenging for you. You want to succeed and are motivated, but can't concentrate or feel as if you lack the drive.

I was feeling the same way and started looking into if there was something literally wrong with me, because it got to a point where I knew it couldn't be due to "laziness." I did some online research and decided fuck it, let me get assessed for ADHD because I could relate to what I read. At the very least, I will know that it's not that and that will help me narrow my options. I got assessed and was diagnosed. That changed everything for me. Not only did I get the help I needed (through treatment and non-therapeutic measures) but I was more aware of how my brain worked and what I needed to achieve my goals. My grades did turn around and I felt more confident and did not suffer from the same anxiety or stress that I used to. I was Better with my time management, studying habits, concentration, attendance, etc. it does not all happen over night and there are things I'm still working on, but taking that first step truly changed my life for the better. I think it is worth looking into.
 

Edit: Just to also add, adult ADHD is more common than you think. There are many misconceptions—it’s not just some thirteen year old kid who can’t sit still and has to spin a fidget spinner every other minute. It’s about how your brain works and the levels of certain chemicals that contribute to factors such as you being aware with how you assess how much time you have (time management) and concentration. Obviously, the answer from any outsider is just do the work. Yeah, of course, how else are you going to do better academically. The problem is, the way your brain is wired makes it challenging to do what you need to do. It’s not because you’re stupid or lazy. I really don’t think anyone is lazy unless you’re an actual bum—which OP doesn’t sound to be. It sounds like you genuinely want to succeed and are genuinely being challenged.

Lol..

Spend time studying.. if you’re saying you’re falling behind and scared for your future but are not studying 70h a week, you’re full of shit. Participate in class. Ask for help. 
 

a few tips:

- Sleep enough. You gotta sleep 8-9h a day

- turn off your phone to avoid distraction 

- Study in a good environment. May be the library or your room, up to you

- Pamadaro technique = take a mini break every 30-50mn - this is not binge Instagram but rather a short walk, quick coffee for 5mn max

- Eat properly

, Exercise

- Don’t binge drink. Don’t do drugs. Don’t hang out with negative friends or losers. 
- Have some relax time, maybe Sunday afternoon/evening where you don’t do anything work related 

- Study proactively, ask questions, take notes, etc

- Think about spaced repetitions techniques. Review your classes the same day and then review it again every couple of weeks. 
- You need to get your motivation up to standards. You don’t like law ? Well you mentioned McKinsey. If you’re not among top of your class, independently of your uni you won’t even get an interview. That’s a motivation. You’re a few exams away from either getting your dream job, or being a loser. What it’s gonna be ?