Setting achievable short- and long-term goals is one key to academic success. When you set actionable objectives and incorporate skills and behaviours like time management, good study habits, and resilience, it's easier to create and execute an effective study plan, track your progress, and reach your milestones.
Setting achievable short- and long-term goals is one key to academic success. When you set actionable objectives and incorporate skills and behaviors like time management, good study habits, and resilience, it’s easier to create and execute an effective study plan, track your progress, and reach your milestones. If you’re unsure of where to start when it comes to making a plan, read on to explore seven tips you can implement to align with your unique needs and experiences.
1. Work on your time management skills
One of the most critical skills for academic success is effective management of your study time. Time management skills are essential because they help ensure you stay on top of all your readings, projects, and exams. Managing your time well also requires you to stay organized, prioritize your tasks, and plan out a daily, weekly, and monthly study schedule that you stick to. How you choose to manage your study calendar is up to you, but you should create a system to track your project deadlines, exams, and study sessions in a way that’s easily accessible—whether that be a time management app on your phone, an online daily planner, or a physical calendar. As long as you carve out specific amounts of time each day or week to ensure you accomplish your high-priority items, you will set yourself up for success. It can also be helpful to let the important people in your life know about the times you have reserved for your studies so you can avoid distractions and stay focused on the tasks at hand.
2. Set small goals to help you accomplish large goals
One of the best ways to help you meet your larger, long-term goals is by tackling smaller goals that will help you achieve the results you desire. Create SMART goals that are clear and realistic and use your resources and time productively. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. By setting SMART goals, you give yourself the opportunity to take a hard look at your objectives, understand what is motivating them, and pinpoint the actions you need to take to meet them. An example of a SMART academic goal is, “I will work to improve my grade from a B to an A by devoting four hours a week to studying my notes, readings, and flashcards for the next three weeks.”
3. Surround yourself with supportive people who motivate you
When you lean on people who support your educational journey, it can invigorate you and help stoke your determination. With family, friends, and coworkers, it’s important to open up about your experience of returning to university to enhance your skills—including both your accomplishments and your challenges. It can also be helpful to share with your instructors and peers at Penn LPS Online. Because your coursework includes group projects, presentations, and online discussions, you’ll have many opportunities to collaborate with your classmates, share your experiences, and help each other to excel in your studies. And you’ll also interact with Ivy League faculty and practitioners who are experts in their fields who will be more than willing to support you by addressing any questions or concerns you may have.
4. Build good study habits
Developing and maintaining good study habits is critical to your academic success. When you make good study habits a part of your daily routine, it can increase your efficiency, confidence, and effectiveness while reducing anxiety about your coursework. The reality is that your days are likely already packed with work, family, and other personal responsibilities, so it’s crucial you carve out time to devote to studying. To help you build strong study habits, it’s beneficial to create a consistent and structured daily plan. Ensure that you have a dedicated environment that is conducive to studying and avoid procrastination by holding yourself accountable to your dedicated study sessions. These tips can help:
5. Develop your patience and resilience
In a world where our attention spans seem to be getting shorter and instant gratification is often celebrated, it can be difficult to cultivate patience. But if you want to be successful in reaching your academic goals, you’re going to have to learn how. Practices that can be helpful to overcome impatience include being more mindful of your reactions to your environment, calming your mind by practicing deep breathing or meditation, and rewarding yourself when you reach set milestones.
Resilience refers to your ability to adapt to and overcome life’s challenges. If you’re interested in learning more about how to become more resilient you should look into APOP 1200: Human Flourishing: Strengths and Resilience at Penn LPS Online. This course explores the science of positive psychology and how we can leverage our strengths to contribute to the greater world and enhance our personal well-being. You will also learn about the physical and psychological protective principles and factors that comprise resilience and how they can be nurtured to help you flourish in your academics, career, and personal life.
6. Take care of yourself physically and mentally
You can’t expect to meet your goals if you experience burnout. That’s why it’s so important that you take care of your physical and mental health. Some effective ways to take care of your body include eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet and exercising regularly. Remember that being active doesn’t have to involve going to the gym—it can also be taking a dance class, going for a bike ride, or walking your dog around the neighborhood. The endorphins that your body produces when you exercise can help improve your disposition and relax your mind. You should also prioritize sleep to help boost your immune system, reduce stress, and increase your ability to focus on your studies. Did you know getting outdoors can improve your mental health? Not only will you enjoy the fresh air, but exposure to sunlight is also believed to increase the release of serotonin, a hormone associated with improved mood and sense of calm and concentration.
Finally, schedule time just for fun! Whether you engage in your favorite hobby, work on a creative project, or go out to dinner with your partner, when you make the time to do activities that you love, it benefits your well-being and ultimately increases your chances of academic success. And it’s important to note that if you do find yourself feeling overwhelmed or struggling mentally during your studies that reaching out to a professional therapist is always a healthy step to take.
7. Practice positive thinking
People who maintain a positive outlook on life may cope better with stress, have stronger immunity, and experience healthier and happier lives. Consequently, cultivating a positive mindset can be invaluable when it comes to learning. Positive psychology is the scientific study of what helps people to thrive in all aspects of their lives. In APOP 1000: Introduction to Positive Psychology at Penn LPS Online, you will explore the underpinnings of positive psychology, address questions surrounding what it means to be happy, and learn the theory and science that supports the conceptual framework of well-being. With hands-on experiments and group activities, you’ll discover how to build well-being in yourself, in organizations, and in communities. So, when you’re registering for courses, do yourself a favor and consider this one.
Do you ever wonder why one student fails, while another succeeds? It’s generally believed that for students to succeed academically, they must “study hard.” Of course, there’s plenty of research showing that the duration and quality of one’s studying affects the grades they receive. Still, everyone knows that success isn’t solely a matter of studying often or well.
If this is the case, what is it that successful students have in common? With this question in mind, our team can help you find factors that influence student success. Not surprisingly, our research reinforced both well-known and lesser-known ideas that explain how some students are able to set themselves apart from their peers.
In April 2018, we conducted a survey of 3,368 students that visited the Citation Machine website. The survey was conducted on the Survey Monkey platform and our team interpreted the results. Using seventeen survey questions our goal was to primarily learn three things:
The answers to these three questions help parents and students better understand the factors and qualities that promote academic success. Here’s what our survey results suggest, and how it compares with other research on each topic.
When’s the last time your student received one-on-one attention? Our survey shows that students who receive supplemental academic support—such as tutoring—are more likely to succeed. Of our survey participants, 51% strongly agreed that they were provided supplemental support such as tutoring and extra prep courses. From the students whose parents understood the importance of supplemental support, there were several interesting takeaways.
Some parents who offer their children additional academic support have high hopes for their children’s academic performance. 22% expect their children to receive an A or A+ grade average. Even with these expectations, the results show that most parents who offer supplemental support have their expectations met. Of students that received supplemental support, 52% obtained a GPA of 3.6 or higher, while 74% achieved a B+ grade average or better. The survey also suggests that this additional help pays off for these students. 66% attended their first choice in college and every single student that received supplemental support went on to complete college or university.
Do our findings differ from what educators know? Not at all. Just one hour of one-on-one tutoring a week can help a student improve their academic performance by one letter grade. Regional editor of The Good Scholars Guide, Susan Fieldman says it best, “Nothing beats one-to-one tuition for boosting a child’s performance.” The important part is to spread out supplemental support over the course of the year, instead of having students cram for an upcoming test or important exam.1
The link between supplemental support and academic performance might not be a surprise to anyone. However, there’s another predictor of student success that is easy to overlook. It turns out that the most successful students also do the most household chores. The results of our survey suggest that students whose parents give them weekly chores are more likely to achieve academic success than students who have none and are in full control of their activities.
How did we determine that chores could predict a student’s level of academic success? Our results show that only 1% of students who complete less than 1 hour of chores per week achieve a GPA of 4.1 or above. Conversely, 13% of students that did 15+ hours of chores per week achieve a GPA of 4.1 or greater. The difference between the two groups is enormous, so let’s look at what else might impact these results.
Is there a difference in parenting between those who give their children no chores versus those who give their students 15+ hours of chores? That could very well be the case. 15% of parents that give between 0 and 5 hours of chores per week expect their children to get a grade of A+. In contrast, 32% of parents who give their children 15+ hours of chores per week expect their children to earn an A+. When it comes to a student’s academic success, those who received the greatest number of chores were also more likely to have high academic expectations set by their parents or guardians.
Furthermore, in our survey there was a significant difference between household incomes and how frequently successful students were given chores. Generally, the lower the household income the more likely a student would be to complete 15+ hours of chores per week. Students in households earning between $34,500 and $49,999 were given 15+ hours of chores 24% of the time. On the other hand, 3% of students in households with incomes of $200,000 or more were expected to complete 15+ hours of chores.
So, what do we already understand about the link between chores and academic success? Well, according to both Julie Lythcott-Haims, former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford University, and the Harvard Grant Study that she based her research on, becoming a successful adult begins with chores.2 During her TED Talks Live event, she spoke on the importance of children learning to contribute to success by doing chores and how it leads to not only a more successful life, but a happier one as well.3
The results from our question, “to what extent did you do household chores in high school?,” brings up two additional questions: the impact of parent or guardian expectations on success and whether household income influences performance.
Is there a connection between student success and whether a parent or guardian completed university or college? Based on the responses we received, there is. Of the students surveyed who had a mother that achieved a high level of education, 55% earned a GPA of 3.6 or higher. Additionally, 71% received a B+ average or greater in school.
There’s also evidence that college or university educated mothers motivate their children to participate in higher education. Of the students surveyed, 77% were expected to go to college, and the same amount was encouraged to succeed in school. Mothers in this category also took academic success into their own hands, with 20% personally tutoring their children, and 22% providing supplementary academic support.
What previous information suggests a link between student success and the academic success of their parents or guardians? There are two major studies that found a correlation between a parent’s education level and children’s academic success. The first, led by University of Michigan psychologist Sandra Tang, found that mothers who finished high school or college have a greater chance to raise children that do the same.4 The second study was conducted by Eric Dubow, a Bowling Green University psychologist. He found a relationship between a parent’s education level when a child is 8 years old and the child’s educational and occupational success 40 years later.5
The connection between a parent’s academic success and their child’s success is interesting, but there could also be more at play. Previously, you learned a statistic from our survey where 77% of high achieving parents encouraged their children to succeed in school. Could it be that student success is influenced not by what the parent achieved, but instead due to expectations? Here are some things that students who were expected to go to college by their parents or guardians have in common.
Looking at those surveyed, 96% of students whose parents expected them to complete college or university did so. A majority of 53% obtained a GPA of 3.6 or higher, with 73% of students in this category achieving a B+ grade average or better. Slightly over one-third of the students who were expected to go to college achieved an A or A+ grade average. Additionally, 64% of students motivated to go to school by their parents got into the college that was their first choice.
Based on our survey, simply expecting your child to complete college or university is a strong indication that he or she will eventually graduate. This falls perfectly in line with a psychology finding known as the Pygmalion effect. Essentially, the Pygmalion effect suggests that what a parent expects of their child will come to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Thus, if you set an expectation for your child to go to college and exceed, you’ll likely promote positive educational habits.6
Whether a child receives encouragement to succeed by his or her parents is another factor that impacts whether a student is successful. It turns out that the academic results of students who are expected to go to college isn’t much different from those who are encouraged to succeed. However, there are a few surprising differences between students that fall within either category.
First, students that are encouraged to succeed in school graduate less often than those who are expected to complete school. 67% of students who are encouraged to succeed in school will graduate from college or university, compared to 96% who are expected to complete college. Second, of those who are given encouragement, 54% will obtain a GPA of 3.6 or higher. Compare that with 53% of students that obtain a GPA of 3.6 or higher in the expected to complete college or university group.
In fact, the other statistics are incredibly close as well, with 74% of those encouraged to succeed in school achieving a B+ grade or higher (compared to 73% of those expected to complete school). 66% of those encouraged to succeed were accepted to and attended their first choice of school (compared to 64% of those expected to complete school). Perhaps these results are so similar because of the students who were encouraged to succeed academically, 83% were also expected to complete college or university.
Finally, there’s another significant difference between students who are encouraged to succeed in school and those expected to complete school. Of those expected to complete college, over two-thirds spend one to five hours a week doing household chores. Those who were encouraged to succeed however were more likely to work a part time job and complete between one to ten hours of work per week.
With findings like this, it’s no surprise that parental encouragement and aspirations have a significant impact on student success. A national study completed by professor Neal Halfon at the University of California at Los Angeles found that parental interactions in kindergarten, among other factors, impact student attainment. Children who are encouraged by their parents to succeed and one day attend college often do better on standardized tests. In contrast, parents with fewer expectations more often have children who underperform.7
Sometimes, parents get rather creative when it comes to encouraging their children to succeed. For example, 45% of students who were encouraged by their parents to succeed in school were offered incentives all the time, or sometimes. The group that was encouraged to succeed was more likely to be incentivized by their parents than your average student. But, did these incentives motivate the students any more than providing supplemental support? Here’s what our data suggests.
Overall, 16% of the students that took our survey were offered incentives all the time by their parents. Of this group, 63% got into their preferred college and 57% achieved a GPA of 3.6 or higher. In addition, 32% of students offered incentives achieved an A or better grade average. These results are right in line with what other groups of students achieved. The numbers are similar between students that are offered incentives and those who are encouraged to succeed, as well as with those who are expected to go to college. It turns out that the numbers are so similar to the other groups of students, that’s it’s difficult to tell whether incentives make a significant impact.
When it comes to published data about whether incentives drive results, educators have mixed feelings. A study by the University of Chicago showed that students improve performance when offered incentives before standardized tests.8 Their research also shows that the right reward improves student achievement by six months beyond what their teachers expect. However, not everyone is thrilled about offering incentives to children. Divine Charura, senior lecturer in counseling and psychotherapy at Leeds Met explained to the Telegraph, “You have to ask yourself what happens if a student doesn’t then deliver on his or her results? What happens if the incentive is no longer given, and at what point does the incentive stop?”9
Others, like Edward Deci, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester believe that once you begin paying people to learn, their motivation only lasts if they’re continually given incentives. Mr. Deki stated in an interview with the New York Times, “There is no evidence that paying people helps them learn – and a lot of evidence that it doesn’t.” Explaining why educators and governments would give incentives to people when there’s no evidence that incentives work, he stated, “Because it’s easy. It’s much harder to work with people to get them motivated from the inside.”10
The final question uncovered in our successful student survey is whether household income is a predictor of academic performance. Our results found that there is a significant gap between the performance of students from higher household incomes above $200,000 and those at the lower end of the scale. This occurs with groups of students who earn a 4.1 GPA and with those who earn a GPA between 3.6 – 4.0.
Overall, 9% of the students surveyed with a household income above $200,000 achieved a 4.1 GPA or above. Alternatively, half as many students (3%) had a 4.1 GPA if their household income was between $34,500 and $49,999. Students from higher earning households also received a 3.6 to 4.0 GPA 57% of the time, whereas students from lower earning households maintained the same GPA 46% of the time. Yet, this gap between high and low-income families is nothing new. In fact, research going back 50 years has shown that there has always been a divide.
This fact supports some interesting information. Research by Stanford University shows that the income achievement gap now exceeds the racial achievement gap in academia.11 There’s also a correlation between high SAT scores and high household income, in addition to a larger link between income and education.12 According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, this divide between high performing and low performing students in math and reading is only widening across states and has a strong connection between child poverty rates.13 In fact, this might be the strongest relationship that shows why some groups of students are able to succeed more than others.
