CHAPTER 20
Time Secrets of 29 Straight-A Students
What does it take to maintain straight A’s at MIT or Harvard?
What does it take to be a straight-A student in high school, while juggling
varsity sports and numerous activities?
The students I interviewed gave a wide range of advice and I’m
reminded in
my own home that there is no one way to achieve productivity and success as a
student. My two teenage daughters are both straight-A students, yet they have
very different study habits. One listens to music while studying, the other
doesn’t. One checks social media as her “reward”
for getting a piece of
homework done, while the other leaves her phone in a different room to avoid
the temptation.
What was most unique in this group of high achievers was how often they
talked about social media. Almost everyone mentioned the siren call of
Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook, and many suggested
specific apps as a way to
manage those urges (e.g., SelfControl, StayFocused).
In addition to the familiar advice about using a calendar and being clear on
priorities, straight-A students also know how to say no. From having no social
life, or limiting friends to study groups, these suggestions—while
seemingly
extreme—might be the price to pay for excelling at the highest levels in
academics. The full advice from the students I interviewed appears below.
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