Strategy for school...

[AlexDest]

I'm close to cracking under the pressure from my classes because I'm falling behind drastically, I actually feel like I'm going to have a panic attack from all of this.

English IV - The only real problem with this is my senior project. I have to get my 15+ hours done with my mentor, learning stuff from him that relates to my research topic (Software Engineering). After that I have to work on a product in relation to the topic and prepare myself to present the project.

AP Statistics - I'm very weak on analytic data and I have to take notes at home through sections on chapters. Plus homework on exercises in the book.

AP Calculus AB - I really shouldn't have a problem with this but again, homework.

French I - I'm falling very behind on this because I switched from Spanish I to this in a week. This is an online class and I have quite a bit of speaking assignments to get on, section quizzes, etc.

I'm not very good at learning something on the spot and I have to read back for it to make sure.

How long should I study for each class? What methods should I use to make it easier for me?

[igotrhythm]

I say shotgun the homework. Do 15-30 minutes on one class, then go to the next before you feel burned out. This will help you make progress without getting bored and subsequently distracted...keep a timer to stay honest. When you do feel run down, grab a snack or an energy drink. Something to let your body keep going.

As for the speaking assignments and the English work...dude, I have no idea. Hey, some help is better than none?

[Hakulyte]

Depends what kind of issues you're facing.

Are you having trouble with time management?
Is it a matter of absorbing all the knowledge?
If you describe what kind of problems you're facing exactly it may help to identify what kind of strategy should apply.

[UserNameGoesHere]

Pay attention in class. Do the work. Read your books.

Honestly, you shouldn't be having problems until college/university level at the very least.

As far as study habits go, study until you don't feel you're getting any more out of it that day. Then immediately cease studying for that day.

[AlexDest]

Originally Posted by Hakulyte

Depends what kind of issues you're facing.

Are you having trouble with time management?
Is it a matter of absorbing all the knowledge?
If you describe what kind of problems you're facing exactly it may help to identify what kind of strategy should apply.

Yes to both.

The kind of problems I'm having is understanding some of the material being given in some of the classes (mainly AP Calculus and Statistics). For French, the teacher recommends flashcards to study over for 15-20 minutes a day.

For my senior project, my mentor is showing up at my house every so often (just started now) and giving me programming books to read over and then help me apply it to a computer.

[Trogdor!!!!]

Do you get enough sleep? In 10th grade my grades improved drastically after I went from 5 to 8-9 hours a night and I've been doing well in school ever sense with making sure I got a proper amount of sleep. I was able to focus on stuff as far as paying attention, not missing important dates/details, etc. As for homework, you're really just going to have to make time for it. There really isn't a way around it. But your project should honestly be your main priority, especially since it's for a core class. If you're weak in an aspect of Statistics you should try staying after school with your teacher if he/she lets students come in. It really does help because you have the hands on help you need right there.

[Reincarnate]

just ask questions here in this thread with respect to the material. plenty of people here, myself included, can help you

then focus on french study bc languages, moreso than other subjects, require time and exposure/repetition, so I'd focus most of the study time there if you're not sufficiently familiar.

[infinity.]

french should be super easy to catch up on.. it's french 1 so it's just vocab and super basic stuff, just make sure to always review your last weeks words/grammar structures and be on top of it -- languages are the easiest classes to get good grades in

if you're in ap calc, you obv don't suck at math so stats will be a cakewalk, just make sure you do your work (srs)

and don't worry just enjoy high school, your schedule really won't be that demanding

[Tristana]

Originally Posted by AlexDest

I'm close to cracking under the pressure from my classes because I'm falling behind drastically, I actually feel like I'm going to have a panic attack from all of this.

English IV - The only real problem with this is my senior project. I have to get my 15+ hours done with my mentor, learning stuff from him that relates to my research topic (Software Engineering). After that I have to work on a product in relation to the topic and prepare myself to present the project.

AP Statistics - I'm very weak on analytic data and I have to take notes at home through sections on chapters. Plus homework on exercises in the book.

AP Calculus AB - I really shouldn't have a problem with this but again, homework.

French I - I'm falling very behind on this because I switched from Spanish I to this in a week. This is an online class and I have quite a bit of speaking assignments to get on, section quizzes, etc.

I'm not very good at learning something on the spot and I have to read back for it to make sure.

How long should I study for each class? What methods should I use to make it easier for me?

It's not about subjects but about schedule & dedication.

English IV - you don't have to stress much about this.. Just dedicate a few hours daily starting 3-5 days prior to deadlines (prospectus, outlines, speaking with mentors, research). Not hard - and also not worth investing your daily time all the time into..

AP Stats - depending on where you're at it might be different but AP Stats in high school doesn't isn't very conceptual from what I remember.. Just do practice problems having looking and following example problems. Start off with the easier ones (make sure to check answers @ back of book). Don't look at an easy problem and think to yourself, "Oh I can solve this, next!" - make sure to do problems. Take notes, learn the importance of key concepts (z-values, tails, p-values, correlation, regression, all that good AP Stats stuff).

AP Calc AB - This shouldn't be a problem at all. Homework shouldn't be a problem either. I'll get to this in a moment.

French I - Online class. Therefore you need to keep a mindset that this is a REAL class. You might end up goofing around a lot because it's an online class, but don't let this fool you. Practice vocabulary, learn the grammar pat down, etc.


Now your problem is not subject matter but time.
Let's assume you come home at 3:15PM (standard school ending time).
If you're tired - take 45min~1hour naps everyday right after school. Then start working.
If you're NOT tired - get to work and try to sleep before 2AM.

Why are naps important? If you're tired but try to work, you will not only GET NOTHING DONE, you will also learn NOTHING. Your brain needs energy to soak in all the new material, so take a nap if you feel even slightly tired.
After you wake up and wash up, hopefully it'll be 5PM or before.

Take 30 minutes to do Calc homework (seriously it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes daily), then switch subjects to French or English (english only if you have assignments due or readings to catch up on).

Usually it's harmful to do two similar subjects in a row because you get bored of it (math -> stats = boring) (math -> french = change of pace)

After you finish calc AB homework & french stuff, move onto stats homework. Try to finish the homework in under 30min~1hour.

All this stuff sounds optimistic but hopefully you have a good music playlist and a nice environment to help you out. Make sure you either study in a quite room with no distractions (no laptop please or put your comp to sleep) and turn on some nice music (no bzzztBang UNTSUNTUNTS)

After you're done with all that.. hopefully it becomes 6-7PM when you're done. Then you can eat dinner and spend the rest of the day doing whatever you please. That's a full 6~8 hours of free time. If you feel that your learning & homework was not adequate then you should dedicate a few more (15-30 min) on subjects of your choice.

If your school ends at 1PM~2PM (4~5classes) then even better. You will finish everything by 5PM.

Here's the amazing thing about having a daily routine like this. You will be energized if you take a nap and you will finish homework on time everyday without stressing about it at 11PM.

If you do homework dutifully and follow a routine, you won't ever have to cram or worry about tests. Before tests you will simply review your homework and everything will come back to you. This leads to good grades (which is what I'm assuming you're going for) and hopefully - a better mentality!

Good luck in senior year, enjoy it while you can. You can still get A's and enjoy things you like. Keep it up dude!