Summarize:

Ask yourself a series of questions about how you performed over the semester in order to analyze what went well and what didn't go so well. What did you end up doing differently after deciding to raise your grades? Did any of it work? How much did your grades improved, if at all? What did you find worked really well for you, and what did you find worked really badly for you? Is there anything you'd like to do differently next time? Think about the study methods you took on that really helped and make sure you build them into your permanent repertoire. Think about what didn't work and why it didn't work. Maybe you tried to study at home and found it was more distracting than you'd like, etc. Make sure to avoid these items in the future. Buy yourself an academic calendar and/or a large wall-mounted white-board calendar. Clean up the space you intend to use for studying, remove anything you don't need (books, magazines, comics, etc.) and organize the things you do need (pens, pencils, highlighters, sticky notes, etc.) Make your study space a distraction-free zone. Organize your study materials in a way that makes sense to you and allows you to find things quickly. Have a separate notebook or binder for each class you're taking and label them appropriately. Have pens and highlighters of different colours to signify different things in your notes and textbooks. For example, blue might mean examples, whereas yellow means definitions. Turn your cell phone or tablet off while studying. And if you're not using it, turn the wi-fi off on your computer while studying. Don't give into the temptation to check your email or text messages! If you're serious about improving your grades, your teachers will help. Ask them their advice on what to focus on in their class and what methods of studying work best for their material. Ask them if you can review assignments with them before you hand them in. Keep track of your teachers' contact information and office hours in a centralized location. Each week review where you are in each course and determine if you need to take advantage of your teacher's office hours, and if you do, schedule it in. When asking for advice, try to avoid saying things like "What's important in your class?" or "What do I need to do to get an A?" These suggest that you aren't actually invested in the class. Instead, ask questions such as "What types of questions do your exams usually focus on? I'd like to know how to improve my note-taking" or "What advice would you give a student who really wants to do well?" Work with friends or classmates, as a group, to learn the material and work on the assignments. Quiz each other. Do sample tests together. Take turns "teaching" each other the material. It is advantageous, but not necessary, to have some structure to your study group, such as: a pre-determined meeting time and place, specific study session goals, and an informal leader or moderator. Study group members do not need to be your friends. In fact, it might be better if they weren't. Getting together with your friends to study might turn into socialization time, which isn't helpful. Make sure you always get a good night's rest. Eat properly every day. And exercise as often as you can. Taking care of yourself physically will help make sure you can take care of yourself mentally. Taking care of yourself also means taking breaks when studying, like getting up and walking around every hour, and rewarding yourself for meeting your study goals. Tutors can be folks you've hired to spend time working with you on a specific subject, but it can also include your school's success centres. Most post-secondary institutions have tutoring centres (manned by graduate students), writing centres (that offer both seminars and feedback on actual papers), and success centres (where professionals can provide you guidance and feedback). Some of this extra help is free, while some has a cost associated with it. If you're interested in hiring a tutor, ask your teacher for recommendations. They'll know which former students did well in their class and who might be able to help you.
Complete a post-semester assessment. Get yourself organized. Talk to your teacher(s) in advance. Join or start a study group. Take care of yourself physically. Get a tutor.