LIFE

You work so, so hard for every grade you earn. Don't ya think it's time to stop shooting your GPA in the foot? Here's how to get the grades you deserve this year--and you don't have to do any more work than you were doing already. How's that for easy?

Step 1: Turn off your phone

We'll bet ya a cupcake that finishing your sheet of geometry proofs will go a lot faster if you silence your phone and stash it in your desk drawer. Constant texts from your cuties about everything under the sun pull your brain away from the work you're trying to do, making it far easier to lose your train of thought and make serious mistakes that'll cost you points.  

Step 2: Ask for a rain check

Yeah, you want to be a "Yes" girl, but sometimes, you need to say no. Don't be afraid of turning down your buds' offer of after school pizza so you can spend an extra hour prepping your history presentation. Remember, you don't have to say no to everything--picking and choosing the events you really want to go to will make you buckle down more, so you can hit 'em up without feeling guilty about the mound of homework you left behind. 

 

Step 3: Be on time

Leaving your science lab on your desk. Forgetting to drop your essay in the teacher's inbox. All those little "oops" moments add up to a big fat zero. And when ya think about it, that's just silly--you DID the work! Get all the points you should be getting the first time around by simply submitting all of your stuff on time. Easy!

Step 4: Wear the right clothes

Heading to school in a low-cut top, short skirt, ouchy shoes or fussy jewelry? Just say no. When you're more worried about the creepy kid beside you checking out your cleavage than the lecture Mr. Jones is chugging through at the front of the class, you're bound to miss something important. Opt for clothes you can feel comfortable and confident in. 

Step 5: Pick the right seat

You know that scene in Mean Girls where Cady is sitting behind her crush in math class, and can't focus on anything other than how awesome he smells or how his new haircut looks amazing? Don't be that girl. There's a good time to stare at your crush--lunch, homeroom, the hallway--but during class is, uh, not it. Pick your seat strategically, whether you're across the room from a distracting someone, like a chatty friend, or something, like a window, or go right up front. 

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