Customer Reviews

How to Get Straight A's...And Have Fun at the Same Time

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Dr. Gordon Green's books, "Getting Straight A's" and "How to Get Straight A's ... And Have Fun at the Same Time" are books that can and do change students' lives. I know this as fact since these two books changed my life. Before I go into detail about this, the main thing you need to know is that if you are looking for help for a struggling student or if you are a struggling student yourself, buy both of these books. They will help!

As I mentioned, Dr Gordon Green's books changed my life. The first major impact was when I was in college at Northeastern University in 1987. As a C student with an 870 on my SAT, I struggled my first semester in college. It was not because I lacked the desire to learn or that I was lazy, in fact, I did all the things I thought a good student should do. I read the textbooks, went to classes, took notes and studied for tests. However, by the end of the first semester, I received a 1.5 GPA.

It was just after receiving these grades that I read Dr. Green's book, "Getting Straight A's". This book taught me the core study skills that I was never taught, such as how to read a textbook and how to take notes. But this book also taught me how to set goals, which is a skill that I use everyday of my life. By reading this book, I was able to totally turn my grades around. I was able to graduate with a 3.0 GPA and only received one C after my first semester, all my other grades being A's and B's. Not only did I achieve academic success in college but I also gained the confidence and self-conviction to know that I can overcome any challenge.

When I started my MBA at Northeastern University in 2003, I re-read "Getting Straight A's". This book proved to be a timeless learning aid since I've been able to maintain a 3.78 GPA all the while working full time. The key to my success was in using all of the techniques I learned in Dr. Green's book. When I first started my MBA, I contacted Dr. Green and, when I spoke with him, I told him how much his book had changed my life. He told me that many people have written to him and told him the same thing. I found him to be an extremely pleasant person and I feel my life is enriched for having contacted Dr. Green.

Here is the other way Dr. Green's book affected my life. While working on my MBA at Northeastern University, I was asked by the Crew Coach to speak with the team. I decided to speak about all the techniques that I had learned from Dr. Green's book. Prior to putting together my presentation, I contacted Dr. Green and he gave me permission to use his materials.

When I presented this information to the team, I could tell that the presentation was well received. Each one of the team members paid attention and, the following day, some of them wrote me notes to say thank you. It was a life-changing experience for me because after 12 years of working in High Technology Sales, I now realized that what I really wanted to do with my life was to give presentations that taught struggling students how to become great students. About one year after this initial presentation, I started a company called Great Grades "Strategies"; our website is www.GPAgrowth.com. We are focused on helping student athletes become more competitive in the classroom and we're currently working with athletic departments such as Merrimack College, Northeastern University, Plymouth State University and Tufts University.

We have also expanded Great Grades "Strategies" to assist high school students. For this program, we are leveraging Dr. Green's other book, "How to Get Straight A's ... And Still Have Fun". In these one-on-one workshops, we help individual high school students achieve success in the classroom.

Dr Green's two books changed my life and I believe they can do the same for you. I am forever thankful to Dr. Green for authoring these publications because I could have never succeeded in College or my MBA program without them. If you have any questions about these books, please don't hesitate to write me at genefay@GPAgrowth.com.

All in all this is a pretty good beginner's book for someone who is looking to improve their academic performance. It covers alot of basic things that will help you write a better paper, study and take tests more effectively, and make better use of your time.

One of the most annoying things that he does is devote entire chapters to things that may require a paragraph at most to explain (such as turning in your homework on time, getting to class on time, etc.) Alot of the things he says in these chapters are pretty obvious like coming in late for a class might hurt the relationship you have with your professor.

There are better books out there if you want to improve your academic performance. Like Secrets of the A-Maker by Darrin King (you have to order this book directly from the publisher, so you should do a search on google). Alot the stuff in this course you can find for free by doing a search for 'study tips'.

I used the first edition of this book a million years ago and found it's advise indispensible. So, too, is the advice offered in this second edition. If you are an adult going back to school I highly recommend you take a peek at this first. Although it appears to be written for high school students, it is just as applicable to adults. However, if you prefer a more adult-centered book, buy Dr. Green's first edition. It is geared SPECIFICALLY towards working adults going back to school.

It's absoluty true. If you follow the method of Dr. Green, you'll surely get a lot of A's!
It happened to me...I got a Diploma with Distinction at Uni, as an international student, following the simple method described for the author.
And I also got a lot of fun! You can do it! I recommend to strictly follow the author's instructions... you'll be surprised with the results! Do not miss a single lecture, do not be late, take a lot of notes, prepare a transcription of every lecture's note you take in class, choose your professor, start studying from the beginning and specially one week before the exam, are only a few of the simple (but really effective) pieces of advice that the author gives in his book. I strongly recommend this book if you need a proven method to improve your performance at school or university, either for graduate or post-graduate studies.

There is nothing special about his method of studying. I mean his method is the basic method of learning. If you don't even know the basic method, you will never do good at school nor college.
by the way, if you buy this book(it's cheap $1-3)or borrow in library, don't waste your time reading the story and the contents, just read the heading and go straight to "recap."