Every year over 3,000 student athletes are recognized as Academic All Canadians, achieving an average of 80% or higher during the academic year while competing for their university’s varsity sports team. Among these athletes, 8 are chosen each year (one female and one male from each conference across the country – AUS, RSEQ, OUA, CanWEST) and are named “Top 8 Academic All Canadians”. These student athletes are often the epitome of time management, strategic prioritization and relentless work ethic combining academics and athletics in a way that is nothing short of extraordinary. I recently contacted six former Top 8 Academic All Canadians from different faculties of study across the country to learn about some of the methods behind their success in the classroom. My hope is that the information provided in this article will be helpful not only to student athletes but to all students who are seeking better grades, less stress and more fun in the process.
The student athletes interviewed for this article include: Andrew Buckley (medical student & football player, University of Calgary) Katherine Bearne (physics major & soccer player, University of Ottawa) François Bourque (accounting major & basketball player, McGill University) Katie Ross (kinesiology major & soccer / basketball player, Acadia University) Eric Locke (medical student & hockey player, St. FX / University of Ottawa) and Anna Dunn-Suen (immunology major & volleyball player, Dalhousie University). After asking all these students the same 5 questions, I’ve summarized the habits and tips that seem to be common amongst them. Their complete answers are included at the end of the article.
After asking all these students the same 5 questions, I’ve summarized the habits and tips that seem to be common amongst them. Their complete answers are included at the end of the article.
Cal Newport maybe said it best “Once you reject the idea that all studying is equal, and instead make the connection that studying is like any other skill – and as with any skill, it can be done well or done poorly.” To paraphrase an analogy Cal uses to describe this idea- many average or below average students are out there shooting the basketball underhand granny style, while straight A students are those who have figured out how to shoot a jump shot with perfect form. It makes no difference if these average students practice their granny shots twice as many hours as the Straight A students. When its game time, the Straight A students are making more shots. Better technique trumps more effort.
Here are their common techniques:
What is your most productive habit for getting good grades?
Consensus: Show up to class.
Attending class is a great way to introduce ourselves to new information for the first time. Rather than trying to teach ourselves new information through bullet points on a power point, attending class allows us to be taught by a professor who has likely spent many hours considering what the best way to explain a new concept is. They are also likely to emphasize important information through their body language and tone of voice, cues we can’t access on our own through reading a power point presentation.
Average students make all sorts of excuses to not attend class.
It’s too early. It’s too cold outside. I’m too tired. My professor just reads the slides.
If we want an excuse to not show up to a lecture, odds are we can come up with a pretty good one.
Straight A students don’t make excuses, they just show up.
What is your most effective study method?
Consensus:
When it comes to study methods there were a few points that were brought up most frequently. The first was studying in the morning. Granted we are able to get a good night of sleep, the morning is often when our brain is most energized and ready to learn.
The second point was leaving our home and going somewhere else to study. This may be for the simple reason that when we leave and go somewhere with the purpose of studying, we hold ourselves more accountable to get something done.
The third point was removing distractions. This point also ties in with going somewhere to study. When we decide to study at home, it is a little easier to sit in our room, get distracted, talk to roommates, make food, watch TV, etc. On the flipside, if we go somewhere and isolate ourselves in the corner of a library, these distractions aren’t available. Lastly, managing cell phone use was something that was brought up. A few students recommended leaving your cell phone somewhere else when you study or putting it on “do not disturb” mode.
Something else that may be useful to consider is being conscious of our cell phone use during the hours we aren’t studying. Instagram, Tik Tok and Snapchat have been designed by some pretty smart people to activate certain pathways in our brain that keep us addicted to these apps. One way they do this is by exposing us to videos and pictures with a short time limit (i.e.- 10 seconds on Snapchat) or giving us access to unlimited pictures (Instagram). Over time, consistent use of these apps trains our brains to pay attention to one thing for 10 seconds or less and then move on to the next thing, and the next. When we study or write an exam, we need our brains to do the opposite. In these situations, we are often trying to focus on one subject or question for minutes, if not hours. Next time you catch yourself not being able to focus or pay attention for an extended period of time, maybe ask yourself “have I been training my brain all day through social media to not pay attention for longer than 10 seconds at a time?”
What is your best tip for writing an exam?
Consensus:
When asked about the best tip for writing an exam there were a few different responses. The first was reading every single question on the test before beginning to answer the first question. One reason this may be effective is that after reading all the questions, part of our brain subconsciously works through and searches for answers to these questions while we focus on answering the immediate question at hand.
The second recommendation was not leaving any questions blank. More often than not, professors are looking for ways to help us succeed and reach our goals as students. When we leave a question completely blank, they have no choice but to give us no marks. Writing something at least gives us a chance at getting partial marks. The third tip (and in my opinion, the most crucial) was finding a way to relax and manage stress before an exam. Everyone manages stress differently. A couple of techniques used by these student include exercise the day of the exam or doing something completely unrelated to the exam a couple of hours beforehand to clear their mind.
I’d like to share a quick technique that I discovered which has helped me clear my mind leading into a big test. When we are under very stressful conditions our breathing patterns often change. Under stress we are more inclined to take quicker and more shallow breaths than we are accustomed to. Breathing in this manner can impact the time intervals between our heartbeats. This is known as heart rate variability (HRV). So let’s say our heart beats 60 times in one minute, that doesn’t mean it beats once per second or at one second intervals like a clock. Rather, there is some variation in the time intervals between heartbeats. For example, we may have 0.70 seconds between two heartbeats followed by 0.90 seconds between the next two heartbeats.
So why does this matter?
Our brain is very aware of our heart rate as well as our HRV, it uses this information to perceive how stressful our current environment is. When our brain perceives we are in a stressful environment, it isn’t concerned about much besides keeping us alive. In order to keep us alive, our brain will start to shut down our pre-frontal cortex, the area responsible for critical thinking. This is because historically, in most life or death situations, we either needed to run away from something or someone as fast as possible or immediately fight something or someone. We did not have time to take 5 minutes to critically examine all the options available to us. That being said, during an exam, we do need to critically examine all the options available to us when reading and answering questions. Having our pre-frontal cortex shut down during this time isn’t exactly advantageous. The good news is we can avoid this happening by taking control of our HRV through controlled breathing, and it only takes 2 minutes. Here is the catch though, we need to make sure we are following the same breathing rhythm for these 2 minutes. The length of the inhale and exhale aren’t as important. For example, we could inhale through the nose for 3 seconds, hold for 3 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds and repeat this same sequence for 2 minutes. Or we could also inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds and repeat this sequence for 2 minutes. Play around with what works for you. Try to make the exhale twice as long as the inhale. Personally, I like to do this while sitting at my desk before starting the exam.
Those 2 minutes can feel like forever but I’d rather write an exam in 2 hours and 58 minutes with a clear mind than have 3 hours with a pre-frontal cortex that’s out to lunch.
“High stress levels can make the most prepared and hardworking students do poorly on exams.”
- Francois Bourque, McGill
What is the biggest thing to avoid?
Consensus:
While these students generally agreed the most productive habit for good grades was attending class, they seemed to agree that skipping lectures was the worst thing you could do. Skipping class forces us to rely on ourselves or our classmates to teach us the information. Something else to consider is that some of us tend to retain more information through reading, while others tend to retain more through listening. Attending class allows us to listen to the information at least once, while skipping class forces us to rely on learning the information solely through reading.
The second tip was to avoid distractions while studying. Some of the common distractions mentioned included cell phones, classmates, background noise and eating while studying.
The next point that most of us can relate to is leaving studying until the last minute and moving through the material too quickly. I think it’s worth noting that while leaving studying until the last minute will probably affect how much information we can retain, the same principle doesn’t necessarily apply to papers and assignments.
Another thing to consider when studying or writing an exam is how hydrated we are. The brain is made up of mostly water (around 80%). Coffee seems to be a popular drink for students, especially around exam time. Something we may want to avoid is crushing so much coffee it begins to have a negative impact on our hydration status. Research has shown that even as little as a 2% decrease in hydration can result in increased fatigue, memory lapses and decreased attention span. Not ideal.
What is something unique you do differently that seems to work?
Consensus:
Often times when observing straight A students around us we are likely to jump to the conclusion that they are gifted with a high IQ and great memory. While this may be true in many cases, more often than not it seems that straight A students have simply established an attitude and routine that ultimately determines their GPA. Maybe there are no secrets after all…
While we may not be able to steal these students’ IQs and memory, the good news is we can steal their mental approach and habits and these things can lead us to success in the classroom.
Ditch the underhand granny shot, continue to work on your shooting form, and you’ll be shooting higher percentages in no time!
Happy studying,
Sean
Complete Answers from Six different Top 8 Academic All-Canadians:
Andrew Buckley
Andrew is a Kinesiology major, named a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian in 2015 as a member of the Calgary Dinos football team. Andrew recently retired from the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders and currently attends Medical School at the University of Calgary
Most productive habit for good grades?
Go to lectures! Its just another time for the information to be presented and another opportunity for the information to sink in. I find its much better than skipping lectures and trying to learn it on your own. Even just sitting and passively listening in a lecture is better than not going at all. More repetition of the information is best for my retention.
Most effective study method?
Waking up early, finding a quiet corner of the library and spending the day in there with no distractions. Get rid of the phone and just sit with notes and textbooks and keep drilling the information.
Best tip for writing exams?
Small, consistent bits of studying at least a week before, then waking up the day of the test, do a quick read through of all the notes, and then doing something completely unrelated to school for an hour our two before the test, then crushing the test with a clear mind.
Biggest thing to avoid?
Not going to lecture and just trying to read the information is one big mistake. Lectures are just a good opportunity to hear the material another time. Trying to learn all the minutia details of a topic instead of focusing on the high yield major concepts. Leaving studying to the last minute.
Something weird you do differently that seems to work?
When taking notes for a class, I first write the notes or type them up. Then I distill those notes and the class notes into another document.. And through several reviews, I end up with a document that is just the most crucial themes for each topic, and it is down to just the major concepts, which are much easier to remember and learn than a million random facts.
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Katherine Bearne
Katherine is a Math and Physics major, named a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian in 2017 as a member of the women’s soccer team at uOttawa. Katherine has been named an OUA all star on multiple occasions and most recently helped lead uOttawa women’s soccer team to their first national championship in 2018! Go Gee-Gees!
Most productive habit for good grades?
Put the work in, there really is no substitute to studying and learning the material. Yes you can prioritize and manage your time but you will have to spend time working. Go to class and take notes with a pen and paper. When you write exams it’s with a pen and paper. You will test better if you learn the same way you will be required to show your knowledge.
Most effective study method?
I read a lot, so if there are textbooks for the course, by the time I’m done I’ve usually read them twice. Once while it’s the suggested reading and once when I’m studying for exams. I try to study throughout the term, as I do my assignments so that the final is more of a review and not learning it for the first time. When preparing for exams, do as many problems as possible, work through the derivations on your own, learn how to think in the way for your course.
Best tip for writing exams?
Relax, read all the questions first and make a plan. I usually do all the questions I know as fast as possible and then I go to work on the ones that will be harder. Also, always try to solve the problems (if you have time) don’t just leave things blank. If you know the steps but can’t do them then write the steps.
Biggest thing to avoid?
Not going to class. Even if you think you won’t learn anything in a specific class, it is always beneficial to go. Your prof is trying to teach you and even if it seems useless at the time, looking back while reviewing for your exam, you will see where going to class comes in handy. Looking at solutions first. If the prof gives you practice exams, many people will look them over and say they could have done it. Try solving the problems first on your own and struggle, this is how you learn. It will help you to know your thought process first and then see the solutions, rather than just reading someone else’s work.
Something weird you do differently that seems to work?
I feel like I don’t do anything special. I know myself and I know what works for me. I’m able to shut the outside world down and study for long periods of time. But I also will give myself longer breaks to rest, after a long time of studying. When I study for exams, I go over all my notes in sync with the textbook and make new final notes. For each class I try to make a formula sheet because this helps me know the relevant concepts and put it on paper concisely and clearly. I’m in physics and math so a lot of the things I put will be relevant for STEM fields but maybe not so much in the other fields.
Overall, I don’t think it’s any one way of studying that will make the difference. Not how you study, but why you study. I study physics-math and I truly enjoy it. I love solving the problems and learning about the different concepts. This helps me in putting in the hours required to be successful grade wise. However, I really do just study to learn the material, not to get a certain grade.
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François Bourque
François Bourque is an Accounting major, named a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian in 2016 as a member of the McGill Redmen basketball team. François represented Canada at the world university league 3 on 3 championships in China in 2016 and was an instrumental piece of several RSEQ championship teams McGill produced in the last 5 years.
Most productive habit for good grades?
For me, the key to success at school has been to study smarter instead of harder. As a student-athlete, my time is limited. There just never seems to be enough time to fit everything in and therefore it’s essential to study effectively. As a piece of advice for the freshman in our team, I always tell them not to leave their assignments, papers or studying up to the last minute. Cramming all of your study time into a few long days never works. I recommend to make time for studying every single day, with or without exams coming up and to get on top of your work as early as possible in the semester. Consistency and commitment to a study schedule are key. Once you start getting into good study habits, it will become a routine and it will be easier to maintain throughout the school year.
Most effective study method?
Start with the most difficult topics and subjects first, so that you are not going to put them off until a later date. For my part, I find that I am more alert and energetic early in the morning than late at night so I like to start my day with work that require the most effort and mental energy. We usually practice from 6:30AM to 8:30AM, so once practice is over, I go directly to the library for a few hours before class. Starting with the most difficult subject has helped me greatly improve the effectiveness of my study sessions and my academic performance.
Best tip for writing exams?
Even if you study all week for an exam, you know the material like the back of your hand but your heart is pounding when you show up for your exam, it is likely that your mind will go blank the second you will look at your paper. High stress levels can make the most prepared and hardworking students do poorly on exams. This is why it is crucial to be able to overcome stress when writing exams. Personally, I like to start by answering the questions I know by heart first. I also like to exercise the night before or the morning of an exam as exercise is known to boost your mood and make you more productive. Finally, the most important thing is to keep things in perspective. Once you realize that stress can impair your cognitive abilities and that one exam will not make or break your professional career, it makes it easier to deal with stressful situations.
Biggest thing to avoid?
The biggest thing to avoid when studying is distraction. While some students prefer to study in coffee shops or in places with a background noise, personally I like to study in quiet places away from all distractions. I strongly advocate to study alone in order to concentrate and minimize the disruptions. The ability to study alone allows me to give my complete and undivided attention to the study materials. Whenever I study with a group of friends or teammates, I spends 2-3 hours working on something that could have taken me 1 hour if I was working by myself. While there are some benefits to working in groups such as brainstorming and debriefing more complex topics, I believe that effective studying is done alone in a quiet place.
Something weird you do differently that seems to work?
Whether or not I’m prepared for an exam, I always walk in the exam room confident and ready to kill it. I noticed that people who complain about failing before the exam has even started tend to do worst.
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Anna Dunn-Suen
Anna is a Microbiology and Immunology major, named a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian in 2017 as a member of the Dalhousie Tiger’s women’s volleyball team. Anna helped lead the Tigers to four consecutive AUS championships, being named the championship MVP several times in the process.
Most productive habit for good grades?
Be efficient. When you are studying or working on school work, be fully present, put your phone away, remove other distractions and zero in on the task at hand. I think that was something I learned as a varsity athlete that gave me a competitive edge over my classmates; we didn’t necessarily have the luxury of procrastinating, when you had the time to work on something, it needed to get done.
Most effective study method?
I like going to a café or another cool study space. If I make an effort to go somewhere with the purpose of studying, I can’t make any excuses to avoid doing my work.
Best tip for writing exams?
Take your time on the questions you are certain on. If it is a multiple choice, make sure you’ve carefully read through the question; if it requires a written response, take a minute to compose your thoughts, profs appreciate a well-crafted response, not something that just tosses in points that don’t connect at the end. For questions you aren’t 100% on, map out some possible answers and create a web of what you do know. Often I think you can craft an answer that will at least get you partial marks. Never leave something blank! Also if you are trying to memorize something, remember the way one thing is and commit that to memory. Ex: if you are trying to remember axonal transport, don’t try and remember retrograde and anterograde, just remember that retrograde is towards the cell body.
Biggest thing to avoid?
Studying through meals. If you feel time stressed or are trying to cram (even if you plan your time accordingly this is bound to happen in your academic career), make sure you still take breaks from your work. I used to try and study and eat. I wouldn’t really retain anything in that time and would be super drained when I had to “get back to work”.
Something weird you do differently that seems to work?
I am a visual learner, so I would make a lot of mind maps or diagrams to help me study. When I was preparing for an exam, I would also make sticky notes of important points from my notes but always place them over my original notes because I visually remember where things are on a page rather than making two copies of my notes and confusing myself.
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Eric Locke
Eric is a Kinesiology major from St. FX University, named a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian in 2017 as a member of the men’s hockey team, leading them to back to back AUS championships. Eric is currently enrolled in Medical School at uOttawa while competing for the men’s hockey team.
Most productive habit for getting good grades?
My most productive habit is staying on top of the material that’s currently being taught in class. If you don’t know what’s going on, it can turn into a vicious cycle of not understanding the content and falling behind. Sometimes this means putting in a couple hours of work well before a test is coming up, but other times it’s just a half hour of work which benefits both in class understanding the prof as well as down the road when that test date is quickly approaching.
Most effective study method?
I think my most effective study method is putting my phone on “do not disturb”. I read somewhere that it takes around 20 seconds to zone back in after a disruption, and if you’re having a conversation over text, that time can add up very quickly. I’m not saying you can’t look at your phone the entire time you’re studying. I’ll check my phone when I’m finished studying a section and looking at my phone is going to stop my train of thought.
Best tip for writing exams?
Try and get a good night sleep before. I find I don’t retain a lot of information late at night and perform better in the classroom when I’m well rested. If I feel like I still need to review something before the exam, I wake up early instead of staying up late the night before.
Biggest thing to avoid?
The biggest thing I try to avoid, is moving through material too quickly. Especially when there’s a lot of information to learn, I sometimes try and move through lectures faster than I should and don’t retain everything I need to and end up having to go back over the lecture. I learn best when I take my time and learn at my own speed
Something weird you do differently that seems to work?
I don’t think there’s anything that I do that can be considered different. Just honest hard work on a consistent basis with some of the keys I mentioned above which have helped me succeed in the classroom!
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Katie Ross
Katie Ross is a Kinesiology major from Acadia
University. Katie was named a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian in 2015 as a member of the Axewomen’s basketball and soccer teams. Katie has been named an AUS all star for soccer on multiple occasions, as well as helping lead the basketball team to an AUS championship in her fifth year. Katie also earned the James Bayer Award in 2016, awarded annually to an outstanding student-athlete in Atlantic University Sport for excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, sportsmanship and citizenship.
Most productive habit for good grades?
Throughout my undergraduate degree, I found that being organized in my approach to studying was extremely important. Specifically, I found it was key to understand what I was being tested on and what types of questions I was going to be asked (i.e. multiple-choice vs written answers). This would allow me to estimate the amount of time needed to learn the material and which topics required more attention. Overall, I found this made large amounts of material more manageable and made me a more productive learner.
Most effective study method?
I found I was most effective when I organized the information I was going to be tested on into one Word Document. I like having all of my notes in one spot and found typing them out (or copying and pasting the information) was a lot quicker than hand writing them out. Once I had all the material gathered, I would break it down into sections and continue to read it over and quiz myself on each section until I was comfortable with the material.
I also found this study technique helpful when it came to exam time, because all of my notes from the term were already prepared into manageable sections.
Best tip for writing exams?
As a student-athlete there were times I had to miss a test or midterm. Sometimes I was able to write these midterms on a different date, but there were also times that the percentage was just added to my final exams. Although it would feel nice to not have to study for the midterm at the time, I would be very stressed during finals because I was memorizing a significant amount of information for the first time. So, my advice is to study hard for each midterm whether you have to write it or not – it’ll be very helpful come exam time.
Biggest thing to avoid?
While studying, there were a few things I tried to avoid. First, I would try to put my phone away - and more importantly - out of reach. Often times a 10-minute break would quickly turn into an hour, so keeping my phone in my bag or in a different room helped remove that temptation.
Something weird you do differently that seems to work?
In the end, there is no one “quick fix” that can guarantee improved test results. Similar to learning a new skill in your sport, you have to put in the time until you are comfortable with it. From this point of view, my studying advice is: try to figure out the best study technique for you and then dedicate yourself to learning the material. Remember that your friends and teammates may use different approaches, but understanding which study habits work well for you is important for achieving great results in the classroom