Get the Best Grades with the Least Amount of Effort: An eBook Review
As a single parent returning to college, it was very important to me that I manage my time very carefully. I never really developed good study habits in high school – I was always more of a crammer – but my college courses were too difficult to just slide through in that way. I knew it was important that I develop good study skills, and I also knew that I didn’t have hours a day to devote to studying. A classmate recommended that I learn to speed study. I’d heard of speed reading, but never of speed studying . . . and I probably wouldn’t have gone for it if my classmate was not so apparently super-bright. The course she’d taken was out of my price range, so I decided to research my other options, and settled on the Get the Best Grades with the Least Amount of Effort ebook. Here are the reasons why I chose this particular program:
Great reviews. I truly believe that the best way to tell if a product is worth investing in is to find out what others are saying about it. There were plenty of positive reviews on the product, so I felt confident that I wouldn’t be ripped off.
Price. I spent less than 30 dollars. Not bad, considering I found other products that cost in the hundreds.
It spoke to me. The website landing page referenced (I’m paraphrasing) “going back to school without letting your work and family obligations suffer.” It seemed to be a product aimed at my needs and priorities. Also, Dr. Dussault’s “work smarter, not harder” philosophy was right up my alley . . . as well as his assertion that we can unlearn faulty patterns and recondition ourselves to be more efficient at virtually anything.
The results:
What worked best for me. This course really is full of useful tips that, if applied, will absolutely help you cut down your study time and retain more information in the process. For example, the Get the Best Grades with the Least Amount of Effort ebook instructs you on how to pull the useful information out of what you’re reading and leave the rest behind, how to improve focus while studying so that you absorb more, how to slow your mind so that it is more apt to receiving new information, and how to mentally organize the information you are taking in so that it creates a complete picture and makes the most sense (so that you, in turn, learn concepts as opposed to memorizing rote information). These lessons are given in very practical segments, with simple instructions that anyone can follow.
How I improved. I did notice that, after reading the ebook, I was able to reduce my study time by about 30 percent (about a half hour for every hour and a half). I can see how I could even improve this number if I were to work harder at it. Also, by using the tips, I learned how to organize my study time so that it didn’t seem like such a tedious process, and when I went to study for finals this part is AMAZING), I remembered much of what I’d already learned earlier in the semester, so that I really only needed a refresher.
Drawbacks. In my opinion, reading an ebook about study skills is boring. It’s like studying about how to study, when you’re trying to get around studying. (I’m not sure there’s an alternative, so I toughed it out.) Also, you have to be really disciplined to incorporate a lot of these principles into your habits; it’s not like you read the book and you’re magically transformed into a great student (as I’m sure the creator would like to have you believe). Last drawback? Again, I’m not that into ebooks. I’d have preferred a different format . . . like a video course, or something more interactive.
To close, I would definitely recommend Get the Best Grades with the Least Amount of Effort. I won’t say it’s necessary to being a good student, however. Basically, it’s more a matter of how much work you want to put into streamlining your college studying experience. I know some fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants students who’ve made straight A’s, and also some really disciplined students who’ve struggled. I suggest you research your resources and use the tools that you feel best suit your circumstances . . . and keep this ebook on your list of options. It can’t hurt, but it may help.
