8 Essential Strategies for Academic Success

Please note that this book comes in a downloadable format only - once purchased, you can find it in the Downloads section of your My Account section when logged in.

Do you know a student who can use some help improving his or her performance in school?

Then you might have him or her read 8 Essential Strategies for Academic Success, a book that I wrote in the summer of 2005.

This practical and concise study guide brings together all of the lessons that I learned during my years as a student on how to be an effective learner, and how to get the highest grades possible in school.

At the risk of being immodest, I believe that this is a jewel of a book that can make a huge difference for many struggling students out there, as well as for students who are doing relatively well, but are looking for some key strategies that can take them to the next level of academic success and keep them there.

In fact, I'm so confident in the effectiveness of the strategies in this book that I invite students to give it a try - a good, solid, earnest try - for up to a year, and if there isn't a significant difference in academic performance within a year's time, I'll provide a full refund, no questions asked.

Specifically, this book will teach you how to:

• Learn new subjects with such clarity that you'll remember them for years

• Get more done in one 30-minute session than many students get done in several hours

• Use optimal nutrition to dramatically boost your brain power

• Become highly skilled at preparing for and writing exams

• Complete top-notch writing assignments with amazing efficiency

• And plenty more priceless study tips that just aren't taught in school

How This Book Came To Be

After working my tail off and getting average grades during my undergraduate years at the University of Toronto, I knew that my grades reflected the sad truth that I just hadn't gained a solid understanding of the subjects that were taught in my courses. All I had become a master of was logging several hours at the library each night, reading my textbooks while my mind was elsewhere, and writing piles of beautiful notes that I didn't fully understand.

After some very frustrating undergraduate years, I was determined to turn things around with my graduate studies.

Before I left home to attend chiropractic school in the suburbs of Chicago, I spent an entire week reflecting on my approach to studying and thinking about what I had to do to become a more effective student.

I ended up writing a detailed, step-by-step plan that I hoped would allow me to truly master new subjects for the long term, one that would allow me to avoid all of the mistakes that I had made throughout high school and at U of T.

To make a long story short, my carefully designed study plan was a smashing success. I carried a near-perfect academic record throughout the four-year program while working 20 hours per week to pay my way through school.

But more importantly, my new approach to studying allowed me to learn new subjects with a level of clarity and understanding that made me feel like I owned these subjects for the long term. I had very little need for notes because the material was so clear and fresh in my mind. Even today, more than two decades after I first applied these strategies to my studies, I remember the details of many of my graduate-level courses well enough to teach them.

Here's a brief look at the 8 essential strategies that I used to change the momentum of my academic career for the better:

Strategy Number 1: How to learn new subjects so that you understand and remember them for the long term

Strategy Number 2: How to stay physically fresh and clear minded during study sessions

Strategy Number 3: How to choose the best time to study and absorb new information

Strategy Number 4: How to save countless hours by getting the most out of each class

Strategy Number 5: How to become highly skilled at taking exams

Strategy Number 6: How to become an effective and efficient writer

Strategy Number 7: How to foster the right teacher-student relationship

Strategy Number 8: How to use optimal nutrition to boost your brain power and learning capacity

I originally wrote the outline for this book for my children to use when they reach an appropriate age. The last thing I want is for them to struggle like I did during my undergraduate years, logging numerous hours at their desks, but not making good use of those hours.

With these strategies available to them, I'm confident that they will enjoy studying and learning a lot more than I did during my earlier years. I'm also confident that these strategies will allow them to perform at a level that will give them numerous opportunities to fully explore their interests, opportunities that are less likely to be available if they don't develop confidence in their learning abilities.

For those of you who plan on giving this book to a student as a gift, please be fully aware that it will only be as useful as the student's desire to become an effective learner and to do well in school. I'm quite certain that those students who are earnestly looking for help with their academic careers will find the strategies in this book to be priceless.

And don't forget, if you find that application of the strategies in this book don't lead to a significant improvement in academic performance - as judged by you - I'll provide a full refund. All I ask is that you try your best to apply the principles in this book for a year.

Finally, please note that I have written this book to be as practical and to the point as possible. It is a total of 65 pages and can be read by many students within a few hours.

I look forward to hearing from students who use the strategies in this book - I trust that these strategies will be just as effective for them as they have been for me.

Here's a look at the back cover of 8 Essential Strategies for Academic Success:

Please note: While this book is most relevant to high school and college/university students, it can definitely be used by junior high and elementary school students to establish a solid foundation of study habits that will serve them well in the years to come.

This is a downloadable e-book, which means that after purchasing it at our natural health shop, you can access it on your computer within minutes by going to the Downloads section of your My Account area once logged in.