School is hard and very stressful, sometimes we feel like we want to give up or that there is no point in doing our schoolwork because we don't feel motivated to, but I am here to tell you that your lazy school era is done. Maybe you’ve heard of the term academic weapons or not, but what exactly is an academic weapon? An academic weapon is a student who has straight A’s and is very productive. If there is one thing all students have in common is wanting good grades and to be better at school, becoming an academic weapon. Here is a guide to becoming an academic weapon and not dying in the process. 

The first step in becoming an absolute academic weapon is changing your mindset because it can make all the difference when it comes to academic success. Having a growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and abilities are a result of work and perseverance, thus this mindset empowers you to embrace challenges and grow as a student. This mindset is also key to understanding that failure is not the end, it is just a stepping stone towards success. Next up is creating a toolbox with effective skills that all students need. In said toolbox you need to have an effective note-taking method, effective doesn't necessarily mean pretty. You can try various note-taking methods like Cornell, mind maps, notion notes, iPad notes, or create your method, just make sure that it is the best way in which you retain information. 

Then we have time management skills. I know that managing time is not easy, especially when we have a ton of schoolwork, but that does not mean that we do not need to develop time management. The goal for this is to turn your workload into little piles of work, and also identify which time is better for you to study, that way you aren't losing time. Studying is the most important, yet boring, part of becoming an academic weapon, so you can try various study techniques like spaced repetition, active recall, flashcards, and rewriting your notes, among others. 

However the most important part of becoming an absolute academic weapon is to have a healthy lifestyle, which means getting (realistically speaking) at least 6 and a half hours of sleep, also start eating healthier, exercising, and most importantly giving yourself a break. Dealing with school and personal issues at a time is very stressful and generates tons of anxiety, which elevates your cortisol levels, which can have multiple serious effects on your health. Academic weapons also need to be rented, so make the time to read, paint, or develop a new hobby, something that you are doing for yourself not because you have to but because you want to. 

Finally, I am going to list some  resources that all academic weapons should know about: 

• Notion(free): an all-in-one workspace in which you can take notes, and organize your assignments and courses. 

• Goodnotes(paid): best note-taking app

• Collanote (free): the best alternative for good notes

• Save my exams for IB students (paid): has multiple IB subjects HL and Sl with topic questions and revision notes 

• Quizlet (free): makes digital flashcards 

Sophia Alzate 11B