Reader:

Our dear astronaut is a Benson student we have sent into space for… research purposes. He will take a quick orbit, and then pop back down in time for graduation. In the meantime, he’s more than happy to write back to any letters sent to him, asking for advice. You don’t get to space without learning a thing or two. If you have an issue you need solved, write to him here!

Hi! I have a friend who has been very stressed about keeping their 4.0 GPA… But they never learned how to study. I know I and many of my peers also haven’t learnt to study. Do you have any tips?

Thanks!

– Stressed’s friend

Dear Stressed’s friend,

It’s always hard to see a friend in a tough situation. And what’s tougher than having a 4.0 GPA? There’s nowhere for your grade to go but down! Lucky for you (or I should say “lucky for your friend”), I have a lot to say about studying! Sadly (or maybe not so sadly), I don’t want to type out a ten page response. Which brings us to our first tip: don’t do extra work. Forgoing sleep to reread the entire textbook isn’t going to help you on tomorrow’s test. Focus on areas that you’re struggling with, or don’t understand. Tip two: ask for help! If you aren’t 100% on a topic, ask a teacher, or smart friend to explain it to you. Everyone has a “smart friend” in their friend group. And if you still don’t understand, ask them to re-explain it in a different way! The entire way people learn is through engagement. Which brings us to our final tip: make it engaging. Don’t just flip through flashcards (if that works for you, go for it, but I would rather go in blind than suffer through flashcards); if you have a math test, run through practice problems, if you have a test on poetry write poems! If you’re one of those sad souls in APUSH, I’m praying for you. But, you could try to spice it up instead of rote memorization: maybe role play? TO WRAP IT ALL UP (my hand is starting to cramp): study in a “hands on” creative way, ask lots of questions, and don’t feel like you need to go over a semester’s worth of material in under a semester.

Sincerely,

– The Astro

P.S.
Update: Someone did in fact tamper with the fuel supply, but it wasn’t with the labels. Even nicer one guys. Now I’m stuck up here. Good thing I have this emergency HAM radio (and these letters). A pick-up team should be here aaaaany minute now.