10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less)

As a Coordinator for Student Development classes at the community college level, I am hooked on Thomas Frank's approach! I have visited his website, CollegeInfoGeek.com, many times, and I have read this entire book! I think it is practical, relevant, and appealing to the target audience. A strength of his writing style is his no-nonsense approach infused with humor. Additionally, his knowledge of ed tech resources to assist students is incredible! The only downside to the book that I think is worth noting is that all of the suggestions should/could include concrete examples to truly illuminate the presented ideas. If not examples, links to videos or posts on his website that directly correlate would be quite helpful to today's students who thrive on modeling of and from others. Overall, this is totally worth it; I may even consider making it a required text in the courses! Way to go, Thomas!

This book changed my life. EVERY single step I implemented into my college career, and I am already seeing the results from my actions. Everything from planning ahead to simple group collaborations have made my college experience 10x easier... not even exaggerating. If there's ANY book you should read about how to be a better college student, it's this one. Why? Because Thomas Frank read SO many books to help HIMSELF, that he has just become a WEALTH of knowledge on a variety of topics, that will help you in EVERY aspect of your college career. THis book is a combination of all that knowledge. And he even references other amazing books that you can read too! Trust me... just read this book. You won't regret it. Plus it's an easy read because Thomas is really funny.

**This book was received for free by signing up for the newsletter!**

This book does a great job of covering common college best practices and has proved helpful over the first few weeks of my college career. I highly recommend reading it. It is an engaging weekend read and will help promote good habits.

Considering the wealth of information included, this is a very quick read. It's very concise and to the point, while still adequately detailing out the steps. The app and website recommendations are also great. I will probably continue to revisit this book throughout the semester.

Just as the title suggests, the author does not simply tell you the popular advice ' JUST STUDY AND YOU'LL GET GOOD GRADES'. Instead, He tackles all the little problem areas ( procrastination, distraction, study methods,ect...) and gives strategies to improve these habits. This book is a great guide for students starting college (...although some parts may still apply to others). I wish I had read it before freshman year but it will still be a good guide for me. I can still apply it during my two years left in college.

An amazing book that really goes into depth about the habits and tools needed to succeed. I recommend it to all of my friends who are still going through college and ask "How to be successful?" Not only does it go into depth about the skills needed to succeed in school, but the values it teaches (along with the tools it recommends) can be used for things like co-ops, internships, graduate school, professional life, and more! I highly commend Thomas for writing such a great book.

Also for those of you who are going to use the excuse it is too expensive (which it really isn't). There's also a free online version of it if you sign up for his website (quick search should bring it right up).

Good luck, students, and great book, Thomas!

I have to say, this author truly inspires me like no other authors. For those of you who don't know, he has a YouTube channel which I highly recommend you check out; especially if you are a student of academics or life. I subscribed to his YouTube channel (its free with no penalty) not too long from now and it has made a world of a difference. The content he covers is game changing, however, only if you apply it to your life. In this book, he has done just that. Thomas Frank has given you a guide for academic success which does not necessarily have to be followed from cover to cover. In fact, I simply chose a chapter which seemed useful; then actively applied that knowledge. What makes this book handy is that you don't need to memorize the whole thing, just understand the concepts and use it as a reference. The most important thing (which he talks about), is applying what you read. This book is more than just 10 steps, but a guide for college. Rest assured, Mr. Frank does not write in some form of esoteric, sophisticated, or even random style writing. In fact, the way he writes reminds me of the way I talk with my peers. Thus making the book that much more useful in daily life. Overall, you can not go wrong with purchasing this and I would most definitely recommend this to my family/friends to aid them in their studies.

I have been researching the areas covered by the author myself for sometime now and was impressed with the amount of information I was being exposed to for the first time. I found the app recommendations extremely helpful. I also recommend the Audible version of the book read by the author if you don't have time to read the book. You will have to check out the website to see the figures referenced.

I decided to read this book after I subscribed to Thomas Frank's youtube channel (CollegeInfoGeek). I have to say, I'm not disappointed at all.

I've been reading this book over the past couple of weeks, and it contains really solid advice. Thomas not only helps you by giving you study methods, but he also tells you how to implement the them into your life.

Another great thing about the book is that you can read it out of order. Whatever area you are having the most trouble with, tackle that section first, and then go to the other sections.

This book has really helped me create a work based mentality. I'm more willing to actually focus on my studying and responsibilities. Thomas provides a lot of really good quotes backed up with advice and study methods.

Overall, I love this book.

I really enjoyed this and especially loved Thomas's chatty writing style. I wouldn't say this is a groundbreaking book, rather it's a collation of lots of tidbits - some from other sources, some original - that was readable and practical. It was helpful in a way lots of 'fancier' books aren't.

As a perfectionist who has let my unrealistic high standards get in the way of success in the past, I found the discussion of perfectionism and the 'Motivation Equation' super helpful. It really helped me start to break down what's actually going on for me when I procrastinate (or avoid!) study as part of my perfectionism. I also loved the parts about high-thought intensity vs low-thought intensity work, and low-density vs high-density fun. This is stuff I kinda had a vague idea of, but having Thomas walk through it so clearly brought clarity to how I understand and, as a result, approach these areas of my life and study.

The little geek jokes splattered throughout the were fun and didn't feel forced or overdone to me. A criticism I have of a lot of books in this genre is that the author often spends way more time talking about themselves and providing (somewhat unbelievable!) examples rather than explaining what I need to do. That is, after all, why I'm reading a book like this! While Thomas uses himself and others as examples, it's done so effectively and in a way that supports the material. Basically, his story doesn't become the book, which I appreciate in a how-to.

I loved the book and would highly recommend for anyone struggling with perfectionism, motivation, direction and/or staying focused. There's even stuff in here to help with group projects, essay writing, and researching. Thomas also offers lots of recommendations for different programs to help with different aspects of study and life. I've downloaded a couple that seem to fit my needs and I look forward to trying them out. I look forward to reading anything else Thomas writes in the future.

Excellent read! This book takes the vague study advice that I have heard over the years, and breaks it down in a way that makes it more digestible and useful. I appreciated the note-taking and active reading chapters especially, as so many people just tell you to "take good notes, etc." without explaining how. Loved the way the book was organized as well. Thomas Frank helps you get down the basics (one of the most important parts of learning, I think,) while also offering some new insights that you might not have thought were important to optimizing your study time. Highly recommend!

As someone who teaches study skills and reading strategies, I believe this book helps to get the point across in a neat, organized fashion. Thomas Frank gives useful information for college students to work smarter and not necessarily harder. Some students do not know how to study, and this gives students the basics of doing so. He also offers good suggestions for apps for note taking and organization.

I downloaded the free (identical) version of this book from the collegeinfogeek website. If you're the kind of person who needs a real book in your hands, or wants to mark up the books you read, then spend the money for this one. The author has compiled a lot of good information for any student. As a non-traditional student returning to school, I wanted to brush up on my study skills before I start school next week. This book was extremely helpful, and I highly recommend it. Also, you should check out the author's website, as there are so many more resources available there.

Everything about this book is helpful! If you are a student in high school or college you need this book. I would have given a full five stars if the book included preparing for tests and dealing with test anxiety. Knowing Thomas, he probably reads every review and something will be in the works in the future. It is practical, concise, and easy to follow advice. Thank you Mr. Frank, keep up the good work!! Oh, and subscribe to his YouTube channel and check out his podcast.

This a solid book for anyone heading to school. I myself am heading back to college at age 46 and it has been over 20 years since I saw the insides of a classroom. I feel this book has prepared me to step right back in. I have been experimenting with the different note taking methods by listening to and watching Khan Academy videos as if I was in the classroom. The book is very well laid out and well written. I feel a lot more confident heading back to school after reading this book and practicing the techniques.

Thomas Frank does an amazing job of connecting with his audience, coming across as a regular person, having regular conversation about incredibly useful tips, tricks, and bits of advice. He makes what is daunting to many become more achievable and in reach than you perhaps believed before reading his book. I will suggest not only his book but his amazing web site [...] and his YouTube videos as sources of significant knowledge and study hacks for anyone ready to get serious about learning but do so with a competitive advantage.

Thomas' tips are actually really helpful and concrete. I like how he sets up the book by starting off with a foundation of habits good students have and how he builds up from that to actual study tips by the end of the book. I do wish he would have spent a little bit of time talking about how to approach hard science courses, but I guess the math section would pertain to science classes too. Spaced repetition was one take away that I really valued from this book. Additionally, he includes resources for the tech savvy and also keeps it basic for those who prefer pen and paper systems.

If ever you find yourself being eager to pull your stuff together and don't feel like reading tedious or complicated tombs on self-discipline, check this out! It's informal, informative and most of all written by someone who's really been through these things (at least that's what he's making us believe and I'm not going to lie, I'm convinced). Overall, a great helper in many ways, although the motivation can only nbe supplied yourself.
Plus, what other book has a hashtag #shotsfired?

I teach an academic skills course to freshmen and I absolutely LOVE Thomas Frank's resources. I've been using his videos/blog posts and following him on twitter for a couple of years, and this year I've incorporated the book. My students consistently respond positively to Frank's content and style (different than other resources I've put in front of them) and the material is heavily researched and rock-solid! I've been working with these topics for years and I've not found anything in his vast library that I'd dispute or eliminate or want to skip (not to say there's not SOMEthing, but I haven't run across it yet). This guy is the real deal and the book is as readable as his videos are watchable.

The book's is definitely not bad, especially those who really never took school seriously, however; I think it pretty much states everything you already know. For an example, do not procrastinate. We all know that procrastination obviously doesn't work out. Therefore, If you're looking for deeper information about particular tip or strategy, then this book isn't for you. If you are looking for an overall idea how to get good grades, then yes this book is perfect for you.

I found this book (as the free pdf download) while searching for books to help me improve my productivity in college. I have always been a good student but am also always looking for ways to be a better one and a more productivity person. This book is amazing in that regard but the best thing is Thomas Frank's website "College Info Geek" I have been so inspired by his writings and work. I would recommend his information to anyone, student or not!

I liked that this book contains all the essential tips for studying, especially for an IB student who procrastinates a lot. I also liked that this book was crystal clear and easy to understand. I would like to recommend this to anyone who struggles with time-management and procrastination.

I thought this was a fantastic book! It had great information on how to go about studying so you not only get more out of it but so you also save time. To be honest I stumbled onto this book accidentally and it was the best thing I did on my winter break. I absolutely love The College Info Geek Web page too so check it out

The book was really helpful, all the tips, as well as the recomended apps, they are actually really good. Also, my english is not even close to be perfect but the book is so well written that is easily understandable. The presentation/design of it is also a positive point.
For me, the worst part of the book is actually the title. "To steps to..."...When I tell people that I'm reading it they underestimate the book. But we shouldn't judge a book by is cover right?! xP
The book is really good and I highly recomend it.

I discovered Thomas Frank on YouTube and he has helped me quite a bit with a few of my personal pitfalls in the academic department. Like his online personality, this book is packed with nerdy and witty content, but most importantly it contains solid advice from someone who has excelled on the collegiate front. Excellent read that I will recommend to all college friends.
BONUS: free ebook download of this when you subscribe to his College Info Geek blog. Thomas Frank truly is the real MVP.

This is a fantastic book for any student who wishes to achieve awesome grades. It's definitely a book I have used to improve my daily life as a student and has shown me valuable lessons that I will be using whilst I'm a student. The author has a fantastic sense of humor and approaches the difficulties faced by students with some wit and useful tips. It makes reading the book much easier and although it is short compared to some books it really gets its points across efficiently and makes reading this very enjoyable. I would highly recommend all students to give this a read.

This book isn't only a "good read" - especially for advice which often reads dry and overly wordy - it's also very practical and easy to comprehend and apply. It's helpful for both students who are just starting out and people like me who already have some study experience but like to make their way through college easier and more successful.

So, I started reading this book before the semester ended and I'm being honest when I say it saved my ass. This book goes through techniques on how to study (such a Pomodoro), use notecards efficiently (maybe why I passed algebra 2 and comp 1), and several other techniques. Outside of maybe one or two spelling errors once and a while, it has to be one of the best written book on studying techniques have read. Something to supplement your study habits with among with the book are his YouTube videos and website articles.

What every student needs!
This book is very helpful, it has all what you need to do well in school and be better student while having an interesting life.
The book is simple, very organized, buy your copy and check it anytime you feel that you are not performing one the 10 steps very well.

Starting school in about a year. 32 year-old student returning for a second degree. Time for a fresh start with new healthy study habits and techniques. This is a great book for the struggling student or the straight-A student. I’ll be rereading as it offers too much information to possibly retain in one read. Excellent resource.

Read the book. It was a fantastic read from beginning to the end. While some things are common sense, it's when you place them in practice that make life so much more easier. Since I work and go to school at the same time, just having to plan out my days on the calendar takes away the worry from what's due or what time I go to work. I also began to write down any ideas that come my mind immediately. This allows me to analyze my thoughts more critically. I suggest this to everybody who wants to have more control of their lives.

Read the whole book and really liked it.
The writing style is humoristic and flowing and the info in the book itself really helped me.
One note though- this book is oriented mainly towards people in the american education system. Some of the stuff might not apply to you of you are a student outside of the USA (for example: i have no textbooks so some of the information about how to get the most out of your textbooks didn't apply to me).

This is an amazing book made my a college student! He covered all the steps needed to be a successful student in your post-education. If you are struggling with your grades, you should read this book. I'm sure he will give you all the advice, tips and even apps to support you!

This man knows exactly what you're thinking and all the excuses you're giving. He is insightful and inspiring, while giving background into how these methods work. Just as he mentions it is not easy, but with hard work awesome grades are possible. I have already started my semester with A's just by reading and using a few of these steps myself.

This book is absolutely brilliant! A succinct read with real and easy to implement advice that actually works! It was not monotonous like many improve your habits student books but surprisingly an entertaining book. I would recommend to anyone who is looking to improve their attitudes to schoolwork and work more efficiently. I hope Thomas Frank will release more books in the future as I really enjoyed his writing style and simplistic layout which ultimately left me feeling motivated to improve my everyday habits!

Read the whole book and really liked it.
The writing style is humoristic and flowing and the info in the book itself really helped me.
One note though- this book is oriented mainly towards people in the american education system. Some of the stuff might not apply to you of you are a student outside of the USA (for example: i have no textbooks so some of the information about how to get the most out of your textbooks didn't apply to me).

This is an amazing book made my a college student! He covered all the steps needed to be a successful student in your post-education. If you are struggling with your grades, you should read this book. I'm sure he will give you all the advice, tips and even apps to support you!

This man knows exactly what you're thinking and all the excuses you're giving. He is insightful and inspiring, while giving background into how these methods work. Just as he mentions it is not easy, but with hard work awesome grades are possible. I have already started my semester with A's just by reading and using a few of these steps myself.

This book is absolutely brilliant! A succinct read with real and easy to implement advice that actually works! It was not monotonous like many improve your habits student books but surprisingly an entertaining book. I would recommend to anyone who is looking to improve their attitudes to schoolwork and work more efficiently. I hope Thomas Frank will release more books in the future as I really enjoyed his writing style and simplistic layout which ultimately left me feeling motivated to improve my everyday habits!

The Quick and Dirty:
If you're considering getting this book and scrolling through these reviews, just pick it up already.

A Slightly Lengthier Review:
As a freshman, who admittedly, is still finding his bearings in college, Tom gives a fun and digestible guide to tackling what is otherwise a. So if you, like I, wanted to know how to fight procrastination or edit your next major paper, this is the book for you. I find that the tips and his explanations he provides are easily applicable to my own life. His advice is also pretty universal, no matter who you are and no matter your current stage in life. The relatively short length is also something that you can easily skim through if you find yourself too busy for a longer "self-improvement" book.

PS. Another thing I would suggest is subscribing to his Youtube channel under the same name. He releases new content weekly and it's always useful or offers me new insight.

Five years after my miserable attempt at college the first time, I've decided to give it another shot. Even though I've made a plan and know what direction I'm going, I'm still nervous I'll mess up like last time. But this book has a lot simple steps to make things just a bit easier. So, it may not cure any anxieties but it will give you tools to power through.

I received this book through Frank's newsletter, and I have to say it drastically changed my life. As a student, it's incredibly difficult for me to keep from procrastinating, and staying organized, and this book gives not only a process, but multiple variations of that process that all leads to the same end goal. I'd honestly recommend this for anyone in school, because it gives you a type of system to create to achieve your goal, no matter what type of student you are.

- Holy bananas pancakes !

I really really enjoyed this book!!!!!!

It's a short and well-structure book that give us some good tips and suggestions about how to get better grades, stay more organized, adquire some habits and, as a results, become a more productive student (and straight As).

The language is very dynamic and fluid like we're having a friendly conversation with the author (or watching his channel - sometimes, when I was reading, his voice popped up in my head like an audiobook), sometimes I've felt that I was talking with my NERD friends (I'm a little nerd too, so it's a compliment) specially with all those gamer's exemples and parallels made to emphasize some ideas and some(all)times, sarcasm, made me laugh out loud.

I'm not in college anymore (my major degrees in chemistry is about to happen in July), but I'll start to study by myself for post-graduation degrees, IELTS certification, and life goes on stuff, and that book also helped to view a plan to organize my schedule better, make plans and stay organized to achieve my goals.

I just think it should be bigger and with less links, and more visual and on page examples about what he is suggesting (I've owned the free edition - thank you very much, Thomas Frank - but I printed it to read, and in many pages I've got trilled to my phone again just to see some hiperlink, so, yes, even if the text format goes messy, that would be awesome!)

I've made a LOTS of notes and underlines, highlights, circles and every type of rubric available to point out important things in this book, so, now, I need to summarize and try to apply it :)

This book is extremely helpful, it's a quick read, well-structured and offers advice on different study-related topics.
It helped me to better organize my studytime, my studymethods and thus to study more efficiently while having more spare time.
I downloaded it for free on the authors website so I can't say it was worth the money, but it was definately worth the time I spent reading it!

As a student who excelled in High School, but who is struggling in College, the tips that Thomas gives in this book helped me adapt to the different mindset college studying requires. I loved that the book included several variations of the tips to suit all different types of learning styles. And with the added bonus of a lighthearted writing style peppered full of jokes and comical references this was a book that is definitely worth reading.

I just graduated from undergrad and I wished I had read this book while I was still in school. Though a lot of the material is common sense, simple and easy to follow. I personally think that is what made the book worth reading. It gives a sense of excitement and encouragement to want to be productive and get your life together. Also I highly recommend this book for college students who struggle with procrastination and disorganization.

Very focussed, brief and structured presentation. For me, as a student, it was easy to adopt the steps and convert them to habits. It has reduced my anxiety and created more time for me to include other activities (badminton and other sports activities). I am still going through the rest of the sections of the book.

Well written, insightful, and not afraid to address the basics! I read this in preparation for starting grad school off on the right foot and it really helped me take a deliberate approach to how I engage with classwork. A must-read for all students!!!

This book is fantastic! I'm a graduate student studying in the sciences and I've found this book to be really helpful in bettering my note taking and studying skills. I'll start off first by saying that my attention span, in regards to reading, isn't particularly the longest. I'm just not much of a fan of it. However, when I picked up this book, I could never seem to put it down. The author speaks in a way that's highly relatable and entertaining. Something that a lot of students actually need in a book designed to help them succeed. What makes reading this book even better is knowing that he's walked a whole mile in a college students shoes before. So he knows exactly how we feel and what's going through our minds as we sit in class. If you apply the methods he mentions in this book, I'm sure you'll do great as a student! I've already recommended it to a few of my friends.

Absolutely wonderful quick read with research backed and insightful tips. There is absolutely zero fluff. You'll be able to finish this book in less than two days and gain valuable information. I read the kindle version. Honestly, this book is worth reading, it combines research into an easy read and as an e book its super cheap! Good luck to all in their academia and careers.