4 Helpful Tips on How To Ace In The Subjects You Dislike (Advice From A Senior)

Written by
Megan

You know that itā€™s about time that you start bucking up for one of your subjects, but you feel unmotivated and absolutely dreadful of it. Sounds familiar? 

I, too, had my fair share of subjects that I had a strong disinterest in. Although we may think that some subjects we take are ā€˜uselessā€™, there is a reason for its existence. To put things in perspective, the subjects that you are taking now are important in shaping a holistic and complete education for yourself. So, instead of being pessimistic about certain subjects, why not make the most of our experience in school, and give it our all? 

With some open-mindedness and these 4 helpful tips, perhaps we can look beyond the downsides of what weā€™re studying and grow to enjoy the learning process a bit better!

1. Change Your Attitude

As the saying goes, everything is difficult before it is easy. Bearing an open mind and an optimistic attitude towards every subject you take is a critical step towards understanding it better. By putting aside your disinterest in the subject and trying to be more receptive, we can slowly gain valuable lessons to what the subject has to offer.

I think a good start would be to do a bit of self-reflection and ask yourself why youā€™re studying that subject.

One of the helpful tips to ace subjects that you dislike is to control your attitude, behaviour, action and effort.

Although studying can be very mundane and be viewed as simply a means to an end, I have always believed in making the best use of the time you spend ā€“ to go beyond doing something for the sake of it, and to understand the significance of what youā€™re doing. As such, try to dig deeper into understanding the importance of what youā€™re doing and perhaps, you can start to like the subject a little more!

2. Devote Time To Studying It

Admittedly, one of my biggest regrets in JC was not putting equal effort for all my subjects. Consequently, this led to me attaining very uneven grades ā€“ where I performed really well for subjects I liked (attaining 80-100th percentile in school) but I also scored horribly for those I disliked (0-20th percentile). However, in retrospect, this was an extremely unwise decision as all my subjects had equal weightage in the calculation of my rank points during the A-Levels, and were of equal importance  

We generally dislike the subjects that weā€™re not ā€˜goodā€™ at. In order to overcome this, I strongly advise you to try to get over the mental block you have against that particular subject by dedicating time out of your daily schedule, no matter how little, to study it. It is only through practice that one can start seeing improvements in their performance, and be encouraged to do better the next time around. Even if this doesnā€™t apply to you, it is still important to bear in mind that your performance of this subject ultimately affects your A-Levels results, and thus, crucial that you devote time into studying it.Ā 

3. Consult

I, personally, understand how dreadful seeking consultation for a subject that you have no liking towards is. But, after reflecting on my JC journey, I wished I had sought clarifications for my doubts before they snowballed in time to come. 

With how tight and critical time is in JC, looking for additional help in work from your teachers and peers becomes ever so pertinent. When I was in J1, I had the mindset that I had sufficient time to start catching up in J2, but I could not be further away from the truth. J2 life is already hectic on its own, and trying to add on the task of re-learning some J1 stuff made the process even more unbearable. As such, always consult your teachers or tutors if you ever need help; the learning process will become smoother eventually!!!

4. Study With Your Friends

Most importantly, know that youā€™re not struggling alone. The pursuit of academic excellence may be an isolating one, but it doesnā€™t have to be! 

Studying with your friends will not only make the learning experience a more encouraging one, but it can also help you retain knowledge you have learnt better! Reinforce your learning and understanding by testing each other or even exchanging studying materials! For me, the most (and probably only) enjoyable part of A-Levels was the fact that I studied with my friends quite frequently, where we all struggled and overcame our difficulties in school together.

helpful tips 4 Helpful Tips on How To Ace In The Subjects You Dislike (Advice From A Senior)

Conclusion

All in all, I hope that some of these tips can help you with tackling subjects that you donā€™t really like! We all have our fair shares of struggles here and there, but itā€™s also pertinent to bear in mind that things are always difficult before itā€™s easy. Push on, be open-minded to every challenge you face, and maybe, youā€™ll grow to enjoy the subject a little more! šŸ˜Š

Published: 2nd August 2023
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