School, in particular Loyola Academy, can be stressful but if you follow some of these steps, it can lead you to being a successful student.

It is easy to think that being a good student can be nearly unachievable, especially if you want to do extra curricular activities, take more challenging classes, or still have social weekends. But, that is far from the truth. There are many examples and explanations to prove that is not true.

“Everyone is smart” says O’Shaughnessy teacher Ms. Dowdle. What she means by this is, no matter your weaknesses, your goals in your academics are achievable. Dowdle teaches freshman and sophomores learning skills to help them excel in school.

The first step and biggest strategy to being a successful student is, “there is nothing they can never not learn.” She has seen students believe that just showing up to class or looking over their notes the night before a test will do them justice. In some cases this may work, but in the long run it will lead to results that are not satisfying.

The second step, and Dowdle’s most important learning skill, is to study over long durations of time. Learning the material recently covered in class the night after will more likely be remembered for a longer period of time rather than just looking it over the night before.

She says “holding yourself accountable, quizzing and testing yourself regularly, well, that’s how learning happens.” Classes move at a fast pace and materials can build up, so she believes this is the most efficient way to succeed at Loyola.

Avery Miller is a senior at Loyola Academy. She is the definition of an outstanding student. She has taken all honors classes since freshman year and sprinkled in a few AP classes, is part of the Live Like John Brain Cancer student foundation board, serves as captain of the varsity hockey team, is president of the Torch Club, has played field hockey from freshman to junior year, has a job and so much more. She has known since freshman year, her workload was going to be much more intimidating than her middle school years.

The third step, and Avery’s most notable way to succeed at Loyola is constantly writing down the work in a planner. She keeps a weeklong calendar and charts how long each homework assignment will take. She plans out when to use her free periods and sets reminders for big projects that might creep up on her.
She always plans to do work ahead of time since she is managing a vast variety of different activities in her life.

Avery has always been known as smart so she says, “it was hard for me to ask for help when I was struggling.”

The fourth and final step is being able to ask for help. Because of the hard curriculum at Loyola, she had to ask to meet with teachers and outside tutors, or come up with new study strategies. She said it was hard to transition into high school because Loyola uses a new teaching method that she was not familiar with. Sometimes this led to “a mental block, where you struggle to believe in yourself as a student after a few bumps in the road.”

Avery speaks about how lucky and fortunate she was to receive tutors but also raves about how much extra help Loyola Academy offers. She was confident in saying, “The teachers are always there to help you put your best foot forward” and there are student peer tutors available during free periods and after school.

Overall the best way to succeed as a student at Loyola Academy is to believe in yourself, study ahead of time, plan out your work, stay disciplined on learning the material outside of class, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

These skills can not only help you succeed at Loyola “but succeed in life” according to Ms. Dowdle.