The Secrets of Top Students: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Acing High School and College

Stefanie Weisman was a top student all her life, graduating number one in her class from both Stuyvesant High School and Columbia University. But it wasn't because she was a "natural" or smarter than everyone else -- in fact, she succeeded as a student in spite of an undiagnosed learning disability. What she gradually realized was that her classmates were making mistakes, and lots of them.

The Secrets of Top Students is a conversational, down-to-earth guide for high school and college students on how to maximize their learning and get the grades they want. It is full of innovative tips from Weisman and 45 other top students -- including Rhodes scholars, Goldwater scholars, Fulbright award winners, college valedictorians, Intel Science Fair finalists, a National Spelling Bee champion, and more -- that not only work but have received little or no attention in other books. The Secrets of Top Students will appeal to students of all levels, providing them with the advice they need from a voice they can trust.

The Secrets of Top Students includes tips and techniques that every student should know. For example:

• What is the first thing you should do when taking a math test?
• What is an often overlooked place for coming up with a thesis?
• How can you use mantras to get better grades?
• What music should you listen to while studying?
• Should you bring your laptop to class?
• Why is it bad to be a perfectionist?
• What motivates top students to achieve academic success?
• What foods should you eat to boost your brainpower?
• How can sleep, diet, and exercise affect your GPA?
• How much do top students really study?
• What are the Top 50 Tips for acing exams?
• How can you take killer notes?
• What are three game-changing learning techniques?
• And much, much more.

Weisman's book is unique for a number of reasons:

As the number one student in both high school and college, she has firsthand knowledge of how to excel in school.

She has degrees in subjects as varied as computer science, history, and art history.  Her broad experience in science and math, as well as the humanities, led her to include sections on how to survive STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), how to ace homework and tests in these subjects, and more. 

Her survey of forty-five other outstanding students provides unique insight into what it takes to succeed academically. 

Weisman received her latest degree in 2011, so she pays special attention to the pros and cons of technology in the classroom.

Weisman's holistic view of academic excellence has led her to include sections on the mind-body connection (diet, nutrition, and exercise), how much students should study, and how to get and stay motivated.  She also discusses how students can incorporate the latest research on education and learning into their everyday study habits.

Her book includes techniques that work for both high school and college students.  In high school, students should be learning skills that are transferable to college.  For those in college now, it's not too late to learn good study skills or improve on the ones they already have.  Plus, a lot of high schools these days are just as hard as college, if not harder!

The Secrets of Top Students includes the following chapters:
Chapter 1: What's My Motivation?
Chapter 2: Time Management 101
Chapter 3: The Mind-Body Connection
Chapter 4: How to Play the Game (Navigating Academia)
Chapter 5: In the Classroom
Chapter 6: Learning to Read (Again)
Chapter 7: Honing Your Homework Skills
Chapter 8: How to Write a Paper
Chapter 9: Getting Ready for the Test
Chapter 10: The Art of Taking Tests