…Your academic gas tank is running empty, and you’re not motivated to ace your exams.

…You hate to get up in the morning to report to class, or hate to go to school after a long day of work.

…You study just enough to get a passing grade and you really don’t care.

…You find yourself waiting till the last minute to do assignments, study for exams, and write papers.

…You have a mental tattoo that reads “Complacency is Cool” and it shows daily.

If you are a high school student, college student, adult student, online student, or “off for a while” student and the above sounds like you, you are most like dealing with APATHY.  Today, I have a few suggestions for you.

Six Definitions That Indicate You Are Dealing with Apathy

1. Apathy is when you lack EMOTION.
2. Apathy is when you lack MOTIVATION.
3. Apathy is when you lack ENTHUSIASM
4. Apathy is the state of not CARING.
5. Apathy is the state of not WANTING TO KNOW.
6. Apathy is when you are satisfied with COMPLACENCY.

I Dealt With This In School Also, You Are Not Alone

While in graduate school at Lehigh University, pursuing my first Master’s degree in Polymer Science and Engineering, “Apathy” was the middle initial in my name “Kantis A. Simmons”

Attending a school in a slow paced city like Bethlehem, Pennsylvania felt like the wilderness that Jesus was in. Even though Jesus was there for only 40 days, I was there for two years. It was so *wack* there, well at least before I overcame the stress and depression caused by apathy.

I would watch hours of TV, when I should have been in the laboratory working on my thesis. When it was time to read books and scientific journals, I found myself reading sport magazines; this lead to a few weeks of poor results on test, headaches, and weeks of sluggishness. Now this was probably duplicated when I was in high school or even in undergraduate school, but I found a way to constantly pull myself out of the “rut”

Here Are 7.25 Actions I Did to Overcome Apathy as a Student, and YOU Can Too.

1 – Do Something. When you find yourself not wanting to do anything, do something. Pick up a book, take yourself out on the town, go hang with a good friend, color in a coloring book, or go have a super fun day,

2 – Sketch a Picture of Yourself. Whip out a piece of paper and sketch how you look, and in most cases the image on the piece a paper will be either how you want to look, funny and make u smile, or disgust you on how you presently look. The feelings generated from this picture will help you realize how you actually envision yourself.  As a result it will paint for you an internal image of your mindset.  “Before you can go forward in life, you must identify where you are.”

3 – Re-identify or Identify Your Academic Goals. Take some time to assess why you are in school, and what kind of G.P.A. you want to accomplish. Make sure your goals are written, present, personal, and positive. If you need help writing goals or want to know more about setting Academic Goals check this out.

4 – Craft a Clear Vision. When you don’t have a clear vision on something, life can be cloudy. Take some time to write a vision statement of your life purpose. It will help you stay on track. Here’s my vision:

I Kantis Simmons strive to be the leader in information publishing that changes the mindset, attitude, actions and life habits of students and professionals by developing and presenting resources (seeds) to help them understand their unique and customized purpose and be thoroughly equipped to carry it out in the earth – thus making their lives, their families and their call fruitful.

5 – Hang Out With New Friends. Look in your cell phone, look at your classmates, look at your text buddies, look at your close internet friends. Who’s Bringing You down? Who’s devaluing you? Find some new eagles, and fly with them.  Friend Me on Facebook or Twitter, I’m an Eagle. I would love to become your friend, so connect with me or email me at kantis (at) playingyouragame.com

6 – Take Your Failures and Turn Them Into Successes. Think of a few failures you have had in this school term thus far. How can you re-frame those into positive experiences? What did you learn from those experiences that can help you avoid further issues?

7 – Find Someone Who’s Less Fortunate Than You Are. There are many people who would love to be where you are right now. Look around and discover just how blessed you are. No matter what your situation, there is something good that you can be thankful for. Don’t have a “Pity Party” – have a “Praise Party”. Praise all those who have helped you get to where you are today. Send them an email or handwritten postcard to simply say thank you. This would make you feel so good.

7. 25 – Get Off Your Rear End. Like my high school baseball coach would say; “Get the Lead Out Your Butt Kantis” I’m not meaning to be offensive, I’m just telling you what he told me (and it worked). Realize that where you are right now is not your final destination, but it is a point on the path. Keep your left foot continuously moving in front of your right, and run towards your goals. You can do it my friend!

Apathy is nothing to hold on to. If not dealt with, it can lead to stress, depression, defeat, or even suicide. I hope this article was helpful for you, and I realize that we all have our down moments, so I would love to hear what you do to refuel and motivate your self. Leave me your suggestions below

Apathy is not only experienced by students, but it is also experienced by teachers, parents, and professionals in the work place. So, don’t keep this article a secret, share it with some deserving student or parent.

A Recommended Resource => Stay Motivated, Remain Focused, and Succeed in School & Life

“There’s only one Game in life that Counts, and That’s Your “A” Game.” – Kantis Simmons

When you think about achieving ACADEMIC SUCCESS, you must think about setting and achieving ACADEMIC GOALS.

Achieving SUCCESS EQUALS setting and achieving GOALS.

You cannot achieve success without working towards something that is measurable, memorable and attainable. Goals allow you to gauge when you have achieved success.

During my sophomore year of college, I received a 4.0 GPA. How did I achieve academic success that year?  I learned the power of setting academic goals. Because I set this goal, I had to develop various academic survival skills like taking notes, studying for exams, and knowing how to listen in class. I had to change specific academic and social habits in order to achieve success.  I changed my study habits, my sleeping patterns and even my dating routine  – yes “girls” had to take the back seat.

I achieved academic success that year because I set an academic goal and this goal became the motor (or motive) behind how I functioned as a student and today you can do the same. What I mean is this…

By establishing academic goals that are PRESENT, POSITIVE, and PERSONAL, all the required academic survival skills of listening in class, taking great notes, class participation, etc. will become the needed actions to support the goal you have initially set for yourself. They become the action steps required to achieve your goals.

Do you have goals? What is it that you want to accomplish in school? What is it that you want to accomplish in life? What do you consider to be successful? How do you measure the success of a good school year?

Now what are you willing to adjust for your goals? My favorite book, the Bible says, “Where there is no vision the people perish” and it also says “write the vision and make it plain, so that all who see it can run with it”.  Your goals are your vision. And your vision helps you focus on the final destination. Your goals are like the final destination on MapQuest.

To clarify setting academic goals and accomplishing them, here are 7.25 things to consider in your goal setting program.

1. Your academic goals must be personal.

What do YOU really want to accomplish? What is it that YOU desire in school? What do YOU desire from your social activities? What do YOU desire for your life? Not what someone else wants you to desire.

2. Your academic goals must not contradict any of your other goals.

Your goals must coincide in what is realistically possible. It is unrealistic to set this goal, “I have an overall 4.0 GPA, when I graduate from school” if you have already completed a few semesters with a 2.5 GPA. Mathematically there is no way to accomplish this goal. Setting unrealistic goals is setting realistic failure.

3. You academic goals must be specific.

Develop goals that are measurable; ones that can be reported and charted over time. Here’s an example: “I read two books a month that are non-school related.”

4. Your academic goals must be positive.

Positive goals help your subconscious carry out the goals stated. Your mind and subconscious should only interpret positives. Words like “not”, “never”, or “no” should be erased so your subconscious can produce the wisdom to carry out only positive goals.  Rather than saying, “I will NOT fail this test” say “I  make a minimum of 90% on this exam.”

5. Your academic goals must be set high, but reachable.

There’s a famous quote that says, “If you shoot for the moon and miss, you will still land amongst the stars.”  Set your goals really high, so that it forces you and stretches you to do better.

6.  Your academic goals must be present-tense.

Set goals in the present tense. Past-tense and future-tense goals cause your mind to think in the past and the future.  This keeps your goals locked in the past and in the future. Set goals that are present where your subconscious can work as if the goal is already achieved. “As a man thinks so is he”. Think positive, personal, and present.

7. Your academic goals must be clearly written.

Using the notes above, make sure you specify your goals on paper. Write them down legibly. Studies have shown that people who write goals are 50-80% closer to attaining them than those who don’t have them written down.

7.25. Your academic goals must be connected with practical actions.

For every goal you set, identify some practical things that you can do everyday to help you obtain that goal. If you set a goal like the one above, to make 90% on the test, then you must have an action plan.  To obtain this goal, actions like spending two hours a day studying, visiting your teacher once a week, reading other books on the subject matter and working extra subject problems. These are the actions to your goals.

Goal Setting and Goal Achieving is the hidden secret to the world’s most successful people. By applying the above, you have the keys to accomplish whatever you desire out of your academic career and your future life endeavors.

After watching the 2009 NFL Superbowl, between the football Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, there was one thing common amongst all those involved. This one thing, is what causes the greatest champions to spend hours, days, and years in the weight room, studying film, and practicing day in and day out.

With the Superbowl being an event that most NFL athletes look forward to their entire career, there was something that was consistent among all the participants. PREPARATION!

Preparation, practice, development, training, mentoring, rehearsing, and repetition all have come before great opportunities. But when opportunities do arrive, are you prepared?

Preparation is the pre-requisite for being an “A” student.  Preparation is the pre-requirement of all champions. In music, business, academics, and even professional speaking, you must log time in preparing.

View the above video, to give a simple note on how to make the most of every opportunity.

“If you live and stay prepared, you will never miss a beat.” – Kantis Simmons

If you are not able to view the above video, then you can also view it on  youtube, blip, google,

If you think about most of your day, the majority of your time is  spent listening. Listening to your professor…listening to a lecture… and listening to the class conversation. Listening consumes most, if not all, of your day in the classroom.

So how effective are your listening skills? For more infor about visit: http://playingyouragame.com/listening-skills

I just recently shot a crazy video, giving you a sneek peak on some of the things I listen to:

If you can not see the above video, you can also see it on youtube, vimeo, or blip.

Then with disgust, she mentions that while she was taking her test she heard two students talking during her final exams. She looked at them, but could not understand a word they were saying – they were speaking another language.

As she sat there, another student too witnessed these two men talking during the final exams. What were they talking about at this crucial time? They were cheating!

Should they turn these  students in or should they let this pass?

“Tell or don’t tell? That is the question!

In my first year at Georgia Institute of Technology, I came to better understand the importance of honor.  There was a situation that took place during my first semester that I had never experienced before. I was taking an engineering test in a class made up primarily of international students. The professor was not present. During the exam, I heard a foreign language spoken in the classroom. To this day, I have no idea what was said, but I know there should not have been any talking during the test. I assumed that a few students were cheating, but I blocked the thought out of my head.  Unfortunately it happened again during another test, except this time I heard papers being passed around. Despite the evidence, I again let the situation slide. 

When it happened a third time, I wrote an unsigned letter to the department head and to all the professors of the classes in which I believed the students were cheating.  In my letter I expressed my observations during each test session. I specifically mentioned each instance I felt the students were cheating.  I expressed my belief that these actions were unfair to other students and that a flagrant violation to the honor code tookplace that required an investigation and possible disciplinary action. 

After a few days, the professor returned the exams and made a public comment about the letter in which I had written. He went on to express that the institution held the Honor Code in the highest regard and required that all students abide by it. In addition, the professor stated that students who were witnesses to cheating were required to report what they had observed. 

I knew about the first part of the code, but not the latter. The professor suggested that the “disturbed graduate student” come and see him to discuss the matter personally with him; thereafter, he would investigate the situation. I met with him after class in his office, and he explained to me my part of the honor code; to report violations by confronting the student personally or informing the professor of the alleged infraction. When he had finished speaking, I told him of my observations. 

After two semesters of investigating and keeping a thorough watch on the alleged violators, these students were caught red-handed. The professors finally realized that what I had observed and reported was obviously true. 

Is cheating something that you witness, but don’t say anything? Do you let it pass like so many do?

I encourage you to walk in honor, even if situational ethics say it is okay to “sneak a peek” or plagiarize something. 

Honor is doing what’s right when no one is looking. Honor is directly related to one’s character. It defines who you are, when you are all alone without any classmates or supervision. So what does your character say about you? Are you the student that occassionally goes the extra mile to get the anwers for the test from your peers. Or are you the student that spends time writing the answers to the exam on the palm of your hand? Maybe you are the “techie” cheater, who knows how to program the answers and study notes in your cell phone or scientific calculator?  If you are one of the above, I encourage you today to cut the nonsense out. Stop living a dishonorable life, and make a decision today to walk in integrity. “God don’t like ugly” is what my elders use to say.

PS: My friend, did the honorable thing. She notified her teacher by writing a huge note to her professor ON HER EXAM. 

So what will you do? Tell or Don’t Tell?  Let me know what you think about this?

1. Ask the Instructor.

When preparing for test be aggressive and ask the instructor what to expect. Ask questions like… “What material will be covered?” What should you concentrate on?”, “Will the test be objective or essay?”

2. Look up past copies of exams or quizzes.

Take the time to search out old exams if they are available in the library. Also check with other students who took the class the previous year or semester. These tests can give you an idea of what your exam may be like. Use them as a study tool, but don’t rely heavily on them.

3. Predict.

Try to predict test questions beforehand. Prepare answers to those questions, and use it as another study preparation tool.

4. Review your notes.

Schedule time to go back and review all your notes and highlighted sections of your text again. Don’t try to re-read the entire text, but review the most important information.

5. Get in the bed

Get a good night’s sleep every single day of the test week. Rest gives the brain and body time to rejuvenate and Play its “A” Game, but most importantly it gives your mind time to digest your studies.

6. Eat lightly.

Along with eating lightly before an exam, also do some non-strenuous exercise before the exam.

7. Make up your own test.

Put yourself in the shoes of your professor, and make up your own tests. After making up a mock test, spend time answering all the questions from your mock test. This will give you the opportunity to get into test-taking mode and allow you to review the most important information.

7.25  Approach the Test with Confidence

If you put in the preparation, believe that you can succeed. The #1 downfall of  most students is self-doubt, thus leading to a lack of confidence. Therefore after putting in the proper preparation, don’t allow your internal ipod to speak doubt and failure. But  walk in confidence, speak confidently,abd approach the test with confidence. You CAN ace all your tests.

When you talk about SUCCESS, you have to talk about GOALS.

When you speak of Academic SUCCESS, you must talk about Academic GOALS.

SUCCESS IS GOALS

[AUDIO]  “Goal Setting as a Student” by Kantis Simmons

You cannot have success without having something that is measurable, memorable and achievable. So you have to have goals in place to know when you have been a success at something.

Developing various academic survival skills as a student is really really important, however this survival skill of setting and achieving your goals is the motor (or motive) behind all the other skills. What I mean is this…

If you can establish a academic goal that is PRESENT, POSITIVE,  and PERSONAL as a student, then all the action survival skills of listening in class, taking great notes, class participation, and the others will support the goal you have initially set for yourself. They become the action steps required to achieve your set goals.

BUT DO YOU HAVE GOALS??

Today I have posted a small audio where I go into more detail about goal setting and how you can use it to achieve good grades, money for school, college acceptance or whatever you desire as a student.

After listening to the below academic success skill, be bold and let me know what is the one biggest thing you want to achieve academically. Post in the comments below.

[AUDIO] “Goal Setting as a Student” by Kantis Simmons

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Kantis Simmons is America’s #1 Academic Success Coach, where he uses his no-nonsense “7.25 Secrets” to “wow” educators, parents, students via speaking programs and information products. Acclaimed for receiving three advanced scientific degrees and more than $400,000 in scholarship money, this former NASA employee and Olympic Drum major encourages everyone he comes in contact with to Play their “A” Game.

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Get Secrets on Academic Success and College success

I often wonder, what I can do every month to improve the livelihood and quality of every student I come in contact with.

Just the other day, while waiting to board a flight to New Jersey I sat next to a college student. As we both played with our Apple laptops, and both with ear plugs in our ear I said to myself…“I wonder if he is playing his ‘A’ game in school?” Now I assumed he was a college student, because he wore a bold sweat shirt with a school’s name on it.

With a nosiness about me, I asked, “do you attend the University on your sweatshirt?” With a relieved look of breaking the silence, he nodded “yes”. I introduced myself and gave him some “dap” and the universal “wsup Nod”. We began chatting about his first year of school.

Being from Texas and going to school in upstate New York, he commented that his biggest challenge was managing academics and football. Playing on a team with as 3-8 record  as a freshman wide receiver, he had more than football issues. He had challenges adjusting to being a football scholar, working with his coaches (who are rumored to being fired) and living so far from home.

From his soft voice, you can tell that he was not pleased with his all around first semester performance. I sat there and listened as he spoke about grades, studying, his major, time and being physically exhausted for the football season.

But there is still hope……

As I was packing my things listening to him to board my plane, I simply said this to him.

If you want to be GREAT, then hang with GREAT people.

If you want to be the BEST, then find out what the best do and learn from them.

The scripture in Proverbs says it this way, “He who hangs with wise men, shall be wise, but a companion of fools, shall be destroyed.”

In academics, in business, in sports and in any aspect of life, you must find someone greater and learn from their failures and successes.

It is said that you are the average of the five people you associate with the most. Your GPA is probably the average of the five colleagues you hang with the most. Your salary is probably the
average of the five people you associate with the most.

Does your posse suck ?

That’s the question I want to leave with you. I challenge you to upgrade every area of your life by strategically examining your posse.

Here’s the Gameplan for you:

Make a detail list of the circle of 5 friends/associates/mentors who will best position you for your “A” Game. Who in your group of 5 do you need to cut, and who do u need to add?

Right or Wrong College Major? 5 Signs its Time to Change from Kantis Simmons on Vimeo. 

(if you can’t see above video)

Ever considered that your current academic performance is linked to your current college major?

Ever considered that your current major will not lead you to a career that you are passionate about?

Ever considered that you picked your current major for the right or wrong reason?

Well in this short video, I give some signpost to determine if you are in the right or wrong reason college major. Take the time to watch this video, and do a personal check to see if you have these 5 symptoms. If so, consider changing, it will be in your best interest to do so.

You can also get more in depth material on selecting a college major from my talk on “7.25 Questions to Identify Your Life’s Assignment Regardless of Your College Major“.

Also take some time to forward this video blog to some worthy high school or college student, andalso  subscribe them to my FREE newsletter the GamePlan

Understanding how to prepare for test or exams is a vital academic skill that every student must develop.

Yes reviewing your class notes regularly can make studying for exams easier and more efficient, but here are some other key ways that you can prepare for those exams. These may seem easy and simple, but they are very effective.

7.25 Ways to Prepare for those Tests

1. ASK THE INSTRUCTOR – When was the last time you just walked into your teacher’s office and asked, “Excuse me instructor? What shall I expect on the test? What material will be covered? Will the test be essay or objective? and What should I concentrate on when preparing?” Now what is the worst thing the teacher can say? NO, I’m not telling?

2. LOOK UP PAST COPIES – I can assure you that what you are being tested on is not the first time it is in exam form. So check with your library or older student to see if old exams are available. This can give you a general idea what of what to expect on the test. But please don’t rely heavily on this, it’s just for your preparation.

3. MAKE YOUR OWN TEST – From everything your instructor has talked about, put yourself in the shoes of your instructor and make up your OWN test. put down on paper ten good questions you think would be great test questions, and answer them.

4. REVIEW YOUR NOTES – Go over and reread all highlighted sections of your text again. Don’t re-read the entire text, just highlighted areas that are also in your notes. If possible, mkae up test questions from these hihlighted notes as mentioned above. If you are still having challenges taking good notes, then review the academic survival skill on note-taking.

5. CALL A STUDY GROUP – Have a  true “TEST PARTY”. Gather 5 people or less, and form a circle. Going one by one, have each person ask a potential test question to another person in the circle. Individually this will help you prepare your answers, and see how others answered the questions in the game. At the end of the game, discuss among your classmates all the correct answers and why.

6. GET A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP – Sleeping is so amazing. It refreshes the body and refreshes your mind to think strong and clearly. In a previous post on Sleeping your Way to better grades. I go into more detail of why sleep is so important to your academic success.

7. EAT LIGHTLY – this is really simple, but really needed. Don;t bog your tummy down with greasy foods, but eat something in the morning that is living (fruit vegetables, pure juices). This will help get your “test motor” running. Similar to putting dirty gas in your car. Get it?

7.25 HAVE A WINNING ATTITUDE – this alone has caused so many people to fail that i must address it. However you invision your self, that will you be.  if your inner voice is saying you will fail or that youa re not prepared – then in most cases you will. As a cheerleader is to a football team, you must be to your inner mindest and attitude. After preapring and properly studying for the exam, cherr yourself up and tell your self that you can Play YOUR “A” Game and ace this exam. I believe you can, and YOU must believe you can.

Well there it is..there’s some simple things you can do to pass those exams and tests. I would love to hear how you have done. Leave me a comment or email me at info(at)playingyouragame(dot)com.

If there are other key ways you suggest preparing for test, then leave me a comment below and let me know what works effectively for you.

Kantis Simmons is a college speaker, youth motivator and the author of  Playing Your “A” Game and other resources. He is acclaimed for receiving three college degrees but didn’t pay a single penny to receive them (Which is equivalent to $400,000 in scholarship money). Visit http://www.kantissimmons.com to see how his academic expertise and keep it real style can help bring value to your students and  your next event. Also subscribe to his free newsletter the GAMEPLAN for secrets tips on academic success, scholarships and special updates at http://www.playingyourAgame.com