Q&A for How to Become Valedictorian

Start using a calendar. Take some time every weekend to assess the work due in the upcoming week and come up with a realistic estimate of how long each assignment will take. Set aside time -- by class, by assignment, by day -- to ensure that you are allotting enough time to do each well before the due dates. When you have an exam looming on the horizon, don’t wait until the night before to study; make time to organize your notes, research confusing topics, and/or make flashcards.

This depends entirely on the subject of the class as well as whether you have access to a laptop/tablet or will be writing notes by hand. Try to highlight keywords and concepts and, whenever possible, organize your notes in a clear, structured way. Even better, record the lecture on your phone and type up notes after class when you have time to hit “pause” and search confusing terms/concepts as you go.

The valedictorian is the person with the highest GPA by graduation. It happens at high school graduation and at many colleges.

You have the chance to be valedictorian, especially if you are not a senior yet or it was a B on an assignment rather than in a class. It depends on who has the highest GPA, so try to keep your other grades high, take some honors classes that hold more weight in your GPA, and keep working hard.