Archive for the 'General' Category

Study Book Review

John Hall reviewed my study book. You might want to click on the hyperlink and have a read of his impressions. If you’re considering buying my study book, it might help you to know that it’s been sold to thousands of students from around the world, in more than 29 countries and is now available as an English Study Book, French Study Book, Romanian Study Book and a Chinese Study Book.

Have a quick read of John’s review and then make the decision to get better grades faster and easier!

Educational Tax Refund Expires June 30 2010

The Education Tax Refund (ETR) is a new Australian government initiative to help with the cost of educating primary and secondary school children. It means eligible parents, carers, legal guardians and independent students could get 50% back on some education expenses. This includes items like computers, educational software, textbooks and stationery.

Most people are eligible for the ETR because they receive Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A. However, there are some payments that prevent you from receiving FTB Part A, but which still entitle you to receive the refund. You can also claim the refund if you are an independent student. For more information, see Am I eligible?

You can claim the ETR each financial year for children in primary and/or secondary school, or if you are an independent student. You will be able to claim the refund from 1 July 2009 for the 2008/09 financial year. This means you can claim for items purchased from 1 July 2008. Remember to keep your receipts as they will help you calculate your entitlement and you may be required to produce them as proof of purchase.

You can claim the ETR even if you are not required to lodge a tax return. For more information, see How do I claim?

Struggling With Your English Course?

Chances are if you’re in high school, struggling with your English courses – it’s at least partially because you’re TEXTING and TWEETING too much. A recent study reported that British teens were using approximate 800 words a day, significantly less than the 40,000 words a typical 16-year-old should have at his or her command.

Here’s an exponential tip for you – try to learn ONE NEW WORD EVERY DAY… That will help replace the one you’re FORGETTING every day!

A great site you can bookmark is Visual Thesaurus. It’s also a great resource when you’re writing term papers and need to find just the right word!

Personal Development Books For Students

Quite a few students have asked me which books I recommend after they’ve read my study book. I post my top book recommendations on my Linked In Profile. It includes all the books I recommend for Business, Professional and Career Development. If you’re athletic, you’ll want to subscribe to my Mindset Of A Champion Blog, which lists a different collection of books that I recommend for serious (elite) athletes – focused on Mental Toughness. With these two book lists, you can learn the foundations of an Exponential Mindset. If you are not English Speaking, I am sure most of the classics have been translated into your language.

Want Better Grades? Think Like A Champion

You might not know that I have several blogs. One blog that I want to highlight today is the one called the Mindset Of A Champion. I simply want to ask you to go and check it out because there are a lot of parallels between learning and mastering a sport and getting better grades. Bookmark it or better yet, subscribe to it so you don’t miss any of the posts, you just don’t know which one will be the one that will have the breakthrough idea that will make all the difference.

Book Report

Book Report: Students at a local school were assigned to read 2 books, ‘Titanic’ and ‘My Life’ by Bill Clinton.

One student turned in the following book report, with the proposition that they were nearly identical stories!

His cool professor gave him an A+ for this report.
Titanic:…. Cost – $29.99
Clinton :….. Cost – $29.99

Titanic:….. Over 3 hours to read
Clinton :… Over 3 hours to read

Titanic:….. The story of Jack and Rose, their forbidden love, and subsequent catastrophe.
Clinton :… The story of Bill and Monica, their forbidden love, and subsequent catastrophe.

Titanic:…. Jack is a starving artist.
Clinton :…… Bill is a bullshit artist.

Titanic:…. In one scene, Jack enjoys a good cigar.
Clinton :…. Ditto for Bill.

Titanic:….. During the ordeal, Rose’s dress gets ruined.
Clinton :…… Ditto for Monica.

Titanic:….. Jack teaches Rose to spit.
Clinton :… Let’s not go there.

Read More »»

Principal Sets Bar High

Without getting on a soapbox about it, I think we can all learn from this example. The only thing I want to say is – why is a school like this the exception rather than the rule? Let me know what you think about your school – the good and bad points.

School Voicemail Message Aussie Style!

Below is the link to listen to the voicemail message that the Maroochydore High School in Queensland, Australia staff voted unanimously to record on their  school telephone answering machine. This  came about because they implemented a policy requiring students  and parents to be responsible for their children’s absences  and missing homework.

The school and teachers  are being sued by parents who want their children’s failing  grades changed to passing grades – even though those children  were absent 15-30 times during the semester and did not complete  enough school work to pass  their classes. Listen and I promise you’ll burst out laughing!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Don’t Cheat

How To Deal With Teachers

I am not a big proponent of being manipulative with teachers, but the reality of the academic system is that you do need to deal with them. Tell me your story or ask me a question here by posting a comment and I will help you deal with the worst teacher(s) you have. Please do NOT use their real names -this is not about retaliation. I want to help you deal with the problem – be specific about the issue your having. Make sure you focus on TEACHING and STUDYING ISSUES – not personality conflicts.

I’m here to help you get better grades with less effort!

Cheap Textbooks – Available Online

If you’re a student and are looking for cheap textbooks, take a look at www.ValoreBooks.com they have thousands of textbooks for every conceivable subject. What you might consider if you want to get better grades, is buy a second textbook for those courses you’re struggling with. By having a different author explaining the SAME subject/topic, he/she might be able to say it in a way that you understand more clearly. I’ve done that on numerous occasions – for those subjects that were particularly hard.

Go ahead and take a look at what’s available – at those prices, you can’t afford NOT to buy it!

MindMap Your Way To Better Grades

Please take a look at this short YouTube video that shows you how to MindMap To Get Better Grades, produced by MindMapping Artist Paul Telling.

This is the teaser for a brand new course that I created with Paul – just for you. If you’re like me, artistically challenged, you read Chapter 6 of my study book and thought to yourself…

“If wish I could draw better…”

Guess what? You can.

This 25-minute MindMapping Program is like a personal tutorial guaranteed to make your note taking absolutely memorable and TOTALLY UNFORGETTABLE so you instantly start to get better grades.

This process does require that you have any artistic skills – just an imagination and a few coloured pens, pencils or markers.

In my study book, I explain that the Reticular Activation System (RAS) in your brain can retain and remember visual cues much easily than written ones, which is why standard note taking simply doesn’t work (as well as you want it to).

MindMapping has been shown to be substantially more effective for students of all ages and within all disciplines of study.

But no one, until now has made it simple and easy to really learn the art and craft of doing this WITHOUT an artistic or graphic skills.

That’s why I am so excited about this. Take a look at the video and you’ll quickly see that it’s not that hard – if you just improved by 10%, your memory recall and retention could skyrocket by 50 to 100% JUST BECAUSE THIS IS SO NEW FOR YOU.

Imagine that!!!!

All you need to do is give it a go and see what happens. As soon as the MindMapping To Get Better Grades Program is released, you’ll be the first to know!

MindMapping To Get Better Grades Program Teaser Video

Get Better Grades For FREE

Some students are quite resourceful – they realise that when they get two or three of their friends to buy my study book, it ends up being FREE! Others are a little more industrious and have realised that BECAUSE they’re in school and have access to other students, they can actually create another source of income for themselves!

Some questions people ask about the study book affiliate program include:

Who manages the lists?

The list of buyers is not sent back to affiliates – the logistics of doing this is too cumbersome and complex. You keep your list and we keep ours. We only end up with people who buy our product… We do know that it takes SEVERAL e-mails to get sales and each time a DIFFERENT approach is used, there is a new opportunity to get them to buy. An e-mail about EXAMS is different that one to TAKE NOTES or REDUCE STRESS, or SPEED READ… Each one attracts a different segment.

ClickBank automatically pays you into your account – we don’t handle any of the financial transactions at our end. We just know when a product is bought or a refund requested. Psst! Our refunds are really, really low because these strategies WORK!

Where does the study tip blog fit in?

My study tips blog is a good indirect way for you to get people ‘interested’… it introduces them to the concept and gives them a chance to consider the product.

The best way to promote my study book is to use Exponential Internet Marketing Strategies that I teach – the least expensive way to acquire this knowledge is via the Silver Membership which is $97/month.

We don’t do affiliate training and support since our pages themselves convert well enough that our best affiliates use Google Adwords and Social Networking Strategies to get people to click through to the site.

Unleash The Genius Within You – FREE 2-hour event in Geelong, Victoria

I am staging a one-time-only event in Geelong Victoria on Tuesday 1 July from 5 to 7 PM, called Unleash The Genius Within… Click on the hyperlink for more details. Make sure you register for it if you want to get the best grades with the least amount of effort. This is a unique opportunity to meet with me live, in person. The 2-hour event will be followed by an optional 1-hour tutorial where you can ask me any question you want about speed learning and speed reading…

Ideally you buy my study book and speed reading video program BEFORE the event so you can then ask me questions AFTER trying them out rather than asking me questions that are basic and already addressed in the book and video…

Buy My Study Book And Get A MindMap As A FREE Bonus!

If you never seen a MindMap, check out the one below created by Paul Telling, Melbourne-based communication transformation expert who turns boring documents, presentations and speeches into re-usable engaging unique masterpieces that surprise and WOW your audiences, create clearer, shorter and more engaging communications!

MindMap Of Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort

Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort MindMap

Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort MindMap

This is now a FREE Bonus when you purchase Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort.

It gets better than that – you’ll also receive a FULL COLOUR MINDMAP of each chapter to help you remember and understand more about how to study!

Isn’t that cool?

PLUS there are dozens of additional ‘secret’ bonuses delivered to you once you purchase the book!

Cheap Textbooks

Several students have asked me this question click here -> To get Cheap textbooks. Sometimes it’s all about knowing the quick answer to a question, which is why you want to create a MasterMind Group for yourself – to study better as well as achieve in sports and your career.

You’ll have better answers to questions like this because the people in your MasterMind Group will have ‘all the answers you need’ even to questions you didn’t know you needed to ask!

Get Better Grades – Foreign Editions

Just in case you missed the recent update of my ebook “Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort” product page, my ebook has been translated into French and Romanian and soon in Chinese and Polish… This excerpt proves these study tips and strategies are working for thousands of students from 29 countries!

If you haven’t bought it yet, click on the Buy It Now Icon —->

Get Better Grades in English, French, Romanian and soon Chinese and Polish!

Get Better Grades in English, French, Romanian and soon Chinese and Polish!

Give The GIFT Of Better Grades

Karen e-mailed me overnight asking if she could buy my book “Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort” for her son who is away at boarding school — What a GREAT IDEA! Giving a student you know the gift of better grades!

All you need to do is put THEIR NAME and E-MAIL in the verification messages and they will get it all sent to them electronically – INSTANTLY! So make sure you tell them it’s on its way!

I know that I have many people support me as a student when I was in school.

Think of someone you want to help get better grades and make their day/semester!

My book is priced at a fraction of the cost of a textbook and will transform any student from average to the top of the class within one, maybe two semesters.

Give the gift of better grades to that struggling student you know – a friend, classmate, son, daughter, nephew, niece, cousin… They will be forever grateful!

Recession Tip: Get Better Grades

Any way you measure it, a college or university degree is the best investment of your life. In today’s dollars, a bachelor’s degree is worth more than $2.1 million over 40 years. “Having that post-secondary diploma can make such a difference in lifetime earnings,” said Washington, D.C.-based Employment Policy Foundation President Ed Potter.

Recession Tip: Get Better Grades

During a recession, obtaining a college or university degree becomes even more crucial. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, all seven of the job categories that are predicted to grow faster than average during the next decade require a college diploma. These careers, which include teaching, healthcare and technology, will account for 42 percent of the nation’s projected job growth by 2013.

Better Grades: The Path to Opportunity

Conversely, men and women without a post-secondary degree are losing ground faster than ever before. The U.S. Department Of Labor reports that employment for those with a bachelor’s degree grew by 1.8 million during the past 10 years compared to a loss of nearly 700,000 jobs for those armed with only a high school diploma.

But financial earnings are only part of the benefits. A college or university education enriches your life in ways that cannot be measured by dollars. “Education is power,” Frederick Douglass observed nearly 150 years ago. Today, education remains the path out of poverty toward opportunity. It is also the route to achievement, enrichment, knowledge and success. Most important of all, education makes dreams come true and creates a fulfilling life and the lifestyle to go with it!

Get Better Grades And The Rewards Are Endless

Whether personal or practical, the college experience can be both life affirming and career enhancing. The classroom and the coursework expose you to diverse people and ideas. They open up a world that challenges and stimulates you in ways both big and small. You’ll discover new interests or pursue familiar subjects with passion and depth.

Business, history, literature, medicine, technology, the arts — the list is endless. Along the way, your knowledge base expands, your critical-thinking skills become sharper and your confidence grows. I call it expanding your circle of influence, a concept I cover in my book “Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort.”

And once earned, a degree is forever, as the payoff from higher education can never be erased, broken or laid off.

Consider it your personal recession-proofing or bullet-proofing your career!

  • A career that is professionally satisfying and intellectually stimulating; one that taps into your potential and challenges you to perform at your peak so time stands still and you’re exciting about what you’re doing every day.
  • A profession that is in demand with upwardly mobile opportunities.
  • An arsenal of skills that empower you to control the pace and direction of your career so you can climb the ladder at your own pace even if that’s running up two rungs at a time!
  • A secure future that comes with a steady profession that can ride out any economic roller coaster. Even if you do get laid off or retrenched – you’ll be the first to get hired!

Get Better Grades To Lay A Solid Foundation In Unstable Times

Even during this recession, the U.S. Bureau of Labor projects that 23 million jobs will be created in the next decade. Management-related occupations will account for nearly a third of the total, according to the Employment Policy Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan research and educational foundation focusing on workplace trends and policies.

In addition, a just-completed survey conducted for the Chronicle of Higher Education shows that despite unease with the economy, Americans’ faith in higher education is unwavering. The nation continues to have confidence in the value of a college degree, with more than half of respondents saying it is “essential for success.”

Get Better Grades Your Future Depends On It

Keep making the investment you’re making reading blog posts like this and consider tools like my e-book, Speed Learning Video Program and Speed Reading Video Program to literally do what the title says: Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort.

ATTENTION: Parents looking to buy a study book for their kids

My results and those of my ‘students’ speak for themselves. The stuff I write about in my study book works – if your kids are using them all, then they should be getting TOP GRADES already and don’t need a book on how to get the best grades with the least amount of effort.

If they are NOT getting top grades, well they are either not that bright or not leveraging the strategies properly.

I trust it’s not leveraging the strategies.

90% of students are smart enough, but just don’t have good study strategies.

In fact the BEST results are from students who are not that bright BUT are open-minded to try anything to get better results. Their desperation opens their minds to the possibilities whereas the brighter ones just think they know it all.

I don’t know your kids, but I have a suggestion – First, buy the book. It comes with an 8-week 100% Money-Back Guarantee from ClickBank so there is NO RISK.

Then give the book to all of your kids WITH YOUR ENDORSEMENT AND POSITIVE ENCOURAGEMENT. Have them come back with their feedback ONCE THEY’VE TRIED A FEW OF THE STRATEGIES…

Let that be the test – the ultimate test. Without YOUR BIAS.

Your screening and interpretation of the content isn’t relevant – YOU HAVE A LOT MORE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTAND THAN THEY DO. What you think they need is not what they need. They are the only ones who can judge whether or not this can and does help them.

I have taught these strategies to HUNDREDS of students and I can say without any doubt that the PARENTS of those kids would have probably thought the same thing you’re thinking this is straight forward stuff – but it was about the KIDS’ perceptions, needs and results – NOT the parent’s interpretation.

If you play a sport at a competitive level, something as mundane as ‘watch or keep your eye on the ball’ seems simplistic. In squash for example, if I see that you are NOT watching the ball, there is no chance of you winning a point against me. I will exploit it EFFORTLESSLY. It is a KEY skill that every beginner needs to learn. The sooner, the better. But for an experienced player, it’s a ‘given’…

That being said, I published my eBook to get these strategies to as many students as possible – I believe in higher education and I also believe that too many people make it too hard for the average student to get better grades… These strategies work – if and only if the STUDENT has an open mind and believes they work and that he/she can make them work.

If you think they work, they work, If you don’t think they work, they don’t.

Either way, you’re right.

Go on and give them the gift of better grades right now – there is NO RISK and only upside – their grades will only improve and they will spend LESS TIME studying, worrying and getting stressed about exams.

Onward and upward!
Marc

P.S.

If you’re wondering if this book is applicable to younger kids – the answer is simple. If they can read, they can understand these strategies. In fact the younger students are MORE open to this mindset than the older kids. The older they get, the more entrenched in their beliefs they become.

Which is why MOST high school and Univeristy students don’t learn how to study properly because they THINK they know how and never research it. That’s why when you do use these strategies, you’ll get better grades than your classmates!