Following Assignment Directions & Grading Rubric (Criteria) Completely

I have received millions of dollars of grant monies over the years. 

Why? I follow directions. When the grant directions state: "Write a 500 Word Proposal Summary," I stop at 499. It’s likely that a computer will reject your grant if there are 501 words. If my written ideas are going to be rejected, I don’t want that to happen because I didn’t follow word count guidelines.

In work and school, there are always directions for assignments. Follow them completely. If there are directions for a school assignment, there is likely to be a grading scale, too. Follow them both. Completely. Did I restate that? YES: FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS AND GRADING CRITERIA COMPLETELY.

For example, at some schools, the grading criteria is found in a "rubric." It is typically located as follows: 1) bottom line of directions on an assignment page, 2) colored hyperlink, 3) underlined and labeled "Click here to view the grading rubric."

In fact, before drafting an assignment, open a Word document, write all the rubric criteria that will be evaluated, individually in a list that skips lines, at the top of the paper. For an essay, your criteria might look like this:

•  Introduction with hook to grab reader and thesis statement ending the paragraph
• Body paragraph for reason #1 that starts with a topic sentence, gives support from an expert,     includes your analysis, and ends with a wrap-up, or closing sentence
• Other body paragraphs depending on the directions
• Conclusion that paraphrases the thesis and includes a general statement to conclude

Whether you are at home, work, or school, there are directions. Particularly at school, there are directions on how to do your assignments. Even if you are a rebel and HATE DIRECTIONS & GRADING RUBRICS OR CRITERIA, follow them for assignments. Why would you sabotage your GPA for something that you dislike: mere directions?  Follow them anyway, and you will be surprised at how well you will do in school.