• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Life / Academics / 5 Steps to Better Grades and Free Pizza

5 Steps to Better Grades and Free Pizza

December 8, 2016 //  by Sarah Monnier

Shares46FacebookTweet

Having trouble focusing? Not sure if your wallet can take another meal out on the town? No worries, Pocket Points created by Chico State students, Mitch Gardner and Rob Richardson, rewards students for staying off their phone. If you stay off your phone for a few hours while hitting the books, you can reward yourself later with a variety of discounts on local food and merch.

Check out the 5 easy steps to take advantage of all the free stuff Pocket Points offers.

1. Earn and Learn

Pocket Points helps you study while also rewarding you with discounts on food and merchandise.
giphy.com

The concept is simple: pay attention in class and earn rewards for doing so. “One of my friends told me about it, and then once I started, I realized that it was really easy to integrate into my lifestyle,” said Indiana University senior Daniel Chang. “Then I started to move up in the rankings, and it became a fun competition. Once I got to the top, I felt compelled to try to stay there. If someone else occupies that spot though, I think I’ll live!” Push yourself to avoid Twitter, Snapchat and that group chat constantly blowing up during class, and you just might learn something. “I feel what prevents people the most from earning points is staying on their phones during class,” said IU junior Ryan Morgan. “Yes, class can be boring and personally, I just compromise with myself and think, ‘Okay, it is not that hard to stay off my phone for 50 minutes and do what I came to school to do, learn in class!’”

2. 2x Tuesdays

On 2X Tuesdays, earn double the rewards for the same amount of time.
giphy.com

2x Tuesdays are practically a giveaway for points. Earn double the points every Tuesday—and double the rewards. “DON’T FORGET ABOUT 2x TUESDAY,” said Morgan. “You can add an easy 30+ points easily (I have gained 103 points on a Tuesday).” When you lock your phone more frequently your level increases and you earn points even faster. “On a typical day, I usually earn around 20 to 30 points, but on Tuesdays, I’ve gotten upwards of 150 before,” said Chang. “I don’t tend to get as many points on weekends because I don’t really have reason to leave my residence hall, and I’m not so intense that I’ll go out of my way simply for points. In a typical week, I can get anywhere from 100 to 200 points!”

3. Get a study buddy

Studying with a friend keeps you motivated and increases the rate at which you earn points.
giphy.com

Just because you’re studying more doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Misery loves company and with finals looming on the horizon, your friends probably need to study just as much as you do. Plus, the more people using Pocket Points, the faster the points rack up. “I also recommend this to anybody trying to gain points: go to the library,” said Morgan. “It provides a great environment to get schoolwork done.” Just try equating time spent at the library with free pizza, soon the process of studying becomes entirely painless.

4. Cheat the System

Look for alternatives to using your phone, such as your laptop, to maximize the amount of points you earn each day.
giphy.com

To become a top point earner on your campus, you’ll need to figure out how to keep your phone locked for the longest amount of time possible. “This may be considering cheating in some eyes, but most phones will enable you reply to texts by just replying from the locked screen,” said Morgan. “This way you do not actually unlock your phone! If you have a Mac, you can also use iMessage on your laptop instead of your phone.” This goes for other forms of social media as well. “For other things like Instagram and Snapchat, I just wait until the evening when I’m relaxing and I’m in a building that no longer works with Pocket Points,” said Chang. “I’ve literally pulled my laptop out in places just so I don’t need to unlock my phone, which sounds a little extreme, but I usually just stay on my laptop then and find something to do!”

5. Treat Yo’ Self

Don't forget to cash in on all your studying at local businesses partnered with Pocket Points.
giphy.com

By far the best benefit to using this app is cashing in on all that studying. “There are tons of local places such as Subway, T.I.S. College Bookstore, Baked! Of Bloomington, Japonee, Chik-fil-A and many more,” said Morgan. “There are also so many online stores you can get discounts on with apparel and accessories. You can also get ticket discounts with many professional sports teams.” Looking to turn that study buddy into something more? Pocket Points can help with that too. “Craving some Chik-fil-a? Spend a day of studying and buy an original chicken sandwich for yourself or that special lady for 35 points,” said Morgan. Before you know it, you’ll be topping the leaderboards and rolling in rewards. Not to mention your professors will thank you for staying off your phone in class.

Shares46FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Academics Life

About Sarah Monnier

Sarah Monnier is a senior at Indiana University studying journalism and history. Passionate about pineapple, Harrison Ford and VHS cassettes.

You May Also Like

cover photo sju si

Top 10 Best Resources Offered at St. John’s University-Staten Island

What Your Favorite Pixar Movie Says About You: College Edition

CM’s Guide to St. John’s University-Staten Island Campus

pensive

Tackling the Beast After 2020: Applying to Graduate School

CM’s Top 10 Best Pharmacy Schools in the Nation

10 Insanely Hard Classes to Avoid at Penn State

It’s Okay If Your Grades Fall Behind During a Pandemic

student typing on laptop

The Key to Surviving an Online Math Class in 2020

guy online

The Transition to Online Classes: A New Struggle or a Desirable Change? 

College Magazine’s Guide to the Engineering Major

smiling graduate

Redefining Success as a Freshman in College

Top 10 Hermione Granger Approved Colleges for Bookworms

20 Notable UConn Alumni Who Changed the World

10 Most-Loved Professors at the University of Florida

red stoplight

Reflections of a Nervous Post-Graduate

https://unsplash.com/photos/Z-ceDRi9fVU

Is There Such a Thing as Being Too Ambitious in College?

10 Invaluable Skills You Get from Learning and Working Virtually

Virtual Learning

Class Etiquette 101: The Unspoken Rules of Zoom

future teacher

CM’s Ultimate Guide to the English Education Major

How to Study for a Test When Your Roommates are Pregaming

online acting classes

The Show Must Go On: 10 Tips for Success in Online Acting Classes

aesthetic books

15 School Supplies English Majors Literature-lly Need This Fall 

tips for online classes

10 Tips for Acing Your Remote Classes This Semester

girl in graduation cap and gown standing with her back to the camera

Go Grad! 10 Ways to Beat the Graduate School Scaries

Previous Post: «Mardi gras beads hanging from the tree at Tulane University CM’s Guide to Tulane University
Next Post: 10 Authors That’ll Scare The Most Fearless Readers old, creepy books open and ready to read.»

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

79

Top 10 Colleges With the Most Fashionable Students

Broadway
26

10 Musical Soundtracks to Make Study Sessions That Much Easier

how to use linkedin
14

7 Ways You Can Use LinkedIn to Score Your Dream Job

8

A Dummies Guide to FAFSA and Financial Aid in College

4

Top 10 Things To Keep in Mind When Asking for a Reference Letter

Featured Chapter: St. John’s University

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.