NOTE : LESS THAN 10% WHO SEE THIS POST WILL READ IT TO THE END BECAUSE MORE THAN
90% OF THOSE WHO GAINED ADMISSION ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE A FIRST CLASS
It is true that the method of assuming academic success is not applicable to everybody. However, there are specific principles that you can follow in order to guarantee academic success during your time at the University. The department or course notwithstanding, earning a reputation for yourself with that CGPA or aiming to be the best in your faculty or the university depends on most of these frequently overlooked but important cues.
#9 – Take Extensive Notes
Probably the most tedious of our top 10 9, maintaining
a consistent habit of taking good notes is hard to do.
In our present world, many students find it difficult to
maintain their focus long enough to record the
information given out during lectures. The advantage
being that when time comes to write a quiz/test/exam,
you’ll be glad you have that pile of notes to review and
refresh your brain with. Taking good notes is an act of
learning in itself. This small but potent act goes a long
way to creating the foundation for a quintessential
and unparalleled understanding of the material being
covered.
An excellent method is also to scribble down
everything that seems useful in some manner, almost
as if you were transcribing the lecture. Later, transfer
and rewrite the notes into an understandable form in
another notebook. This will cement the information
into your mind, moving the material from your short
term memory into your long term. Time and again, we
seem to understand a lecture when it is delivered.
Unfortunately though, a week later or two we seem to
lose almost every point that was made. Note taking is
one of the best ways to consolidate short term
memory into long term.
#8 – Obtain Old Exams Question papers and
Assignments from your senior colleagues to
procure a satisfactory idea of what subject matter the
instructors are most likely to test you on.
They are even more useful because you can attempt
the exam/assignment as a check of knowledge,
identifying weak areas that you must take into further
consideration or re-study. Last semester, I was
studying gluconeogenesis in Medical Biochemistry and
a senior colleague of mine happened to pass by. He
appeared interested and proceeded to supply me a
couple of past questions. One was “Gluconeogenesis
is not necessarily the reversal of Glycolysis. Explain”.
Propitiously, in my end of semester examination, it
was asked exactly as I was given in Number 2. It was
worth 10 marks.
One common tactic many students use for science
laboratory classes is to find a graded laboratory
notebook from a previous year. Laboratory work is
notoriously difficult with respect to time limitation and
what is expected from a student’s lab report. Having a
format to follow along with is a phenomenal help.
Knowing where to avoid mistakes is fundamental as
well.
#7 – Begin Studying For Tests and Exams
EARLY
Between academics and your social life, time is not
something you will have in ample quantity throughout
your stay in University. One cardinal act you should
always make time for is studying early for exams.
There’s nothing worse than leaving all of the studying
for the night before an important test or exam. The
stress causes you to panic and you won’t perform as
well as you normally would if you had studied early
enough. Studying a little bit during the semester will
not only make you better prepared but will also
remove most stress you’d have if you leave your
studying for the last minute.
Early exam studying allows a student to identify weak
spots in their understanding and to prioritize their
studying accordingly. Just imagine studying until the
early morning of the day of your exam only to find
you’ve completely ignored a section that you have little
or no understanding in. Don’t let that happen.
#6 – Use Your Time Wisely in between classes as
well as before and after school.
There are many opportunities to sneak in some studying or homework
that many students either don’t realize or just don ‘t
use. I’ve known people who would study on the keke
during the ride to and from school. I’ve also known
people that would combine the time waiting for a
lecture to begin with their study time!
Just bring your notes and instead of pinging or
chatting endlessly with friends. You get a workout for
your body and for your brain! Always keep your notes
handy and use any spare time for simple review to
make sure you’re on top of the material. All of those
small moments you fill with studying will really add up
to a solid understanding. You’ll discover that you will
require less studying when exam time arrives. That’s
huge.
#5 – Get Your Questions Resolved
Information in your field of study is cumulative and
the last stuff you learned will be instrumental in
understanding the next stuff! So anytime you don’t
understand something or have a question about the
subject matter, get your question answered as soon
as you can. Whether by asking during class, after class,
or by asking a fellow student – do it. You need to stay
on top of the subject matter in order to be ready for
the next stuff that’s coming. Don’t let the holes in your
understanding be knowledge pits for the future!
#4 – Get To Know Some of Your Classmates
This one can be extremely demanding for many
people these days. Meeting people is becoming
increasingly difficult in a world of social stigmas and
fears of disapproval. I’m not going to tell you how to
meet people. But when you do, the benefits will
become apparent. Having someone to lean on for
notes from a lecture that you missed, being able to
bounce questions and ideas off of somebody, and
most importantly having someone to check your
assignment answers with before you hand it in, are all
spectacular reasons to swallow your nerves and start
saying “Hi! My name is….” to the people in your class…
and don’t have too many female friends
#3 – Explore Other Class Resources
Many class outlines will have “optional” reading listed
along with the required textbook. This is often a HUGE
opportunity for easy marks and guaranteed success in
the particular class. Lecturers are humans just like me
and you. Their job is to relay the required material and
then test you on it. If they’re using the required
textbook as reference for the learning part, where do
you think they’re going to get the material for the
testing part? If you say “the required textbook”, you’re
probably wrong! Lecturers will often take exam or test
questions out of their favorite textbooks, resulting in
quality assessments from a trusted source. Those
favorite textbooks are often listed as optional reading
material on the course outline. Also don’t forget the
mighty Internet. Use Wikipedia and Google as well to
find extra (often better!) resources on whatever it is
that you’re struggling with.
2- Pre-Read Lecture Material
One night I was bored. Very bored. I grabbed a
textbook for a class whose lecture I had the next
morning and I began reading from the point we
stopped at in the previous lecture. It was difficult to
understand and took a lot of focus to push through it
but the next day in class while listening to the teacher,
it crystallized in my mind and was easy from then on.
It had the added benefit of being committed to my
long term memory giving me a better understanding
of the material. It makes sense if you think about it. I
was essentially learning the material twice. First, alone.
Secondly, with the help of an expert. These combined
into a solid understanding that I still possess to this
day.
I suggest that you do this for every class. Also, you
may use this technique for anything that you deem to
be very difficult or abstract. That way you’ll have a
great head start on understanding and mastering the
hard stuff, leaving plenty of time for filling in the gaps
with the easy stuff!
MERCY
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