Motivational Tips for Students

Students who are thrilled to do their homework every single day are rare… if there are any. Everyone needs a motivational push now and then, and you will be surprised what inspiration can do with your opinion about “pointless” homework assignments.

Even if you don’t see the point in doing homework, you still see a point in getting good grades, so read these tips and learn how to become a more motivated student.

1. Change your perspective

You cannot form a foundation for your future knowledge and skills without doing homework, no matter how pointless it seems. Even topics that don’t awaken a single spark of interest are important for your general knowledge and development as a person.

If you don’t like algebra, you may understand its importance when you realize that it’s the foundation for economics, business, science, and many other fields of study. When it comes to English homework, you need to understand that paper writing is an essential skill to gain if you want to be a successful student at college and university.

2. Become an “expert” in one area

There isn’t a student who absolutely loves all subjects. All you need to do is focus a bit more on the area you love and get some serious attitude about it. Maybe you can start a blog associated to the area you love and become a self-appointed expert in it. Research deeper, become more involved and enjoy your devotion to the things that interest you.
However, this shouldn’t drive you away from all other homework you get; in fact, it should help you become more tolerant of the topics that don’t interest you that much. Think of the less favored topics as “supporting bricks” for your career path.

3. Don’t be afraid of competition

You don’t have to tame your competitive spirit. In fact, it can help you be a more diligent student and have fun while doing homework and making better achievements than anyone else in class.Being competitive doesn’t mean that you have to become the classmate no one likes. You can team up with one or two friends and inspire each other to do better in all subjects. Healthy competition can be a very inspiring motivation, if you know how to approach it.

4. A prize can be motivating

If a big science project is giving you trouble and you can’t even get motivated enough to start it, you should make a plan and divide the entire process into few smaller steps. Take each step and turn it into a goal, having the big picture in front of you at all times.
Make sure to set deadlines for each step and reward yourself with small treats or breaks after every achievement. When you focus on the prize, you will be motivated to do everything right.

5. Get support to get motivated

If you are not getting enough encouragement from your family or friends, that shouldn’t discourage you because it doesn’t mean that no one cares.
Your teacher, for example, surely cares whether or not you do your homework and study well. Teachers are always there to support their students, because their success as educators depends on the achievements of the class.

If you feel like you don’t get enough support in your home or from your friends, you can join an education forum and find the motivation you need. Many people will cheer for you if you are brave enough to cheer for yourself.

Qualities All Highly Successful People Have In Common

There are those successful people out there who have it made. They catch break after break and seem to just have all the four leaf clovers of the world in their pockets. But we know that it’s more than just luck on their side. We’ve found six consistent traits of phenomenally successful people and know that if you strive to match yourself to these that you too can become successful.

1. They Are Passionate

This might be a no-brainer trait but it might also be the foundation to a successful individual. Those who succeed love deeply what they do. Take a look at almost any athlete out there, they are passionate about what they do and almost always do it for the love of the gam. People like Tiger Woods knew at a young age what they loved and then made a life out of it. If you don’t know if you’re truly passionate about something just ask yourself if you would do it for free. If you would, then you’ve found your passion.

2. They Are Resilient

To be resilient is to face challenges, learn from them, and push through to success. Some of the most successful people in the world have faced the uncanniest struggles and have managed to come out on top. J.K. Rowling was rejected by 12 different publishers before selling the first Harry Potter novel. Successful people recognize each failure in life as a chance to learn something and to grow from it.

3. They Push Themselves Out of Their Comfort Zones

Phenomenally successful people know that they can’t just sit on their hands and hope that the ideas in their heads will some day become a real thing. They have to get up out of their house and begin to get their ideas out there. It’s a matter of getting out of your comfort zone, setting challenges, deadlines, and goals all to push yourself to continue to strive harder, work better, and succeed.

4. They Continually Create

Entrepreneurs like Time Ferris and Evan Williams are successful because they are continually creating. Rather than finish a project and end their careers there, successful people continue to study and create and form new ideas. Evan Williams didn’t just finish when he founded one company. If he had, we wouldn’t have Twitter, Blogger, or Medium. The daily routines of CEOs will show you how dedicated entrepreneurs and successful people are and how even CEOs continue to create and work hard to succeed until the end.

5. They Are Focused

A huge trait for successful people is focus. Not just that they can sit in a room and get the work done, but that they have a specific goal in mind. Successful people can narrow down and focus on the one thing that they know is important. Just look at someone like Walt Disney. His focus was on quality and innovation. For him it wasn’t about making money, it was about lifting the hearts of children and not with chintzy products. Disney even said that “quality will out.” He focused on quality and what did that result in? A phenomenal empire that spans the globe with him being a household name throughout the world.

6. They Continue to Learn and Better Themselves

Current president of Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios, Ed Catmull wrote in his book Creativity, Inc. that the best thing to do “when faced with a challenge [is to] get smarter.” Successful people don’t assume that they know everything or that they are the smartest people out there. They continue to learn and better themselves and their craft. Some of the most successful people pick up new hobbies consistently throughout their lives and careers to keep their brains active and to help with creativity.

JAMB To Stop The Use Of Scratch Cards For Registration And Result Checking

     

Report has it that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), will soon stop the use of scratch cards for registration and checking of results.

This was disclosed JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyode on Tuesday at the National Executive Council meeting of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) in Abuja.

According to him this will likely become effective from 2017. 

He added that once this becomes effective, students would generate a PIN number for themselves from their phone or computers before registering for examinations.

He frowned at situations whereby banks and vendors hoard the cards, only to sell them at a higher price.

He equally charged NASU members to involve in the ownership of Computer-Based Testing Centres, saying those who own the centres are businessmen merely exploiting students.

The Journey These Students Take to School Will Make You Value Education

Most of us caught the bus, got dropped off by our parents, or walked a couple of blocks to school. And most of us have been late on our journeys to school once or a few too many times. When we were late, there was always the excuse of traffic, the bus broke down, or we missed it because we were talking to our friends. Over all, our journeys to school were pretty routine.

When it comes to getting into a routine, we tend to take advantage of things. In this case, our education. We knew the different routes to get to school the fastest and we knew classes would be in session when we got there. We didn’t have to worry about walking through a war zone, journeying for five hours through icy mountains, or tightrope walks above a flowing river to get to school.  

  

At some point we’ve been guilty of not caring about our education and complaining about having to go to school. But after learning about what these students around the world have to experience on their journeys to school, you may just realize how lucky we are and how precious education is.

Children in Sanghiang Tanjung, Indonesia venture across a broken suspension bridge.

Children from Batu Busuk village in Sumatra, Indonesia, tightrope walk 30 feet above a flowing river, followed by a 7-mile walk.

In the Philippines, elementary school students use inflated tubes to cross a river on the way to school in Rizal Province, followed by at least one hour of walking.

Vietnam students swim twice a day across a river to attend school at Trong Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district

In Columbia, kids who live in the rainforest journey to school down steel cables at 50 miles per hour.

It’s a 125 mile journey for boarding school students in China through mountains of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Parents take their children through the Himalayas across ice and frost to boarding school.

A young girl in refugee camp Shuafat, near Jerusalem, walks to school despite the violence taking place between Israeli troops and Palestinian protestors.

These pictures of various journeys to school are to put some perspective of the common complaint we hear of “I don’t want to go to school today”. While some of us take school and educational opportunities for granted, there are young children around the world whose journeys to school are risky but, to them, it’s worth it all to get to school and learn.

Do you think your education is worth the risk? Maybe instead of teaching students how to get rich or what they need to do to get the best job out there, we should be teaching students how to value education.

THINGS UNDERGRADUATES WISH THEY HAD KNOWN

1. Take it seriously.

You’re on your own and you can make your own decisions, like partying all night and skipping class the next day. Respect the fact that you worked hard to get admitted to the university and that your future is right around the corner. Have fun when you can, but prioritize your schoolwork. Contrary to popular belief, you are really at a university to get an education and in the future your grades will matter. So try not to slack off your fresher year and then have to spend the rest of your undergraduate years trying to make up for that rough first session. The first session of a university is the most important in terms of building grades. You will want to make sure you start on a high note as it gets more difficult maintaining your CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) as you go higher. It’s a myth that the workload in year one is the highest. While it may appear as such, in reality, the workload never ends. Infact, year one is the easiest as what you will be doing wouldn’t be strange to you. Courses will be more like what you’ve learned in high school.

2. If you don’t like your course, change it. Or at least try to.
This cannot be taken lightly as a lot of the courses people are admitted in for are not their courses of first choice. Look, if you know the course you’re taking now is not for you, please apply for change of department. It’s even easy now to change departments within a faculty. Even if it means you may have to restart, it will be worth it at the end. You don’t want to spend the rest of your 3 or 4 years in school lamenting about how you don’t like maths or how the number of courses you offer in a semester is too many. When you resume, look at your department handbook. If it’s not what you thought it’ll be, you are still a fresher and now is the time to do something about it. You don’t want to join the 90% of Unilag students who are not happy with their course of study.

3. Befriend your 4Cs
Your 4Cs are your Course Advisor, Course Representative, Course Seniors and Course Lecturers.
Course advisor: Meeting with your course advisor is important. He/She is the one who sign off your academic evaluation, which lets you know which courses you’ve already taken and how many credit units you still need to graduate. Every course has a curriculum model, usually pre-arranged with a class schedule for each semester. Some classes have pre-requisites, but you can usually play around with the order. Your course advisor is your go-to when you have any questions regarding your academics. Trust me, you will want to be in a good relationship with whoever the person is. The person can make or mar your career in the University.
Course Representative AKA Class rep AKA Class governor: If you’re not going to be friends with anybody, at least be friends with your class rep (Class captain). He is the primary source of information. Remember…
Information = knowledge
Knowledge = Power
Power = Favour
Favour = Good grades
Therefore,            Information = Good grades
This is even more prominent when you befriend your..
Course Lecturers: This one is a no-brainer. When you get the favour of lecturers, it can transmit to good grades directly or indirectly. Although it is rare for professors to lecture freshers, if it happens, you will want to make him/her your friend. Hell no! Make him your bestie. You cannot joke with the kind of influence professors have.
Course Seniors: Your course seniors can guide you through out your Fresher year. They can provide you with materials and reality checks you’ll need to progress to the next level.
P:S You’ll also want to be careful with both your course lecturers and seniors. You’re a fresher and whether you admit it or not, you’re bit vulnerable. So ladies, beware of those lecturers that call you to their offices all the time and seniors that always want to meet up at night.

4. Do All What You can do Now.
Infact do all what is available to do now. Your year 1 is the time of your schooling when you’re most full of energy; when your expectations have not yet been dashed. In clearer Yoruba terms, when “tișa o ti fő ę lę epon”. So your medicals, bio data forms, especially your medicals… complete it. Meet with a program counsellor at least once to make sure you’re on track to satisfy all of the requirements for graduation (like your medicals). Many people end up taking a huge chunk of their valuable final year time completing their medicals or more costly having an extra year of school because they misunderstood what counted as a science elective for a history compulsory course. You don’t want to make that mistake. Other students get stuck because they don’t realize that the courses required for graduation may be there one semester but *poof* are gone the next. Sure, they’ll be offered again, but sometimes not in time to fit in with your master plan for life. So, if a prerequisite is available now, take it now!


SOURCE: Sugarbrand

HOW EDUCATION AND SCHOOL IS KILLING OUR NATURAL CREATIVITY

Is it a coincidence that pretty much all children,teenagers and youths love to write stories, have fantastic imaginations, enjoy getting messy, painting, making music, inventing characters, acting out plays, drawing and making things?

 Why don’t we carry this natural capacity throughout adulthood? Why would nature intend us to lose these gifts? The global creativity gap in five of the world’s largest economies, with the look of things shows 8 in 10 people feel that unlocking creativity is critical to economic growth and nearly two-thirds of respondents feel creativity is valuable to society, yet a striking minority – only 1 in 4 people – believe they are living up to their own creative potential. 

More than half of those checked feel that creativity is being stifled by their education systems, and many believe creativity is taken for granted . Particularly in Nigeria for instance,all our parents know is education, only 20% of our parents check out our talent and encourage us to develop it.That discourages lots of children and even teenagers. 

Using myself as a perfect example,i would say i love acting and want to develop it later in life but all i get from my parents is ” theatre artiste are all bad and most of them not make it like ,doctors,lawyers and the likes”. Seriously an average teenager would lost or rather throw away that dream. With reference, i’d say,most Nigerian artiste,actors,dancers,musicians started at the early stage of their lives,e.g;Emmanuella [the young commedian],Ada [the little girl who dances],et ce teria. Of course these talents cant rub off on the sands of time,it has come to an extent where they make good influence and encouragement and even challenge to youths,teenagers and children But on the part of education what do we get; politicians with evil intentions,unemployed citizens turning thugs due to discouragement on the part of their talents. 

For some of the more creative kids,teenagers and youths, their creativity will help them survive their standardized school years. For others, this standardization crushes their passions, spirits, joy. I believe the biggest ethical travesty of our times is extinguishing a child’s passion. 

ABAYOMI DELLA ADEOLA, 
FACULTY OF LAW, 
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY.

Ways Students can Stay Productive While Studying

While students try to achieve good results in education, this process may be labor-intensive. So, they need to stay focused and productive. One way to become productive is to organize a working place right. No matter where you study, at university or home, you need to keep your workplace organized.
Here come seven must-try ways to stay productive while studying.

  

1.    Get Rid of Extra Stuff
If you want to save your time, clean up your writing desk. Use lockers to hide unnecessary stuff: drafts, books, and utensils should be there if you don’t use them. But, it is better to keep important things closer to you. You need to have a lamp, stickers, a pen/pencil next to you. Organize your writing desk to boost productivity.

2.    Put Live Plants
Live plants not only clean the air but boost spirits. Besides, they reduce stress. Decorate your writing desk with plants to see what impact they have on your productivity. Explore more about the best plants for your home.

3.    Use Modern Gadgets
Students live in the digital era today, getting the most out of technological progress. While students surf the Internet to learn something, many gadgets can help them do this, too. For example, one can se a digital highlighter to translate, save, and transfer te

4.    Paint Your Walls
Two colors impact productivity and focus: blue and green. Many students are on a tight budget, but there is always a way out. Repairing is often expensive, but you can always ask friends to help with a renovation for free. Ask them to do you a favor: Paint your room together.

5.    Find a Place For Inspiration
No matter how much time you spend on education, you need some inspiration to succeed. The educational process is not only about studying but inspiring. Find a cozy place where you can put favorite books, quotes or paintings, and a music box. If you feel tired, come to this non-computer zone and relax.

6.    Pick Up a Comfortable Chair
If you want to reduce a risk of health disorders and promote a good posture, think of choosing a comfortable chair. It should support the lower back and be cozy to sit. You better write down this advice, as it’s useful indeed.

7.    Study Standing

Scientists claim that study/work standing can strengthen your back and neck. Try to read books or articles while standing to see whether it can help you improve your health.

ASUU Set To Embark On A Nationwide Warning Strike

Report has it that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), will on October 2nd begin a warning strike to press home their demands.

According to the ASUU Chairman, University of Abuja, Dr. Ben, since the Federal Government has refused to implement the demands of the union, the union has no option but to embark on a warning strike to let the FG know members of the union are not jokers.

He further stated that if at the end of the warning strike the situation remains the same, then union will commence an indefinite strike.

2016/2017 Admission Screening and Registration Instructions

Registration and screening Exercise will commence from Monday 29th August, 2016 and closes on Monday 14th September, 2016. Details of registration procedure are as follows:

Step 1: Logon to http://portal.ksu.edu.ng/putme    
 Step 2: On Admission Menu displayed on the right-hand side, click "Registration Steps" and read iinstructions carefully  

 Step 3: Kindly Login with your JAMB Registration Number e.g 66510415CA and use the word "password" as your inital password to logon to the portal    

 Step 7: Once you are logged in, you will be prompted to update the underlisted data:  

1. Passport Photograph (20KB with Red background)
2. Valid Phone Number
3. Valid Email Address
4. Nationality
5. Religion
6. Date of Birth

  Note: Ensure to use a valid email Address and Phone Number you can b contacted on if need arises. Also, always check this mail for updates and information  

 Step 8: After updating your information, a confirmation link will be sent to your email box provided. Logon to your E-mail and click on the account activation link to verify your registration details.  

  Step 4: Once you have successfully verified your account, you will be prompted to Pay for your Pre-Admission Screening Fee of N2,500.  

   Step 5: On your screen, You will be provided with two payment gateway i.e Zenith Bank X-path and Interswitch payment Platform (See image)   Kindly select the Interswitch (CollegePay) Payment Platform. You will be prompted to confirm the transaction, simply click "Ok" on the pop-up to proceed


                                   
     Step 6: You will be prompted again to Confirm your Payment Information including your Transaction Reference, Click on "Pay" button to Proceed once confirmed.     Step 7: Enter your ATM card details  

1. Select your ATM card type (e.g Verve or Master Card)
2. Enter your Card Number on the front side of the card
3. Enter Card Expiry Date and the card CVV2  (the 3 digits on the reverse side of the card)
4. Enter your card pin
5. Click on "Pay" button when you are done

  Please note:  (Do not Refresh your browser while the process is going on to avoid multiple deductions from your account. If nothing is displayed after 10 minutes, close the browser and restart again).
   Note: An Email containing the receipt of the transaction will be sent to your E-mail..  

 Step 9: Once Payment have been completed successfully Click on the "Upload O'Level Results" link at the left hand corner of the screen to complete your registration. Select Number of Sitting and Enter all the subjects and grade respectively. On completion, click on Complete Registration" button then click OK on the message dialog box.

   Step 10: Print Out your Registration Slip containing the dates and time of Interview and get the under listed documents ready for screening as scheduled on your Registration slip:  

1. Print out of Payment Receipt from your Email box
2. Original Certificate or On-line print out of all O’ Level results i.e WAEC, NECO, etc, as specified during the registration
3. Online Prnt of UTME Result Slip

    Step 11: You can review your submissions as many times as possbile on/before the cosing date       

Important Information   All candidates are expected to be at the screening center an hour before their scheduled time and with the required documents

SOURCE : KSU PORTAL

DEADLY MISTAKES NIGERIAN UNDERGRADUATE MAKE

‘’I just want to finish with this school, go outside and get a good job settle down and move on with my life.” Was what a friend said some days back while we had a chat at the “buka”. abeg nor ask me wetin i go find for there! in this world where there are scarcity of employment opportunities, I find it absolutely repugnant and repulsive for one to think in this manner. Thinking is free sha, but em.. you have to be realistic if you really want to be a difference! What my friend said actually led me to write this piece, on the mistakes we made before we became a graduate and how you can avoid these same mistakes, experience is the best teacher, though true, there are lots of disadvantages learning from your experience; it is very expensive. 

It is always better to learn from other people’s experience, it will save you from falling into a situation that will have a lifelong trade mark on your life. One of the mistakes we made before we became a graduate is not working to earn a money, when we find ourselves relying on our parent for support, they took care of virtually every aspect of our academic endeavor, from the school fees, to our feeding allowance, wardrobe and many others, all we knew was how to spend money. This has put many of us in a difficult position to earn money after school. I recently spoke with a female friend on where she would like to work after school and she said the embassy. Just because she studied International Studies and Relations automatically guarantees her a place at the embassy. If by the time you graduate your dream job does not show up, what will be your next line of action? Then you wish you have gotten principles on how to make money. 

It’s not too late to start now, to be sincere with you, life begin the moment you begin to assume responsibility for your actions, it is time you take responsibility for yourself, your age should not be a barrier, and you are not too young or too old to doing something financially rewarding. I have always been a critic of formal education without skill; it is unfortunate that modern educational system is overrated in the world especially in Nigeria. According to statistics, almost all Nigerian homes today have graduate, but I have also asked a basic question, how many home has employed or employable graduate? Many folks want to be done with the tertiary and go get employment, nobody wants to create job or even be self sustainable. 

A lot of person outside today have degrees but they are not educated, education empowers you for success on every area of your life, while Academics on the other hand focuses on certificates, we must make a distinction between these two, the only way to make them work out is to use you academics promote your education, and you can do this by thinking outside the box. One great mistake many graduates made before graduating was not thinking outside the box. Now to the undergraduates; you must prepare yourself for world without certificate, yes! I quite agree that we must strive to be the best in school, accumulating good grades also does help, what happens if the certificate cannot not fetch you your desirable job, what will you do? You must prepare yourself for a plan B, when plan A fails, plan B should not.

 In other to avoid this, as you pursue your academic endeavor, also acquire a vocational skill; we have a lot of them that can serve you a means of earning a living while in school. For those who have graduated, acquire a skill and you will be better for it. Many have the conception that there is still enough time, I once saw myself in this disposition too but there are consequences if you think this way, and one of them is that you tend to live your life carelessly, by the time you realize that you are no longer a baby, you must have wasted a reasonable amount of your years doing nothing. You have no reason not to start making money early in life; in fact it is even more advantageous, it is better to be doing something than to do nothing.

 Looking at the world we find ourselves, those making the real cash are not those working with their certificates, I am very sure you will agree with me on that. Can I ask you a question? What services can you render that people will have to pay for? Have you wondered to ask yourself that question? To survive in this ever growing world, you must have something that people will pay for, if you don’t have one, it’s time you try as much as you can to provide services in exchange for money, the more the services you are able to render, the richer you will become. Think about it! The first book I bought with my money was, How to get what you want by Nido Quebein; New discoveries on how to reach your potential. I bought that book for less than 3000 naira then in 2007, and since I bought that book, I have not seen another copy elsewhere. My emphasis here is that, many of us don’t have the habit of reading, a lot have been said about hiding something from a black man in a book, as absurd as it sounds, that is the truth, many find it difficult to buy books for self development, I am not talking about the school books that you are been forced to buy while you are in school, I am talking about inspirational and motivational books that will enrich your mental capacity, books that will develop you entrepreneurial skills, even devotional sef e hard for some to buy! We must learn to cultivate the habit of reading, readers make leaders. 

Try something new today and be above your peers. It is very important we strive to reach our potential, we must learn to always work to our optimum capacity, a lot of us are under utilizing our gifts. Search yourself and work towards achieving greatness.

CULLED FROM LAWRENZI'S BLOG