Unlocking Your Academic Excellence Potential
In this short brief, we will give guidelines on how to excel in your academics and describe a little of my experiences where applicable.
There is no clear-cut path to excel academically. The paths taken by people who have exceled in their various departments of study are in no way the same. My experiences are peculiar to me. It may not work for another person. One of the most important things is to first and foremost know yourself as it all depends on you ultimately. The points below might not be the most suitable for your academic field, but generally they can be adapted to stir the ship of your academic sojourn. They tips on how to conduct yourselves and cultivate a reading habit right from the beginning of the semester to the time for examinations.
During the Semester
- Know Yourself
I want to believe that you chose your course of study yourself. If yes, it means that you have chosen what you would like to see yourself doing in the near future. It also means that you know yourself and your capabilities to an extent. For those who have their courses chosen for them by circumstances, they can also excel in that department. Look inward and ask yourself the following kind of questions.
- How do I like to read?
- Is there a particular time of day I like to read certain subjects?
- Do I like to study alone or in a group?
- Do I like to read my own hand writing (note writing)? Or do I prefer to read directly from a textbook or someone else’s notes? Which do I understand better?
- What environment do I like to read in? Totally quiet? Semi quiet? Noisy? With music?
- What is my study pattern? Do I need to take breaks in between reading or can I finish my reading and then take a break?
For me, I preferred to read my own writing. So, I wrote notes that was easy for me, and any other person using my notes, to understand. I preferred to write notes or do calculation courses during the day and do other courses in the evenings.
Bottom line, Know what works for you.
- You are not an Island
You can never go wrong when you ask questions. It is always good to ask questions. Ask about the courses and the lectures from senior students. Ask for clarification of subjects/concepts you do not understand from the lecturers or your fellow students. Also, when you do understand, share the knowledge with your course mates. It helps you to understand better. You would be surprised how much contribution they will have to add.
- Know your lecturers
Lecturers and their patterns differ in a variety of ways. This will help you in your preparation. Find out
- Their test and examination pattern; Do they repeat past question over the years or do they set new questions every time? Do they give quizzes as part of tests? Do they give a compulsory question in the exams or choose any 4 or 5 questions that you can answer?
- If they give assignments and if these assignments will come up in the tests also.
- Everything is Important
To excel in all your courses, take all of them seriously irrespective of the course unit. Of course, you will spend more time on the core courses but create adequate time for the others as well. None should be neglected. Also, assignments, tests, examinations, projects, labs, reports and everything else that makes up your assessment should be taken seriously from the start. Grades begin to drop from when you do not do well in any of these aspects. Do not wait until its examinations before your begin to read seriously.
- Read, Understand, Know, Remember
When preparing for tests and examinations, read, expecting to be able to answer all the questions. Leave no chapter/topic unread. Read from cover to cover. Do not cram.
Remember SQ3R method of reading from secondary school? Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. I like to focus more on the 3R part of it. Read a portion of your note. Close your book and try to recall what you just read, that is, Recite it to yourself by writing as much as you can remember. Then open your notes and Review to see what you may have missed.
By doing this over and over, you should be able to recall from memory most of your notes from beginning to the end. Also, by practising this, you will have confidence in your ability to remember and avoid examination misconduct.
- Generally
During the semester, start your reading on time. Preferably after every one or two classes. This helps to reduce the stress of having to crash read when it’s time for test and examination.
Practice problems as much as possible using past questions and other source materials.
Before tests and examinations, try to plan your reading during the day so that you can rest at night. In other words, do not read overnight prior to an exams. That is the essence of starting your reading on time.
Also, eat well before an examination.
- Pray
This is perhaps the most important point of all. Somehow, it works. However, you know you can’t just pray and fold your arms, right? Pray for understanding and insight from God. It helps as you go along.
we wish you all success in your academics and your future endeavours.