HOW TO BE FIRST-CLASS STUDENT IN SCHOOL
Let me remind you once again, the one thing first class students have more than you is the First-Class mindset, trust me, it can’t be beaten. Once you have that mindset working towards it looks easy. I know this is not the case for average students, some average students had that mindset leaving home too but they end up retreating in the institution. That’s also a case, you can pick the vibe back. You just have to want to. Re-Focus, re-purpose and you will join that revered league. Consistency is an important aspect of learning and the outcome you achieve will at least, commensurate with the input you had, if done right.
So, let’s see other attitudes the first-class students have:
ATTITUDE 5: NEVER MISS CA’s
We discussed aiming higher in the above section, that might not be possible without CA (Continuous Assessment). Some schools or colleges have the principle of failing students who do not have C.A record. Sometimes, it’s akind of a personal thing for the lecturer, whatever case it may be, never miss any C.A or let me say make sure you have a C.A record, this is very important. It is a source of compassion when upgrading marks. It is easy to fail a student because of the absence of CA marks than it is with someone with a CA however weak. Cumulatively, C.As carry up to 30 marks. WHAT? 30 marks? Yes, that’s a lot of mark not to joke with and in some cases it can be up to 40 marks.
30 marks? Yes, that’s a lot of mark!
When you aim for “A” and you score let’s say 15 in your C.A, your work becomes easier in the exam but imagine not having C.A record at all and aiming for “A”, as possible as that might still be, it takes a lot more effort more than usual to achieve. Like scoring 70/70 in your exam. 70! not 69 not 69.5 but 70! Hmm, that’s something a first-class student would not risk. Don’t risk it too.
ATTITUDE 6: COURSE UNDER-ESTIMATION
This is what the first-class student don’t and never do. Don’t underestimate any course. Some student tends to ignore the importance of a course sometimes because of the simplicity of the course at the beginning of the semester or how simple it looks even in the middle of the semester, this is not good. Some courses look very easy in class until you are left with it inside the exam hall. Sometimes they are very easy as they seem but trust me, lecturers do know how to make easy courses seem complex in both CA and exams. You have to beat the underestimation spirit before it finishes you. How to beat it? Practise past questions, do all class exercises and assignments, even more, make sure they are as simple as they look in the class right in your brain. Don’t overlook them for any reasons.
Another reason why students underestimate some courses is because of the credit unit assigned to them. For example, students tend to pay more attention to 3 credit unit courses than the 2 credits and also more attention on 2 credits than the 1 credits. This may not be a bad thing if you know what you are doing. However, it is risky, while 3 credit unit courses are heavier on GP scale than 2 and 1 for sure and should be treated with more attention, it doesn’t make the rest courses less important. Infact, methinks they are as important to pass as the 3 credit unit courses too. Don’t underestimate courses because of their assigned credit units. 2 credit unit can take away a point from your CGPA if care is not taken.
ATTITUDE 7: DO A PERSONAL TIMETABLE — USE A CALENDAR
It is an easy trap to think “I can do XYZ tomorrow” or “I’ll finish X after this event” and suddenly realize two weeks have gone by. Avoid this trap by scheduling time into your day that is dedicated to your learning! This time maybe after lunch or before dinner. You might put aside 30 minutes in the evening. However, it fits into your life, be sure to schedule it there. This will ensure that it pops up like a regular reminder: time to revise a course, time to prepare for supervisor meeting, time to submit my project for assessment etc. Don’t do things randomly, otherwise, you see random results.
ATTITUDE 8: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Have faith in your abilities, don’t allow anybody to discourage or scare you by telling you they will not give you first class. But truly first class is not given but earned. Always have a dream of being the best in whatever you come to do in life and give it your best shot at pursuing this dream. Believe you can do it if others can, you wouldn’t know what you are capable of until you try it.
ATTITUDE 9: PRAY MORE
As they say, work hard and pray even harder. You can’t do it alone. Pray to God in whatever language you can and by the teachings of whatever religion you endorse. No doubt, in many cases, prayer had proven to be an effective way of achieving goals BUT when accompanied intentionally with some work. So, put in the hard work and pray. You might think you got it all figured out. Remember it’s not by giving back the marking scheme as your answer. You might give back your answers in the best of forms (i.e as close to the marking scheme) but your result get missing. Those unpredictable cause of failure after hard work are best left with God. So pray, pray and pray.
