How to Achieve Academic Excellence

Introduction

During the days of my secondary and pre-degree schools, I saw many students working very hard to perform excellently well in their results.
When I came to the university, I noticed the zeal of many students to study and make it soundly in their individual departments has decreased. But the truth still remains that majority of the students want to have their results and their academic performance to be outstanding in all respect. What is the secret for performing exceptionally well in your field of study as a student? This write-up is structured to assist students both those in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. This is written based on my experience during my study in secondary and university. I was selected as the senior prefect of my secondary school because I was doing great in my study. So, I decided to shear this for all students to learn from their past mistakes and start doing great in their individual institutions.


How to Achieve Academic Excellence 

Punctuality. This is starting point of every academic student who wants to make it great in his or her education. All students are to be in their individual classes before any teacher enters classroom. It shows that student is serious with his study. When you are punctual in class, you have a choice to select any best part of classroom. Selecting best part will make you understand what teachers teach during lessons. Undergraduates in some tertiary institutions perform poorly because they attend lectures late. They find it difficult to listen to lectures being given by lecturers because lecture halls are crowded. Crowded classrooms are common in some parts of African countries. Any student that does not want to find it difficult in listening to lectures given by lecturers in this part of the world must work hard and attend lectures on time. Also, educating persons that attend lessons on time have good opportunity of jotting what lecturers teach in lecture halls.

   
Assignment. This is where many students fail as some of them are too lazy to do home works given to them by their teachers. I have seen many primary school students who do not perform the assignments given to them by their teachers because of their laziness. Their hope was to copy from the students that must have done theirs when they get to school. Who is now fooling who? Same thing is observed in tertiary institutions. Some group of lazy students do not solve their assignments with the hope of printing from others. If you are the type that likes copying already done assignments by other students, how sure are you that what you copied was correct? You can do better than the person you copied from if you would have done the assignments yourself. Solving assignments given to you by your lecturer makes you understand more on that topic. It is better for you to stress yourself and carry out assignment and know more on that topic instead of duplicating from others. Assignment given by your lecturer could be one of his exam questions. When you must have done it, you stand the chance of performing good and sharp in examinations. What shall it profit you to copy another person work and fail in examinations?  I advice you not to duplicate any work that is not your own. Try and be original by solving assignments yourself. When every student in a department copies the same thing, lecturer will know and this will make him to score all low. But when your own work is exceptional, you stand the chance of having greater score than others. Originality and uniqueness is the answer.           


Preparation. As a student, you are to get prepared at all time. You do not need to wait for your teacher to say the date for test before you start preparing for it. A cleaver student is to read from time to time. Reading from time to time will make you master all subjects that you offer in your class. Let me give you a hint on mathematical related topics. You do not read Mathematics but solve the questions on it. Students should not be afraid of any subject. During my junior secondary school classes, I was afraid of Mathematical questions. The teacher that was taking my class on Mathematics class usually whips me with cane whenever he asked question to me. The reason is because I did not know much on that subject. You can ask me my status in Mathematics when I entered senior secondary class. I became fire in Mathematics. What made me to be that? I started practising Mathematics instead of reading it. I also removed fear from my diary; met those who were good in Mathematics and they assisted me. You have to solve your Mathematical subjects always in order to get prepared for any test and remove fear within you. When you are prepared, you will be ready to face any quiz at any moment. Preparing for quiz will make you to accept any quiz date when declared by your lecturer instead of joining the unprepared who always say that the lecturer should postpone the quiz. Say no to laziness and always get prepared for tests.
      

Know your lecturers. Every lecturer or teacher has his way of teaching. You need to know the pattern of question your lecturer will set on the examination day. Without knowing this, most of your effort to make outstanding grades in your area of study will be a waste of time. Does that your lecturer likes long sentences as answer from students? Does he prefer answers to be given in short sentences? These are things you need to know from your lecturers. One of my lecturers always advises students to give answers to his questions in one short sentence. He made it clear that any answer with more than one sentences will have no mark awarded to it. I advise you to get closer to your lecturer or teacher to know him more. When you are in good terms with your lecturer, he can advise you on areas of his course to read. Do not be the kind of students that hate their lecturers because of one reason or the other. Your lecturer will always give listening ears to you when you are in close relationship with him. Do not say that your lecturer is wicked and because of that hate him. When you hate any lecturer, you are the one to loose and not him.


Timetable. It is what guides students on days and time to read certain courses. Well structured timetable acts as propelling force on students. It engages students to do justice to all courses by carrying all the subjects he studies along without leaving anyone behind. Students who make use of timetable are time conscious and this restricts them from engaging in unnecessary activities in their schools. He hurries into his room once it is time for a particular subject and starts studying. Timetable is very important and any student who truly obeys its rule makes good grades in examinations. Some students have tried timetable but did not meet up with it. You as a reader of this electronic book may be one of them. Let me advice you, it is better to force yourself and meet up with your timetable than to leave it and lose everything. Have your timetable and give this idea a trial.


Revision. Most instructors give pictures of their examination questions during revision week. Are you a student? Do you want to make good grades in your department? Do you want to be recognised as one of the best students in your department? If your answer is yes, you do not need to be absent during the revision week in your institution. This is where many teachers tell you what to do and what not to do on the examination day. So, you need to attend revision classes and attend them on time. Do not say that you will collect note from your friend when he comes back from revision class. Please make sure you are there in the class for revision.


In conclusion, detailed explanations have been given on how to perform excellently as a student. These points are to be considered if you want to achieve great result in your area of study. It is applicable in all departments and levels of study you find yourself. The ways through which students can perform well academically are making use of timetable, punctuality, doing assignments, attending revision classes and studying their teachers.