8 Best Ways to Excel in Your University Education

It is every good student’s dream to excel academically. No one is ever happy when results do not go as expected. It therefore behooves on us as students to put in our very best to achieve the best in our academics – to make ourselves and those around us proud. I have painstakingly penned down a few of the steps I personally took to attain a good academic score in the university/college and the some do’s and don’ts which will be beneficial to your academics.

To start with, Love your programme, lecturers and courses; get close to them: Most times, people don’t excel in their studies due to the fact that they don’t like the programmes they are offered at college/university. But the truth is, you hardly excel in something you don’t love or give time to. To get the best out of your programme, give your all to it and invest quality time by showing your love towards the programme. Think of it as your programme of study is the solution to a problem in your society and as such you’ll do everything to excel at it to solve that problem in the society.

One other thing is to develop love and interest in the various study courses. 

Know that school authorities take time through to develop the curriculum and incorporate the courses necessary for the each programme of study. It should therefore be noted that no course in your programme is unimportant. Each and every one of the courses is in one way or the other a way to develop your potential and challenge your thinking capacity. Imagine a midwifery student taking a course in entrepreneurship; you might think it is not worth the time and effort. But on a second thought, you will know that, it isn’t just for the classroom. The midwife can set up a side venture or business or even a maternity home, after school, where the entrepreneurship lessons will be important to.

Again, to excel in your courses, love the lecturers and assistants who deliver them. There is this regret I have, which is, I didn’t like a particular course in school due to the way the lecturer delivered and presented the lessons. It therefore affected how I learnt and even how serious I took it. And it has gone a long way to affect me now since I find it a little difficult to implement the course in my line of work. What a pity! All I want to say is, the way you see your lecturers and the attention you give them, go a long way to affect how well you perform in the course or the programme at large. When you love your lecturers and teaching assistants, even when you have little interest for the course, by virtue of your affection and interest for them and the course, you’ll be able to confront them for help and it will have a positively impact at the end.

2. Study groups/discussions and connect with course mates and friends: Human beings are social beings hence our successes and failures are hinged on our associations. As students, good associations have a very positive impact on our academics. I advise any student I come near to, to form or join a study group in school.  Every association is formed based on similar goals and interests and as such, the study group you join must have a goal in tandem with yours.

Having a serious study group does not only put you on your toes to study, but also subconsciously develop traits and character like tolerance, teamwork and role-play, discipline, submissiveness and self-control. It also makes you responsible and able to manage your time. It is good to join a study group but make sure you have something to give and the group also has something to offer you. Set goals at the beginning of forming the group and at the start of every meeting and make sure to achieve most of it before the close of the day. During my school days, I happened to be in a group of about five members. My colleagues and I shared the courses amongst ourselves and each one of us had a topic to present on during each meeting depending on the course we had for the day. I can tell you for a fact that, it doesn’t only make you learn but also makes you go a step further to understand what you learnt and to be able to teach or present it well.  This also builds up your presentation skills.

3. Do all assignments and engage in extra-classroom works: Teaching at the tertiary level isn’t all about being spoon-fed. The student has a part to play in the lessons. This can be in the form of individual assignments, presentations, discussions and group assignments. According to the methods of teaching, the above-mentioned are valid ways of teaching students at this level. It is therefore not strange or wrong for lecturers to diversify teaching by assigning students to work in various forms. Students are often discouraged by such assignments since lecturers teach how to fish herrings in the classroom but require us (students) to catch whales in the given assignments. It even becomes more hectic when you don’t know where to get relevant information, materials or sources for the given assignment.

But we must bear in mind that assignments and extra-classroom works are also approved ways of teaching and learning which are equally capable of enhancing our understanding of the subject matter. We must therefore attach all seriousness and do all given assignments with due diligence. In most colleges or universities, extra-classroom work and assignments form up to about 30% of the course total score at the end of the semester/trimester. Getting more than half of the assigned score betters your chances of scoring higher in final examinations and test to better your grades.

4. Be organized: Being disorganized reduces your efficiency and effectiveness as a student. Disorganization makes you achieve less since things are not properly put in their right order. For instance, not having knowledge of lecture or exam halls prior to lessons or examinations can result in chances of you missing the lecture or exam or getting there late. Organization makes you achieve more even in individual studies. It is important to both organize and plan your activities and your day to ensure high productivity and success as well as reduce the rate of getting stressed up.

5. Attend lectures: Unless you are a distance learning student, attending lectures forms part of assessment and grading for the course studied. Some students have no interest at all attending lectures due to various reasons – some being genuine and others due to sheer indiscipline. But whatever your reason is, being at lecturers not only helps you know how the lecturer poses questions, but discussions and issues that crop up during lectures enables you to solve real life problems and addresses questions you will only get time to ask in the presence of the lecture or teaching assistant. I cannot guarantee you will go for every given lecture, but don’t make it a point to be missing it for no apparent reason at all. Funny enough, there is a high probability of finding a question in exam from a particular lecture I missed or I was late to. And that brings me to the next thing. Being punctual is as important as being regular. If you’ll be there, then be there on time. Being late for class can affect how you will understand what is taught.

6. Identify your learning abilities: Each and every one of us has a unique personality. We also have individual learning abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Some people do not need to go over what they are taught – they are known as fast learners. Others have to repeatedly go over the lessons to grasp what is taught. We have our various strengths and weaknesses so we must make it a point to identify these by carrying out Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis. Some people learn best with music, others do not tolerate the slightest of sound whiles learning. These can enhance or our learning if we make time to get to know ourselves.

7. Attend academic related programmes and engage in extra-curricular activities: Not everything that will cause you to excel can be found in the classroom. Sometimes you’ll need to be out of the classroom to find answers to certain challenges and situations. Educational field trips, excursions and fairs are other ways of learning (outside the classroom). Certain organisations and groups organize events and programmes to build up the capacity of students in numerous ways. Programmes and events like mentorship sessions, entrepreneurship clinics, financial and leadership skills acquisition and so on, may not necessarily be taught in the classroom, but can be had through attending some of such programmes.

8. Set goals: Last but not least, set goals as a student right from the start of the academic year. It is said that if you fail to plan, you then plan to fail. You should have a goal and an aim, and have ways to achieve the set targets. You must be able to plan your end of semester examination right at the start of the semester. This ensures that nothing takes you by surprise. You can have someone assess you and keep you in checks to make sure your goals are met. Have good and measurable indicators such as “at the end of the week, I should have been able to define conflict and conflict resolution as well as list the five different causes of conflict”. Such simple but precise goals can help you achieve good results in your academics.

To end it all, manage your time, finances and resources well as they can have direct and indirect effects on your academics. Make time for leisure or hobbies and relax to reduce stress. Also have time for your maker by attending church/religious activities to build your faith and your spirit.

I have tried and tested the above and have seen the results. It is therefore believed that paying close attention to the above will have great success in their examination and academics.