You know the drill, if you want to do well in school, study
hard. But it isn’t always as simple as it looks. Sometimes,
even after giving your best the results on the score sheets
hits you way below the belt. This week, Saturday School Life,
SSL, shows you that it is not just hard work, but smart work
that counts. Here are some surprising, yet legitimate ways
you can better, one course at a time:
Get noticed for good
Engaging in eye service just so you can get in your lecturer’s
good graces will most definitely backfire, but getting noticed
for good is a totally different ball game altogether. It means
asking relevant questions and giving relevant answers in
class. It means being on time and on your best behaviour.
Ethically, being the lecturer’s friend should not give you any
marks, but by being a good student, you’re less likely to lose
marks.
At least don’t get noticed for bad
Perhaps you’re on the quiet side and would much rather
stay in your shell. That is fine, people like you get As all the
time. It’s better to remain undercover than to get noticed for
bad traits. Ethically, lecturers are not supposed to give you
scores based on behaviour unrelated to your performance,
but education around the world is a subjective thing. If
there’s some mistake in your results, it would be more
difficult to approach your lecturer if you’re notorious for
being late, unserious or rude.
Go the extra mile with assignments
Apart from hoping your prior preparations would be enough
to see you through, there’s almost nothing else you can do
in an examination hall. Not so with assignments. If you can
get past the fire brigade approach to getting assignments
done, you are more likely to do excellently in a course. This
is because you have more than enough resources at your
disposal. If the situation demands, don’t just settle for
normal assignment formats. Research more materials,
reference properly, find out what make the lecturer’s
intellect tick, and do it!
Have a good relationship with classmates and lecturers
Relationships run the world. Not the familiarity concept that
gets many people in trouble, but the mutual respect that
should thrive in academic environment. Having
relationships with lecturers might mean that you’re more
likely to be privy to information that others might not be.
This does not include illegitimate stuff like being exposed to
test questions, but it helps you understand the lecturer
more. You could find out if he likes lengthy responses or
short answers; his take on a controversial subject in your
field of study etc. The important thing is not just to study the
course, but the lecturer as well.
Tutorials or no tutorials?
The issue of whether or not to attend tutorials is almost
always a sore spot for students. Some tutorials organised by
off campus merchants tend to go away from the scheme of
work. Sometimes other times, tutors can clearer than
lecturers.
Even if you must attend tutorials, make sure you are at par
with what the lecturer taught in class. If the tutorial is
organised by the lecturer, don’t miss it for anything. If it is
organised by someone who has done the course before, find
out if he/she was taught by the same lecturer. If not, be sure
he/she is also at par with your lecturers style as well as any
changes the lecturer must have made.
Back to the Basics
You know those ‘cliches’ about studying hard, doing
assignments on time, attending class and refusing to cheat?
They still apply to academic success. Maybe that’s why they
have been around for so long.
Go beyond the scope
Whether or not you get an A, the true essence of education
is what it can do in the real world. So be sure you don’t just
limit yourself to what is taught in class.
Find out more. Be more practical in the knowledge you gain.
Even if it doesn’t help you in that course, it sure will in the
examinations of life..
hard. But it isn’t always as simple as it looks. Sometimes,
even after giving your best the results on the score sheets
hits you way below the belt. This week, Saturday School Life,
SSL, shows you that it is not just hard work, but smart work
that counts. Here are some surprising, yet legitimate ways
you can better, one course at a time:
Get noticed for good
Engaging in eye service just so you can get in your lecturer’s
good graces will most definitely backfire, but getting noticed
for good is a totally different ball game altogether. It means
asking relevant questions and giving relevant answers in
class. It means being on time and on your best behaviour.
Ethically, being the lecturer’s friend should not give you any
marks, but by being a good student, you’re less likely to lose
marks.
At least don’t get noticed for bad
Perhaps you’re on the quiet side and would much rather
stay in your shell. That is fine, people like you get As all the
time. It’s better to remain undercover than to get noticed for
bad traits. Ethically, lecturers are not supposed to give you
scores based on behaviour unrelated to your performance,
but education around the world is a subjective thing. If
there’s some mistake in your results, it would be more
difficult to approach your lecturer if you’re notorious for
being late, unserious or rude.
Go the extra mile with assignments
Apart from hoping your prior preparations would be enough
to see you through, there’s almost nothing else you can do
in an examination hall. Not so with assignments. If you can
get past the fire brigade approach to getting assignments
done, you are more likely to do excellently in a course. This
is because you have more than enough resources at your
disposal. If the situation demands, don’t just settle for
normal assignment formats. Research more materials,
reference properly, find out what make the lecturer’s
intellect tick, and do it!
Have a good relationship with classmates and lecturers
Relationships run the world. Not the familiarity concept that
gets many people in trouble, but the mutual respect that
should thrive in academic environment. Having
relationships with lecturers might mean that you’re more
likely to be privy to information that others might not be.
This does not include illegitimate stuff like being exposed to
test questions, but it helps you understand the lecturer
more. You could find out if he likes lengthy responses or
short answers; his take on a controversial subject in your
field of study etc. The important thing is not just to study the
course, but the lecturer as well.
Tutorials or no tutorials?
The issue of whether or not to attend tutorials is almost
always a sore spot for students. Some tutorials organised by
off campus merchants tend to go away from the scheme of
work. Sometimes other times, tutors can clearer than
lecturers.
Even if you must attend tutorials, make sure you are at par
with what the lecturer taught in class. If the tutorial is
organised by the lecturer, don’t miss it for anything. If it is
organised by someone who has done the course before, find
out if he/she was taught by the same lecturer. If not, be sure
he/she is also at par with your lecturers style as well as any
changes the lecturer must have made.
Back to the Basics
You know those ‘cliches’ about studying hard, doing
assignments on time, attending class and refusing to cheat?
They still apply to academic success. Maybe that’s why they
have been around for so long.
Go beyond the scope
Whether or not you get an A, the true essence of education
is what it can do in the real world. So be sure you don’t just
limit yourself to what is taught in class.
Find out more. Be more practical in the knowledge you gain.
Even if it doesn’t help you in that course, it sure will in the
examinations of life..
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