Impact Of Good Academic Grades And Personal Qualities On Labour Market Success

GOOD ACADEMIC GRADES AND PERSONAL QUALITIES: "KEY DETERMINANTS OF LABOUR MARKET SUCCESS."

It is so good that you have taken this audacious step! I mean, making the decision to take your education to tertiary level and even beyond. Getting this far was not easy, I know. No doubt, you have endured many rainy and sunny days. You have gone through the bustle and hassle of elementary education, basic education, secondary education; and you have even done various examinations that range from WASSCE, NECO, UTME and post UTME.

Now, here you are! An undergraduate hoping to be a graduate in the nearest few years; serves his father land, and land a ‘very well paying job’ for himself. Good, you have envisioned well! But, truth be told; all these may possibly remain a mirage, or might I simply say ‘fantasy’, if you fail to strive for good grades and work on your personal qualities and traits.
You need not be told that this country has become so fiercely competitive that only those who possess the prerequisites are making head way and getting to the peak. As a student, graduate to be, and a potential job seeker, the prerequisites to becoming successful in the corporate world are your good academic grade and personal qualities.

The growth of this country’s population has become so exponential that we now find it hard to balance our needs with resources. By implication, Jobs that were always readily available for graduates in the 70s and 80s, have become so scarce that companies now take different stringent measures to streamline the number of applicants that can apply for their openings. One of such measures is setting ‘minimum academic grade’.

Except and unless you are not interested in working under anyone; if you do, I sincerely urge you to strive for good grades in your academics. Although, a high academic grade is not an ‘end’ in itself, but it is sure a very good ‘means to an end’. A good academic grade gives you an identity and recognition. It endears you to employers and carves attention to you. Good academic grade gives you competitive edge and you will need not be disturbed by minimum grades set by employers. However, all that said, I need to sincerely tell you that getting good grades takes sheer hard work and self-discipline. It takes perseverance and self-determination. You must be ready to pay the price and give all it takes. You need to set the goal and ensure that you diligently work towards it.

Now, after your good grade has gotten you those appointments for interview, the next thing that could either make or mar you in the journey of landing a good job are your personal skills and qualities. It is good that you have good academic grade! But, beyond that, the employers want to see what you are bringing to table. They want to see your demeanor, communication prowess – the usage of the queen’s language, your analytical skill, your professional etiquette, among others. Every employee of an organization is presumed to be a brand representative of that organization. Hence, no ‘image conscious’ organization would be willing to have a mediocre has its representative.

In conclusion, evaluate yourself today and try to figure out those personal traits, if any, that can mar your success and try to do away with them. That might require that you stop some of the things you currently do or even avoid some of your friends. You need to try as much as possible to cultivate those excellent qualities and also try to put-in for skills that you know would place you in a better position in the labor market.

I pray that we will all get to the mountain top after our sojourn in our various campuses.


Beautiful day to you all.

8 Things You Must Do Before Concluding Your NYSC Programme

Job hunting could be an uphill task for most fresh graduates considering the fact that it is a game of the survival of the fittest.Below are a list of 8 things you must get done while serving your nation to be better positioned for the job hunt especially in the private sector.

1.DECIDE ON THE KIND OF JOB YOU WANT: The first thing you must do is to take a decision on the kind of job you want.You can even stream line it down to the list of companies you would want to work for, that way you know what you are preparing for and how to go about it. It amuses me when job hunters come to an office and are asked what kind of job do you want and they go like “oga, any job”. Any job is no job dude, take a decision today because it will determine a whole lot of things in your preparation.

2.RESEARCH: Carry out a research on the company(ies) you would like to work with. It baffles me how people submit their CVs to companies they know little or nothing about. A little research will do you some good. Get to know a thing or two about their history, the people, their organizational culture, their vision and their mission statement.

3.PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Acquire at least one professional certification. This is why you should decide first on the choice of career/job you want as it will help you decide on which professional course to go for. Don’t be a party to the band wagon mentality that is prevalent among corps members. Everybody is going for project management, therefore must you too go for project management? Everybody in your lodge is enrolling for NIM, so you too must enroll for NIM. That is not true. Get to find out the professional certification that best suits your dream job. All you may just need is a course on safety or data base management. Trust me!

4.SKILL ACQUSITION: Please learn a new skill. Get your hands on something, so when they ask you, what can you do? You can provide a definite answer, instead of just telling them what you studied. What you studied and what you can do are two distinct things altogether. This is very important especially for my friends with a background in social sciences. A good skill acquired could also be handy pending when the dream job comes.

5.CHANGE YOUR WARDROBE: Dude please dress like your dream job. Starting building a professional wardrobe from that small alawee. It’s not the time to spend your money on another dirty jean, combat pants, or what have you. Get yourself a cutting edge professional suit (don’t bank on your convocation suit to do the job). It doesn’t cost much. For guys, invest on good ties,cufflinks, shoe, shirts, and a good brief case or bag and stop carrying your cv in that big brown envelope, some directors can sight you from their office and tell the security or secretary “don’t let that guy in, he is looking for a job.

6.WORK ON YOUR WEB IMAGE: Image is everything. Shun those clichés’ or fat lies on our CV, if I go through your Facebook timeline or twitter handle , I will tell the kind of person you are ( I just shared a little secret of what some employers now do, work on it and thank me later). If your Facebook timeline and profile is not decent, work on it or get a new one before you start job hunting. Follow the company you would like to work for on twitter, like their page on Facebook. Build a professional online presence .Get a good e-mail ID (Do away with the xyz4love@yahoo.com craze and the likes of it.). a good professional ID comprises of your name and your surname e.gadewalejohnson@yahoo.com.

7.IMPROVE YOUR NETWORK: The job you are looking for dey some people hand, Hello! Start building your contact list, invest in strategic relationships while you are still serving. Join associations, clubs, and forums. Ladies you can join Women in Management and Business (WimBiz), the biggest association for women professionals in West Africa. You can enroll for their mentee program as a young female graduate. Trust me, you don’t need to know the caliber of women you meet in such an association. One good contact is worth more than a hundred CV submitted at random. Build new, better, and strategic relationships.

8.GET A MENTOR: Identify someone who has distinguished him or herself in the career you desire to pursue. A good mentor can carry you along, just make sure the person is accessible. Don’t go telling me that Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is your mentor, when you two don’t communicate. She can
be your role model, but obviously not your mentor. Identify someone that can create time for you and probably entrust you with responsibilities, even if you don’t get paid.

I hope you find this useful

Everyday Things We Never Knew Had A Name

We do a lot of things in our daily routines. But do you know we don’t know what half of these things we see, do or simply overlook are called?

Secrets of my 5.0CGPA, by UNILAG’S best graduate

Ayodele Daniel Dada, the star graduand of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), is already the toast of many companies.

 

 The 29-year-old Psychology graduate set a record for achieving the maximum 5.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in the university.

After receiving his scroll at the 2014/2015 convocation, he said he has been approached by many companies, three of them multinationals.

Dada, who is working as an intern in one of the firms he refused to mention, said he has not made up his mind which one to go with.

“Many companies have been requesting for my services. I won’t mention them but there are three solid offers now and I am currently on an internship with a global multinational company,” he said.

At the convocation, Dada carted home prizes worth N1 million for his sterling performance.

He won eight awards of various categories, including the Vice Chancellor’s award for the best graduating student, worth N600 000.  He also got N500 000 from the UNILAG Alumni Association, which was presented by the National president, Dr Sunny Kuku.

Kuku, who announced the award while admitting the new graduands into the alumni association, said the body rewarded him with N100, 000 to represent each CGPA he attained, adding up to N500, 000, as against the association’s usual N100, 000 cash prize to the best graduating student as well as a plaque.

Dada, who was thrilled by the awards, expressed profound gratitude to the institution for their support.
Being the top of his class from his first year, he said he used the opportunity to teach his peers and younger ones as much as he could and eventually got paid for his tutoring services.

“I give glory to God and I understand that it took a lot to get here. I am proud of all the people who were part of my success story. I also feel the weight of the responsibility that this achievement bequeaths on me.

“I did private tutoring for my colleagues and my juniors while in school and they paid me for it. It was useful for me even in my own academics. I got the advantages both academically and financially,” Dada said.

Delivering his valedictory speech, Dada said being the best was not only about reading books, but having a balanced life and surmounting impossibilities.

He said: “I was a social person throughout school. I attended birthday parties, cinemas, I had so many movies on my laptop and I was sharing them with my colleagues, as I was sharing notes as well.
“I have fond memories. I was the head of my final year planning committee for dinners, symposium, and was involved in a lot of other things. But I didn’t have a girlfriend.

“I had close friends but I did not want to have to deal with a lot of things at the same time. I was working and schooling. You don’t have to be a genius to get the results of a genius. Just target excellence always. The nation needs us. We must readily take direction for our lives.”

SOURCE

4 ways academic failures enlighten us

If someone comes up to you and says that they have never faced a disappointment in their academic life or failed to match their expectations, then they are seriously joking. No student can overcome their academic challenges or go through all the academic levels without struggling through or failing to overcome many of those challenges. Some students might say that they never failed to overcome their examination challenges, but failed in their academic papers while some might say an opposite thing.
The whole point is that students learn from experiences and failures. They are the part of academic life and one should not forget to adapt to these challenges. The sooner we learn and manage to fight these disappointments the better we will be at the academic life and the struggles that we face. In order to adapt to challenges and find rationale in failures that we encounter, we must understand the lessons we learn. If we cannot learn anything from our mistakes and failures as a student then we will never be able to overcome our mistakes and weaknesses. Today’s blog is going to talk about some of the major lessons, students learn from academic failures.



Patience and Acceptance
When students fail, they have no other choice, but to digest the whole scenario and the situation while waiting for their chance to gain back the lost result again. This means that when we face certain academic failure, we learn the ideal skill of being patience and accepting the circumstances that we find ourselves in. Sometimes this skill is very important at a lot of different phases in life and this is why the sooner students learn to develop patience and acceptance the better it becomes for them during the academic life as well as in the other chapters of their lives.

Determination and Focus
Students who genuinely worked hard and yet have failed will never quit. They know they have given their blood, life and time to something and they can do that again. This means they are focused and determined to ensure they come out as winners. So the second lesson that we learn as a student from our academic failures is the determination and focus. Throughout our lives, whenever we go through bad and struggling phases, determination and focus will always help us gain the better of the worst situation we are in.

Focus on actions
One of the biggest lessons to learn from academic failures is to focus on actions rather than reactions. Reacting to certain failure will only mean wastage of time and health. If as a student, we focus on actions, then not only we save a lot of our time, but we also ensure that we gain back the momentum after losing it.

Learning to accept rejections
Failure means that we were overshadowed by something greater and our incapacity to perform. Accepting rejections is the hardest thing to learn and if one can do it, they can be really successful individuals in life, so academic failures teach us rejections and how to accept them.

STUDENTS: 4 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER STOP PRACTICING

Practice is the way to success. When students work during their academic age, practice is something that becomes a critical point in their lives as a school or college going people. It is a widely accepted fact that the more dedication and time you try to focus on something you are weak in, you improve eventually and make it your strength. Anywhere you go whether it is the school or professional world, you will see people encouraging you and advising you all the time to work on your weakness with dedication so you can improve and get a better quality out of it. Usually this concept in its simple English term is called practice. The essentials of practice dictate that constantly reinforcing the same thing again and again will not only make you more efficient, but also improve the quality of work you do.

Practice is something that should never be left by students in their academic age for any reason whatsoever. Without practice, it will not be easy to survive a difficult course or term because you need constant reinforcement of the message to get glued on to your minds. Today, our academic blog post will feature four reasons why practice helps you improve your overall academic writing.



Practice helps in enhanced learning
Enhanced learning is the way to go today. Without the proper learning methods and mechanism, getting success in academia is not an easy task at all. For a large part of time, the more you practice the better your memory becomes at a certain course or a lesson. Right from the beginning, students are taught to reinforce the learning and keep practicing unless they knew it by heart. This means practice really helps you learn better by constantly smashing your brains with the same message and forcing it to remember.

Practice helps learn more
If you are aiming to improve your knowledge base and get better at information, then practice is the key. When you practice and dedicate your time exclusively to something, then you start to get efficient and better in that subject or assignment. Practicing helps you improve your knowledge of the subject, this means you also can do the same thing in a much improved and enhanced manner.

Practice makes you save time
Practice makes you efficient; it makes work easier for you and lets you get done with the work much quicker than you usually would. When you become really good at something like an expert, you usually end up doing that task the next time in a much improved manner by saving a lot of time. This means practice makes you efficient at tasks you would usually take more time in.

Practice lets you show creativity
Constantly practicing something will allow you find more creative ways to do the same task, this is why artists and painters require so much practice before they master their skills. When you continue to write, you can explore different manners and mechanisms to write from different aspects of the same work.

Why You Must Avoid Carryovers At All Cost As An Undergraduate

Carry overs in the university system is normal; it basically means a student has an unfinished business. A student can only carry over a course when he or she scores 39 downward in both C.A and exam (over 100).

Carry overs are not in all cases a real reflection of how intelligent or not intelligent a student is, rather it's a reflection of how un-serious, un-smart (if that word exist), unchecked and uninterested a student is.

I have seen highly intelligent students have numerous carry overs and relatively dull students pass through without carry overs. Such is life, that's why a coin is two sided. Carry over can also be a result of unfortunate and unlucky incidents, such as missing scripts, lecturer's attitude towards marking your script, or even a student's handwriting (that's right).

I have once been a victim of an unlucky situation. I was not around Kogi State when an assignment worth 20 marks was been submitted, when I heard about it I quickly rushed back to school from Lagos to get mine submitted. Unluckily for me, the lecturer in charge of the course is very strict and sent me out of his office. I thought to myself," I still have 80 marks to fight for so why panic".

This lecturer is the kind that barely comes to class, but he gave us a material to read ahead of his exam. For most part of Monday evenings we'll wait in class expecting him to come to class but he never does. On the day I decided I wasn't going to wait in class for him, he showed up in class and seeing how scanty the class was he decided to conduct test with the little number of students in class.

The test was for 20 marks and I missed it, making it 40 marks missed already which ruled me out of contention to score an A. Words can't describe how devastated I was during this period, my worst fear of carrying over a course is lurking around me. I tried bottling my sadness and fear until the lecturer announced that marks will deducted for every undotted Is and uncrossed Ts in his exam, he was basically asking for a perfectly written error free exam which looked impossible under the sort of pressure we were in.

I prayed to God about the situation, focused a little bit more on that course than the others, did a whole lot of library work and research and when the exam came around I completely smashed it, narrowly escaping a carryover (which many of my mates had) that would have completely changed the dynamics of my academics.

Am still grateful to God till today, who knows what it might have been....

Reasons why you must completely avoid carry overs:

-It brings you down;
A) Academically: having carry-over means you have F (0) in that course. It’s bad, it’s really bad. Having an E(2) or a D(4) is far better than having a carryover. It means you just scored 0 after studying a course for a semester and it will definitely reflect on your result.

B) Psychologically: having a carryover affects the psyche of a student. It’s that evil. You don't feel whole again, you won't feel yourself among your peers anymore; you'll feel devastated, less intelligent, less smart and so on. Carry overs inflict serious psychological damage on the bearer. It brings your thinking and psyche to the lowest minimum.

C) Physically: keeping tabs with your main courses is physically tasking enough, add carry overs to that and you'll barely sleep at night. You have to meet up with the time table of your main courses, then meet up with the schedule of your carry over courses, that's so physically demanding, it’s almost like punishment.

-It's hard to recover: even though its technically possible to recover from the evils of carry overs and get your academics back on track, it's extremely difficult and take so much determination and hard work.

-The odds aren't favourable: the odds of you graduating with a great result or a good result shifts every time you carry over a course. Imagine doing a carry-over course in place of an easy to pass elective course...

- It leads to self-esteem issues: when you are writing a carryover paper with guys that are below you, it’s a hard hit on your esteem and confidence level. You certainly won't be the most confident person on campus, in fact you'll be the least confident, if you're not then its either you're shameless, delusional, dull or completely out of touch.

- It’s a bad experience all together: the demanding schedule, the insult by lecturers, the embarrassment of writing a carry-over exam with your "juniors"...it’s a bad experience all together.

How To Avoid A Carry Over:

-Never joke with your Continuous Assessment C.A

-Always be around class and get adequately informed

-Serious studying: studying isn't every one's bread and butter, not everyone enjoys reading and reading, it’s not sweet at all, but you got to do it. That's the way. Use the library to research helpful information as much as you can.

-Do your calculations: your GPA and stuffs

-Always add to what you know

-Always do the conventional first: do what's required of you in test or an exam first, and then spice it up with the result of your research to the lecturers delight.

-Be strong physically and psychologically: in KSU only the strong will survive

-Use your time and work with schedule


-And finally and most importantly...Know your God...

SOURCE

Things You’ll Learn In Your First Year Of Medical School

(Note: this is by no means a guide for everyone or the only way to get through medical school. It’s just what I learned and what worked for me. ALSO please read this with the tongue-in-cheek humor that I wrote it with!)

On Studying

1. You’ll develop strange study habits—like talking out loud to yourself, or repeating silly mnemonics every time you have to recall a certain piece of information.

2. You will learn that for almost any set of symptoms the answer could always be diabetes, pregnancy, SLE, or thyroid problems.

3. You will quickly learn a very long list of abbreviations and will soon use them in text messages and confuse the Bleep out of your family members when you text your mom things like “Did an H&P on 23yoF w/ MVP today”.

4. The words “high yield” will become your best friend.

5. You will learn that anything you ever needed to know about pathology is in Robbins and that all pathologists just copy right out of it when they teach.

6. You’ll learn to not waste your time—if a study method isn’t working, you’ll move on and try something else.

7. You will more than once find yourself at a table with a laptop, an iPad, two textbooks and several pages of notes all open in front of you and you will question your existence.

8. Look up the fancy medical terms you don’t know. And don’t use them if you’re not sure what they mean—it will just make you look silly in front of an attending.

9. You’ll learn just how short an hour of actual study time is…you can get almost nothing done in just an hour. It goes by SO fast

10. Don’t study the night after an exam. Take some time off to just decompress. Only gunners start studying the night after the exam.

11. My personal opinion is that you should be studying by hand! WRITE out your notes again, DRAW diagrams. Cover white boards, fill notebooks. Just write write write write—reading the material is no longer going to be enough.

11a. If you’re like me and take notes by hand you will go through more pens in a month than you went through in your entire undergraduate career.

12. Study a little bit every weekend. Not just exam weekends. That way on exam weekends you can actually still find some time to sleep. (But don’t study every hour of the weekend—treat yourself, buy food, sleep, hang out with friends, whatever!)

13. You WANT a big chalkboard or white board. You really do.

14. Invest in a giant desk—you will be thankful you did

15. Stop trying to get through the end of the week—just get through tomorrow.

16. Start ahead of time on things that you need to get done.

17. It’s better to sleep the night before the test instead of cramming an extra hours. Sleeping will make you perform better than that little bit of extra knowledge anyway.

18. Learn how to ignore your internet for a couple of hours at a time.

19. Don’t get behind whenever possible. It’s too hard to catch up—don’t think you can blow off two days of lecture and then wrap it up in a couple hours—it will take you 2 extra days.

20. You will learn that you can routinely sit in a library for six hours without a study break

On Step 1

21. At the beginning of first year, Step 1 will seem like something that’s too far off to worry about, before the end of first year, it will already consume your thoughts.

22. Start training yourself now to study for Step 1. Train to study longer without any distractions—no music, no TV, no internet around. Train now because you can’t run a marathon without training.

23. When you first start medical school you won’t think that you really have to buy First Aid as soon as all the second years tell you to do it—you will be wrong.

24. By the end of first year, you will sleep with your copy of first aid.

25. You will also take it everywhere with you—everywhere.

26. You’ll have a QBank app on your phone.

On how not to be a gunner

27. Don’t be a gunner.

28. Avoid the gunners.

29. Don’t ask other people about their grades.

30. Don’t volunteer information about yours. It’s fine to say “that test was hard” or “I’m pretty happy with how I did”, but don’t be that asshole who’s bragging about getting a 95% on an exam with an average of 70—even if you did.

31. Don’t ask questions in class just to look smart or to show people up.

On classes

32. You will learn how to bullshit your way through every non-core course you have—if you have an ethics assignment you will write it in 5 minutes right before it’s due because you were too busy studying to get it done.

33. You will learn to never wear your anatomy scrubs out of the lab.

34. You will learn how to deal with being in the anatomy lab alone late at night or early in the morning. It will no longer be creepy to you to be the only living person in a room with 30 dead bodies.

35. At least once a week a professor will forget that you’re MS1s and try to teach like you were all residents.

36. At least once a week a professor will think that 50 minutes is enough time to get through 100 slides—they will fail.

37. Pathology is snooze-worthy just read Robbins instead.

On the rest of your life/lack thereof

38. Try not to make hard and fast commitments, your schedule will change. You will have to deal with the fact that sometimes they throw random things into your schedule, or sometimes you’re stuck at the library later than you thought. Don’t commit to going to a certain workout class EVERY week, or having a dinner date at a certain time—leave yourself the flexibility to not be stressed about it and hope for people in your life who will accept that.

39. You will loose the ability to remember to get your oil changed on time, remember your mother’s birthday, or even remember what day of the week it is, but you can name all the interlukens or all the antiarhythmic drugs.—this is more important.

40. “Because I don’t have space in my brain” will become a valid excuse for everything from reasons you didn’t call a guy back to reasons you forgot to buy bread at the store.

41. You’ll finally understand what it meant when other people said “people outside medical school just won’t get it”.

42. Medical shows on TV will start to piss you off because you know just enough to know they’re doing it wrong.

43. You will drink caffeine—in one source or another—tea, coffee, energy drinks, pick your poison—and whatever you start drinking, that amount will double by the end of first year.

44. You will more than once end up with nothing left in your fridge except bread, peanut butter, and condiments.

45. Eat clean, train dirty. This is just my advice for general life. You don’t have time in med school to get sick or be worn down.

46. You become terrified of evey having children because you will be shown the size of a baby’s skull in comparison to a female pelvis, and the long long long list of possible birth defects.

47. You will very quickly stop caring about your loan money and will spend it on whatever you feel like because you just don’t have the headspace to worry about it anymore.

48. You’ll finally learn to take care of yourself first—and so that will sometimes mean blowing off friends or other commitments because you really need to just go for a run, or clean your apartment.

49. Women: It’s time to buy clothes that AREN’T jeans or the V.S. yoga pants you wore to class in college. Go invest in a pencil skirt or pants and dresses that cover more than just your ass. Learn how to do your hair and put on make up in such a way that it’s professional. Now is not the time to put on your club eyeliner.

49a. Men: Learn how to tie a tie, own shirts that actually fit and aren’t big enough to drown in, and get a REAL haircut (don’t keep the skater hair you’ve had since high school).

50. Learn how to treat yourself sometimes. Make cookies, go to dinner with your family, buy yourself a non-med school book.

51. You are an adult now. If you’re going to live with roommates make sure to have clear rules about study times and study space so they don’t interrupt you all the time.

52. Better yet—live alone.

53. Learn how to multitask on the small things (like putting your dishes away while you wait for water to boil or organizing papers while you talk to your friend on the phone) but focus on the big things (don’t try and make dinner while you watch the lecture capture of the lecture you missed, don’t try to talk to your mom and do path flashcards, it won’t work!)

54. TAKE THE SUMMER OFF before you start medical school. Don’t prestudy. Don’t try to learn anything. Just enjoy the last bits of freedom.

55. Get friendly with your school’s financial aid person—they will help you out when you have to pay rent or buy books. Be friends.

56. Have a phone that lets you check your email and schedule wherever you are at all times. You will soon become a SLAVE to these things so you should never be without access.

57. Accept your idiosyncrasies

58. If there’s something you CANNOT leave without in the morning write yourself a note on the mirror in your bathroom with a dry erase marker. You can’t leave without it if it’s staring you in the face first thing when you wake up and last thing before you leave as you do make up or brush your teeth.

59. Don’t put the personal things off that need to be done— if you need to go see a doctor—GO SEE A DOCTOR, if your car is falling apart take it in while you can—these things will only get worse with time and you’ll regret having it not get done.

60. Put off the things you can put off—if you’ve got enough food to get through the exam weekend, don’t shop till Monday. If you want to train for a marathon—wait till summer. There will be time.

61. Sometimes you will laugh because there’s nothing else to do.

62. Sometimes you will cry because there’s nothing else to do.

63. You will learn to wait to cry until you’re alone in your car.

64. You will, at least once, have a break down where you’re not sure why you’re in medical school.

65. You will get past it

66. You will have good days and bad days.

On socializing/the other members of your class

67. You will start the year going to every social event, but by the end of first year you would rather spend a Friday night alone in bed (on tumblr) with trashy television than out with friends at a bar.

68. You will drink. You will drink because some days it’s the only way to get through the week.

69. Some people in your class will sleep together—if you’re smart you’ll find your sexual partners places where you don’t have to see them everyday if it all goes wrong!

70. You will love some of the people in your class.

71. You will hate some of the people in your class.

72. You will realize that whenever a small group of people are in a high stress situation it’s just like high school all over again—if you’re smart you will stay out of the drama.

73. Some people in your class will start the year married/engaged/in relationships—more than half of them will end the year split up.

74. Don’t be your class’s social butterfly—it’s okay to tell someone you’re not going to that party, or that you’re going home early.

On your family and non-med school friends

75. You will more than once have awkward conversations with the non-med school friends you have, or your family members in which you mention that you held a (insert random organ here) today.

76. You will be asked at least once a month by someone not in medical school if your life is like Grey’s Anatomy/House/ER/any other popular medical show

77. You will start hating anyone not in medical school who claims to be “busy”.

78. Make time for your family, significant other, or the friends you want to hang onto. This will keep you sane.

On being a “doctor”

79. You will at one point be mistaken for a nurse or an actual doctor by a patient.

80. You will at one point say something silly to a patient like “that feels good” while you’re doing a breast exam.

81. You’ll learn to recognize “normal” and will be very good at saying “that’s weird” but won’t yet be at a place where you can really say what’s wrong.

82. A patient will tell you something that will leave you without a great reply.

83. You will probably NOT decide your specialty

84. You will, however, have a long list of specialties that you DON’T want to do.

85. You will learn to brush off when someone says you’re too “pretty” or too “young” or too “old” or too “nice” or too “mean” or too anything to be in medicine.

86. You’ll learn to be okay with saying “I don’t know” when attendings ask you questions.

87. You will get pimped. It’s just a fact of life—luckily most people understand you’re only an MS1 and you’re still silly.

88. You won’t be able to place an IV, or run a code, or prescribe medication, or even do a great ddx, but you will learn where to get a decent cup of coffee in or near the hospital, how late the library stays open, and how to smooth wrinkles out of your white coat.

89. You will at least once walk into Starbucks still wearing your stethoscope and people WILL look at you like you’re either 1) an asshole or 2) a kid playing dress up.

90. By the end of first year, you will still be bullshiting your way through how to use a reflex hammer

The TOP 10

91. Learn to let go of your fear of imperfection—you will make mistakes. It will happen.

92. You’ll finally realize that you can’t learn EVERYTHING—this is not undergrad anymore. You will always walk into a test without having learned 100% of what was taught. It’s alright.

93. You’ll learn to compete with yourself and yourself only.

94. You will realize that if there was anything else you would rather be doing you should be doing it—the only reason you survive medical school is because there is NOTHING else you would rather do with your life. If everything else would leave you unhappy, you’ll love medical school.

95. Laugh at yourself. Laugh because it’s better than crying.

96. Remember that for this year and the next four years the #1 priority is getting through school. It’s not getting married or finding a boyfriend, it’s not training to run a marathon or writing the next great best seller, it’s not ANYTHING else except getting through school. If something else is your #1 priority you probably won’t make it through med school, you certainly won’t make it through sane. If you want to do other things you should do those BEFORE you start or after you finish, those are the only two really good options.

97. That being said, life does happen. Sometimes someone will need you, you might fall in love, or you might fall apart. Just remember to push through those times and take the time you need when you need it.

98. You’re not alone—everyone struggles. Don’t feel like you’re the only one who’s confused, or the only one who’s freaking out about something.

99. Don’t EVER give up on ANYTHING. Keep fighting until the very end.

100. This is the most amazing opportunity of your life, you will love what you do.

SOURCE= http://ourschool.com.ng/p/318858/things-you-ll-learn-your-first-year-of-medical-school

10 Ways To Read And Understand

Most students have been complaining that they fail these and that,even to the extent that 47% was recorded for pass grade at the just concluded G.C.E. WAEC,Our guidelines will help you to read and understand.
Take your pen as you read,it goes thus :

1.Take Away all distractions:
Don't allow your brain and your body at large to be distracted by Gf/BF,Food,family problems e.t.c. when reading.
One brain can't do more than one things perfectly at a time,your brain is not a machine[even machines do rest] avoid over using it. When you are reading,focus with one mind and avoid diversion. More so,some students are also distracted by meaningless things like games,social medias e.t.c. When reading,that shouldn't be,focus your brain on what you are reading

2.Take A respite:- An adage says "All work and no play makes jack a dull boy". After reading for like 45 to 60mins,take a respite and relax,don't over use your memory by reading for 6hrs without stopping. USE YOUR Brain wisely. When you relax for about 15mins,come back fresh and excited.

3.Summarize what you read:
Take a brief upshot of what you read,some books might be tedious that you might not want to read again,take brief note of some keywords on what you read and write them down,it really helps.
Read at the best time easy for you , God created us in different ways but the same patterns,
Don't read when you hate most like in the midnight when most people hate,don't inconvenience yourself and know when you assimilate what you read most.
Like me now,it is in the MORNING.
Discover yourself!

4. Read at the best time easy for you :
God created us in different ways but the same patterns,Don't read when you hate most like in the midnight when most people hate,don't inconvenience yourself and know when you assimilate what you read most. Like me now,it is in the MORNING. Discover yourself!

5.If possible,read in groups:
Sometimes,you may feel bored when you read alone,call your friends and mates so that you can read together but don't misuse the opportunity by playing and gisting for fun when you ought to be reading,you can only gist when on respite

6.Use Dictionaries when reading :
Most of the times when you read,it is not advicable to use dictionaries because it waste time and distracts attention but there are some courses you need it e.g. GEOLOGY: Words like seismometer e.t.c.

7.Ask yourself questions on what you read after reading :
An adage also says "Without an Exam/ TEST,No success,test yourself on what you read by asking yourself question on it,just like revising.

8.Create the habit of reading at least twice a a day :
At times,when you read a topic today and continue it tomorrow,you may still forget what you read,just read twice a day and there is every possibility you may never forget what you read again

9.Don't be forced to read :
This is mostly applicable to secondary school students,why should they force you to read? ! When they force you to read,you can't even understand what you read and it also leads to creating some hatred habits towards the course

10 Scholars,Share your experience with us tøo

What It Takes To Graduate With A Good Grade

As students, we all want our cumulative grade point average (CGPA) to be high so as to graduate with either first class or second class upper.

There actually might be, but am not sure there is any student that wants to graduate with a second class lower not to talk more of a third class.

Here are some principles I have listed that would be of good help to you in achieving your aim of graduating with a very high CGPA.

Make Up Your Mind

If you really want to make a good CGPA, the first thing you would have to do is to make up your mind. In making up your mind, I mean that you should know within yourself that what you are about to undertake won’t be so easy. There are some things you would have to drop in order to achieve your aim. Things like playing a lot, watching movies and some other things apart from reading that takes your time. I am not saying that you should stop playing neither did I say you should stop watching movies but you should minimize the rate at which you do all those things.

Time Management

This aspect is very important as it is a priority of every student. For you to be able to excel, you have to be time conscious. Some students neglect the use of reading time table but I would like to advise that reading time table is very necessary for a every student. It would help you to carry all your courses along and not to focus on only one course.
Make a time table of what you want to do each day and at the end of the day, check out whether you were able to accomplish them.

For you to make a good reading time table you need your lecture time table. This would enable you to know the particular course you are meant to read each day so that you may not read the right thing at the wrong time. Also make a time table of the activities you want to do each day apart from reading and don’t allow those activities to encroach into your reading time table.

Accept The Fact That You Know Nothing

According to a very known philosopher, Socrates, “All I Know Is That I Know Nothing”. With this I don’t mean you should start calling yourself an OLODO but you should not say that you know a particular course very well so as not to read or focus on that course. When I was in my 100 level, I use to say that I know mathematics very well and that made me not to read my mathematics book.

The day of test came and after the test, I knew within me that I did not do well in the test but I still maintained the fact that I knew mathematics very well not until a night before maths exam that I decided to read mathematics. I opened the book to read and found out that those things I thought that I knew, I knew them no more. I had to read till daybreak and went for the exam. When the result was out, I got a C grade instead of the A grade that I thought I would get.

People would say “experience is the best teacher” but I am telling you to learn from other people’s mistakes that you may not experience that same mistake.
Never you for anything downgrade any course unless you might experience my mistake or even worst than that.

Focus

This aspect is also as important as the others. Some students would always focus only on one course because the course is too simple for them or maybe the course is too hard for them paying little or no attention to other courses. This is very wrong, for no matter how good you are as a student, you must still have the tendency of forgetting and you can only remember if you read. Remember, when making a reading time table, focus more on those courses that have a higher credit unit for those courses would help boost your CGPA than the lower credit unit courses.

In some higher institutions e.g FUTO,one credit unit courses are more stressful than even the 4 credit unit courses due to the assignments that is been bombarded by the lecturers to the students. This tend to make some students to concentrate mostly on those one unit courses forgetting about their higher credit unit courses.
If you are in this category of students, I would advise you to rather do the assignments that same day it was given so as to avoid it been piled up for you or you do as many as you can another day if you can’t do it that day and endeavor not to loose concentration on your higher credit unit courses.

Read

We all know that as students we are meant to read but there are some things we don’t understand about reading. Some students do read at night simply because their friends read at night not taking into consideration whether they are understanding what the read or not and may end up damaging their reading tables with their head when sleeping.

Before you read, first of all understand yourself and know the right time when you understand what you read. Some understand what they read when they read at at night, some in the day, some very early in the morning.

Some others do read a day before an exam thinking that they can get everything in their brain overnight. I did this when I wrote my maths exam as narrated above but I ended up getting a lower grade than expected. Learn to prepare and read on time so as to prevent the 11th hour rush.

One other thing, as Human beings, our brains need rest so read moderately and also rest your brain (siesta). Don’t also forget to play for it helps develop your brain but don’t overplay.

Pray

For you to be able to be able you make a very high CGPA, you have to prepare yourself both physically and spiritually. Before and after you finish reading, you should pray so as to ask for God’s favour so that you might not easily forget what you read.

I would like to round up with this “Work As If Everything Depends On You And Pray As If Everything Depends On God.”

God bless you.

Why Examination Malpractice Is Not Worth It Afterall

So, basically, I know I am meant to define examination malpractice for y'all but you know perfectly what it is so I'm just going to cut to the chase here.

Malpractice is a bad thing, it’s really bad because it means while other students are in the same exam hall with you trying to figure out answers to the same question as you, you are busy with the intention of "cheating". Exam cheating is criminal, its sinful as anything that includes cheating in it isn't accepted by any culture all over the world and even God himself in his glory detest cheating.

The thing with most students who become exam cheats is they see it as a normal thing. They most definitely know it is not a good thing but they don't see it as an extremely bad habit, owning to the fact that students in Nigeria cheat at every level of education in modern times, the primary school level, the secondary school level and in universities.

The true fact about cheating is it is extremely bad, that's why the consequence for cheating in all universities in Nigeria, and most definitely in Kogi State University is direct expulsion. There is no two ways about that.

I understand the fact that students are always under immense pressure to succeed academically, the thing about pressure though is that it can either be suppressed or increased depending on your actions towards tackling this pressure.

You want to pass a course by fire by force and you haven't been attending lecturers or studying and you think what will save you is expo's and exhibits, not only are you putting yourself under more pressure you are also putting yourself at risk of getting caught and getting expelled.

You might escape getting caught but you have just damaged yourself psychologically as you now think you can't pass without cheating.

To be honest, there is really no point cheating, Does it make sense passing an examination through cheating and having no idea what that course is about because you didn't study? That simply means the purpose of you being in school which is learning and studying to build yourself into someone you will be proud of, your parents will be proud of, and Nigeria as a whole will be proud of has been defeated.

You think your first class certificate is what companies out there need? It’s your output that's needed.

Those big companies need your big brain, and what's been stored in it. Meaning you have to learn in school, at the end of the day you can only give what you have.

I admit the whole book and lecture thingy ain’t easy and sometimes you read and still do not understand. But the thing about all learning processes is, when you devote yourself to it, you'll understand. Start studying hard now, that's the only way. Don't rely on cheating; when you do, you are only setting up yourself for failure in the long run.

7 Secrets Of Scoring 280 And Above In JAMB

It baffles me a lot whenever I meet with Jambites who struggle to score barely 200 in JAMB. I begin to ask myself, “What is so difficult about JAMB that lots of students struggle with it?” From my findings, I discovered that lots of students are not knowledgeable about how to pass JAMB and pass it very well.

It is not as difficult as most students think. As a result of this, I decided to come up with this write-up which I titled “7 Secrets of getting 280 and above in JAMB.” The seven secrets are discussed below;

1. Set a Target
Personally, I believe that there is nothing impossible that one cannot achieve. In scoring 280 and above in UTME exam, the first step is for you to believe you can achieve and set a target on the score you want to have in the end of the day.

Overtime, I have observed that most students do not have a specific score they want to have in the JAMB. All they do is just to read without a specific target. However, I always encourage Jambites to set very high score as their target. Setting a target will help you to be focused on what you want to achieve in the exam.

2. Study smart
It is not all about studying hard; it is about studying smart. Kindly get the JAMB syllabus and past questions, studying closing to identify the core topics JAMB often repeat year in year out. If you can study those topics very well, I think the job is half way done. Also, understand your study pattern and not emulate friends. I used to have friends who loved drinking lots of water whenever they were studying. Hence, it is left for you to learn to study smart in preparing for the exam.

3. Practice
I remember practicing my JAMB past questions up to a point where I knew almost all the answers off hand. I had different forms of past questions for every of my subjects. What I am trying to point out is it is very important for you to practice very closely especially the JAMB past question because it will expose you to the patterns of questions set by JAMB. Also it has been proven over time that JAMB repeats questions from previous years. You can be fortunate to come across such questions during your exam.


4. Do not cheat
The prevalent thing among Jambites is relying on different forms of examination malpractices to score very high in the exam. But unfortunately for them, they end up having very low scores despite the exam malpractices.

If you want to indeed score 280 and above in JAMB and eventually gain the much-desired admission, stay away from exam malpractices before, during and after the exam. Funny enough, majority of courses taken by year-one students are topics selected from JAMB syllabus. So if you fail to study now, if you still encounter those topics even after you gained admission through the back door.

5. Rest
I know this point may seem unnecessary to you, but it is of great importance if you truly want to perform very well in your UTME exam. The problem most studious students do have is their inability to set out time to have some rest. The human brain is often stressed a lot by constant study.

Hence, it is advisably for you to always take intermittent rest. It looks so funny to me whenever I meet students who study all night a day to their JAMB exam. To me, such study places sheer pressure on them. A day to your JAMB exam is for you to take out time to rest and ruminate on what you have studied over time.

6. Gist with Friends
The popular saying that ‘no man is an Island’ is applicable in this situation. As a jambites do not isolate yourself. Make friends with fellow Jambites and exchange ideas with them because you can never know everything on your own. However, do not make friends with the dullards who would draw you back all in the name of making friends; make friends with those you will learn a great deal from.

I remember when I was preparing for JAMB in 2011, I encountered a group of guys at the public library where I used to study. These guys were very intelligent and I learnt a lot from them. Aside learning from friends, making good friends helps you to be abreast with any latest rumour or news about the exam. I know a lot of people who could have performed very well in JAMB if they had been exposed to timely information.


7. God factor
The God-factor can never be ruled out. In everything you do, put God first. The bare truth is you need God’s direction when preparing to score 280 and above in JAMB. As a matter of fact, such feat is attainable even without any ‘special centre’ during the exam. Personally, I do not support or encourage students to enroll for ‘special centre’ for exams; I always believe in merit.

Tips For Studying For Long Hours (my Experience)

Good morning, I just felt the need to share this with you. I don't know why though, but I believe it will be of great help to someone. Overtime, I have learnt some simple tips based on my experiences whenever I'm studying.

When I was schooling at DELSU, I found reading for long hours very easy and pleasurable. But I discovered that majority of my colleagues found reading boring and strenuous. They studied as a matter of necessity only when exams were around the corner.

These were the simple tips that helped my study life;

1. I read intermittently

By this, I mean that I read bit by bit, not allowing my work to pile up. I ensured that I read piecemeal. I could study for two hours and return to studying thirty minutes after.

2. I drank water whenever studying

The truth is I don't know the scientific justification for this, but I observed that I get renewed whenever I drank water while studying. You can also try it today.


3. I changed reading position whenever I was tired

I could read for an hour while standing or laying down. It all depended on the position that pleased at the time.

4. I tried to stay focused whenever I study

At a point I had to train myself to study and remain focused even in a noisy environment. You can build your mind to always stay focused whenever you are studying.

5. I took lots of notes when studying

I discovered that there was a connection between my mind and whatever I wrote down. I tend to remember very fast anything I write down. Ensure you try this today.

More things you should be doing as an undergraduate

• Diversifying from your major a bit: Imagine a scenario where you don’t get what you really want but you can/are willing to be engaged in several other profitable and legitimate endeavours; in fact, I advise aside your regular 8-5, if you intend going that path(like me), have a side business/venture and at least one non-taxable (or very low rate) income source. I intend becoming a process engineer for instance but have been preparing  for other career paths or at least prepare myself to take up other roles. Procurement, logistics and supply chain management, lecturing, civil service (only in certain departments) etc have their respective points in my list of priority (this list I advise should be drafted after considering my next point). Albeit, If I decide to leave the engineering discipline entirely. Within the discipline, I still have priority based on assumptions I made from investigations and happenings. All these are based on my current orientation which are subject to the constant law in life, change! FMCGs, oil exploration and production, gas processing, consulting, oil servicing et al, they all have their place based on several factors (not discussed now). Independent research and gathering as much knowledge as possible is strongly preached. The side business could be anything that fetches revenue based on your ‘person.’ Non-taxable (or with less rate) income sources in our society are numerous. Paid personal career advices and services, speaking engagements, a distinguished Compere/Master of Ceremonies(MC), professional dancing/singing, modelling, events planning, tutorial centres/services, professional or free lance writing etc. The list is endless. Just plan in that regard, basically.

• Study and try and understand how life works: I like telling people that critical in this life is understanding yourself very well and the way the world works. That simple understanding will save you a whole lot of stress. Lots of things are decisive; good information, networking, seizing opportunities, being a master in your field, climbing the corporate ladder, politicking and politics, bribery, corruption, importance of common sense, knowing when to draw the line in all your dealings, relationships and affairs, sex, family, money, responsibilities, fate, virtues, how everything now depends on speed etc. The list is endless but I’m certain you can relate.

• Have fun: It used to be a cliché that “I love you” was the most deceitful teenage word which even extended to everyone. Now its UOLO (U only live once). Many now take it to mean several things. I recommend having fun, within your own limits. When you start that life, you’d be saddled with many engagements, so have that fun and don’t lose your youthfulness. Eat, try other things, party, meet lots of new people, dance and sing, play well. [While I agree that one should be Social, I don’t buy this point fully. If you play or party too much, you may lose focus. You can be Social without being a party-rocker]

• Learn and try different things: I voluntarily interned with drycleaners, one week each just because I wanted to learn about fabrics tendering, how to starch and iron properly etc. I had always wanted to learn the organ, so when I am less busy, I look and pay for who can teach me. I feel I have a lot of energy and time, so I make use of it. Positively. You can sing, go to a studio, record it and just share it for free, I still write lots of stories and articles, convert to ebooks and give out, some I try to publish on various media. There are tons of things to do. You can learn a language, there’s catering, fashion, dance, blogging etc, all for fun. You’d be happy when people appreciate your work.There’s GRE and GMAT, you can start preparing ahead, professional exams too. Learn freely, without compulsion. Organise a programme for younger ones in your department. I still advise 100 level students on importance of applying for scholarships, debates and writing competitions, competitions and great programmes generally. Aside the money, if you win, those tests help you stay in shape, would be helpful during job-hunt. The vocabularies you are exposed to while writing, constantly thinking and creating cannot be overemphasized. Several activities are there. Focus on indirect learning as well.

HOW TO PASS PROFESSIONAL EXAMS

Passing professional exams can prove to be a daunting task to many people. It is common to see people that did well in their academic programmes – even first class graduates – struggling with professional exams.
The following tips can be helpful in acing professional exams, especially management exams like ICAN, ACCA, CFA, CITN, CIMA etc:-

1,  You hardly need to cram
Academic exams, especially in Nigerian schools, are majorly restricted to your school notes. Also, in Nigerian educational system, residual knowledge is hardly helpful as many teachers are one-way – either you give the definition they gave you in class or you fail. This has forced many students into crammers. In professional exams, you hardly need to cram. Read to understand the concept and put in your own words. Thankfully, if you scored 50% in many professional exams, you have passed.

2, Syllabus-based reading
It is very important to get the syllabus for the professional exam you want to write and use as a guide in reading. Most times, they don’t go outside of the syllabus. Sometimes, you may not even need to complete the syllabus. Most professional examining bodies don’t set questions from same topic in two consecutive diets, so if you don’t have time to complete the syllabus, you can specialize by concentrating on areas that have not been set as exams in recent times. But it should be noted that your best bet remains completing the syllabus.

3, Residual knowledge can be helpful
One major bane of many candidates for professional exams is tendency to be thrown off balance once they see a question on a topic they have not come across before. Sometimes, examining bodies set shock questions, questions that are not in the syllabus or in the syllabus but twisted in a such a way that you may not even know they are there. They are only testing your ability to think on your feet. Residual knowledge is the key here. The answer may be in some interactions you have seen on Facebook, or on discussion forums like Nairaland, or in newspapers. These are hardly 1+1=2 questions, and the examiners know this. They just want to test your ability to apply your knowledge. You will not see “Corruption & Managers” as a topic in ACCA syllabus, but you may see a case study that tests that. You may see a question that tests “Sports & Tax practitioners” in a tax professional exam. Your residual knowledge is they key here. Being versatile, rather than being only a narrow-minded, unidirectional book reader, may be helpful here.

4, Never leave a theory question blank
When you come across a question that you have no idea about, write anything you know about that subject, even if it is not the answer. You see, if you leave the question blank, you will score zero in that question, but if you rant for like 5 lines on the topic, even if it’s just perambulation, the worst is that you will still score zero, but you’re likely not to score zero. Just write something, just anything you know about the subject. The 3/10 you score in that from your rambling may be the difference between 47% (fail) and 50% (pass).

5, Past questions are king
Treat as many past questions as possible. If possible, get past questions for as much as 10 years. Test your knowledge by first answering the questions and then go and check the answers. Do that again, again and again. The role of past questions in acing professional exams just cannot be overemphasized.

Success Tips For Flawless Performance In Examinations

First of all, what do you understand by examination?

Examination is a formal test involving answering written or oral questions with no or limited access to text books or the like. It can also be termed as a test of the knowledge you've acquired from the teachings and lectures you may have undergone during the period of lectures.


So what do we mean when we say "Exam preparation"?
Some people give that term any definition that suits them.
To some it may be the studying of your lecture notes so as to gain valid points that you can use during the exam test itself, to others ;it's simply reading your books.



Now below are some tips to help you prepare and pass examination flawlessly,
These tips I'm about to give you have been of great benefit to me and I believe you'll gain from them.

1. Make sure you attend all lectures : many students have always missed it right from the beginning of the semester because they refuse to attend lectures. Most students think the lectures don't matter because they already have textbooks for the various subjects/courses as the case may be. This is a very wrong notion that must be corrected. All lectures are very important to a student as the lecturer tends to do more of explanation in the classroom than what has been written in a text book, and from experience, it has also been noted that some examination questions and answers are treated in the classroom without the students knowing. In essence, attend all lectures.

2.Take down notes: this is another important aspect where students have missed it, as they tend to be distracted when lectures are going on and miss important points to note. Note taking is a process whereby a student takes down basic points in the course of a lecture, highlighting the step by step delivery process, indicating the most important element of that lecture.
In essence take down notes.

3. Have a good listening skill : A student with a good listening skill will only write down valid points and what is relevant to the topic being treated from everything the lecturer is saying and should be able to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant points being made by the lecturer.

4.Create a study time table that suits you : most students are guilty of not creating a personal study time table. So there isn't time for them to study during the semester which affects them in the long run.

5. Don't compare yourself with others, know your capability : many students always fall into this trap because they want to be like others.
I for example read for only 4 hours daily in the early hours of the morning, and that's what works for me, I can't for any reason continue to read when I have no interest or when I feel sleepy as doing that would lead to burnout. Some students don't know what works for them and then they try to be like others. If you're not comfortable reading at a particular time, it's okay to take a break. Don't feel that because others are reading presently and you aren't, that makes you any less better than them.

6. There is time for rest : what most students fail to realize, is that there is time for everything.
When you feel tired after hours of studying, it's always advisable to have some rest and continue later when you're able to, as this will prevent and form of Illness or tiredness when the exams finally come.

7. Pray: Everybody has what works for them, but prayer does it for me as I always feel relieved and tension leaves me every time I pray before writing any examination.
Please, pardon any grammatical blunders.

I hope you have learnt one or two things from this write-up.

Cheers.

How To Score Very High In JAMB/UTME Exam

Exams are extremely stressful events in everyone’s life, and the only way to deal with them satisfactorily is to be well-prepared, Motivation is an important factor that would help you to study well for your exams. This is not an art or a big technique. It is as simple as your need to feed yourselves everyday.


Scoring a high mark in the UTME exam is not as difficult as most students think it is , it all depends on you ability to prepare well and heed to simple instructions. This tips will guide you on how to prepare well and achieve success in your UTME exam.

==>>Utilize the Early Morning Hours:
Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it. ~Richard Whately

It has scientifically proven that our brains work at its best during the early morning hours. The freshness that you feel in the morning time, can be found nowhere in the rest of the day. During the morning, you can study some subject whichever you feel is complicated, because the grasping power of the brain will be more during this time. The point is, once you gain confidence in a difficult subject, you can easily go on with other subjects and excel without much effort.

Note: Don’t try doing this, resting on your down comforter or trying to study beside someone who is having a good sleep in the early morning, because undesirable psychological effects can overtake you.

==>>Avoid Exam Anxiety/Overcome Your Fear :

One of the main reasons why students fail their UTME exams is because of FEAR! They’re not really afraid of the exam itself, what they are actually afraid of is FAILURE!! They’re afraid of the consequences that awaits them if they fail they exam.

As a student , if you really want to pass the UTME exam , then you must overcome your fear!!. Look at the UTME exam as a roadblock between you and 10 million naira, remove that entity of fear in you and push that roadblock out of your way to glory!!

==>>Study Regularly/Everyday :

Researches has shown that 60% of Nigerian students don’t read , which has been one of the major reasons why the Nigerian education sector has continued to dwindle.


The brain can give out information ONLY when you input data in it , so the more you read the more knowledge you get and that improves your chances of passing an exam. As a student , study hard and prepare well for your exam. Forget all the luxuries and focus more on inputing data into your brain!. Spend at least 4 hours of your day reading , read according to JAMB’s syllabus and focus more on areas where questions are most likely to come from.

==>>Associate Yourself with Good and Hardworking People:
It is true that friends play a significant role in shaping your career. When you associate yourself with bad and irresponsible people who care the least about their education, it is likely that they may rub off on you. The positive waves from good and hardworking friends, will motivate you to study well.

==>>Answer Past Questions Regularly:

Its always good to know the area and mode at which questions are being set, Get past questions of the previous years and try to answer them. Get familiar with their question asking pattern. Every past question has a 3/5 chance of been repeated. Doing this will help you a lot.

==>>Work More On Your Question Answering Speed :

You don’t have all day to answer a question!. Jamb gives you limited time to answer a question , therefore , it is essential for you to work on your question answering speed. On average you have about 60 seconds to spend on a question. Spending more than 60 seconds would slow you down and leave you lagging behind. Don’t delay yourself on a question , if you didn’t get the answer to a question , skip it and move on to the next question. You can always go back to the ones you didn’t do.

==>>Choosing The Right Answer/Option In The Multiple Choice Question :

This is where students fall into jamb’s trap. The UTME exam is one of the most Tactical exams in Nigeria. Its is very tactical but yet easy. The answers are somehow look a-likes. You have four options A B C D , and out of those 4 A And B looks Correct. The real answer is staring at you but you’re too blind to see it!. What do you do in this kind of situation?


If you’ve really prepared (read a lot) then it becomes easy for you. In this kind of situation , the first thing to do is to eliminate!! Eliminate the incorrect answers and leave your self with the ones that are most likely to be correct. After that , look carefully at the options once more and try to relate them to the question that was asked. You would definitely find one that corresponds to your question , pick that one as your answer!!.

Don’t…

>>Procrastinate your course of study.
>>Keep your cell phones and other gadgets while you are studying. They consume all your time without your knowledge.
>>Get intimidated if your friends are running ahead of you.
>>Miss the lectures of good and efficient teachers.
>>Let anyone say that you cannot do it.

That's all readers , hope you found this useful. You also need to have luck and you need to be prayerful!.

Students, Start Now To Prepare For Life After School

Let's make something clear, “students think". In fact, students think a lot about money, drinks, parties, opposite sex and so on but most importantly students think about their lives after school, which is good.

The bad thing however is that what they think about life after school are majorly unrealistic thoughts like, "hey, I am finally in 100 level studying economics in Kogi State University, and I'll graduate in 4 years’ time, then go for service and probably do some masters and PhD thingy then get a job and make money".

That's so unrealistic that its makes WWE wrestling more real. Its plain garbage thought you need to start getting out of your head. This life isn't Hollywood, and when you're born into one hell of a country like Nigeria you need to wise up and start thinking with your "brain".

If you can take your time and look outside your window to see millions of graduates roaming about the streets you'll probably understand that it’s not as easy as you think it is, if it was that easy your parents and your friends parents and all parents in Nigeria will be multi billionaires and you may not even need to go to school.

Life isn't easy, and Nigeria is making life even harder for Nigerians. The labour market is so choked up, it will take extra power for an angel to pass through. There is hardship in every corner of the country and the earlier you realize these things, the better for you.

So instead partying and smiling all around school why don't you sit yourself down and not only think logically but also plan logically. These topics might get you onto the right path:

- First and foremost you need to realize you only have one life to live, every circumstance you find yourself will most definitely come once, you don't go to primary school twice, well, except you're going there the second time to teach or something. My point is, in every situation you find yourself you have to try hard in making the best outta that situation, if you don't succeed, it’s okay, at least you tried.

- Ask yourself questions, like why are there few rich people in the country, what can I do to get there, what are my potentials, what are my weaknesses. You have tons of questions you should start asking yourself.

- You need to start tasking yourself. Are you too young to make money?? I mean, there are lots of unemployed graduates out there who still depend on their parents. I know you don't want to belong in that category when you're done with school. You need to know what you have to do to make that money so you do not have to depend on anybody.

God has given you a talent, why don't you discover it and start using it to make money now. There are tons of things you can do as an undergraduate that can cough out money for you, you just need to think and plan on how to strike a balance between your academics and what you're doing.

It's not how petty the job is or how little you're earning. It’s about knowing for a fact that you can do something to improve your situation.

A lot of OND, HND, BSc, PhD holders are out there (those certs are common these days), some even have all those certs with them at the moment but have nothing to show for it because they failed to realize that school is not about learning on how to work for a boss, it’s also about how to develop yourself to being your own boss.

- You need to stop thinking about your future and know that the future you are thinking of is "NOW". You have to start thinking and planning logically from now on.

- You need to start encouraging yourself to do things that'll make you big. Forget where you are now, it doesn't matter, its where you're going to be when it’s all said and done that matters.

Forget the fact that you stay in Dagana or you stay in one shady place around KSU, and your fellow mates stay in billionaires lodge or exquisite lodge (it’s probably not their money anyways), it doesn't matter. What matters is that you are formulating a plan that will change your situation when four years is done and dusted.

- All in all you have to think of doing only what's necessary to get that money, not something people like or what they don't like, not what brings shame to you or doesn't bring shame to you, you don't have to care what people think about you, 'cause at the end of it all it's you and only you that matters.

Nobody remembers the disgusting or not disgusting things Dangote has done in the past, because it was necessary to get him to where he is now, “the richest man in Africa".

Things Life Will Teach Every Guy When He Leaves Campus

So many undergraduates, including those in their final year in school erroneously think that life on campus and life outside campus are same thing. Far from it!!! Life outside campus could just be a sharp contrast to life on campus. Foresight is better than hindsight...as Book of Proverbs says in the Holy Book, 'A wise man sees trouble on the way and hides himself but the foolish man sees it and walks into it'. The wise man will surely learn by foresight while the foolish man learns by hindsight...after he has entangled himself.

Below are things life will teach you when you expire from the campus:

1) Life will teach you that creating a romantic relationship with a responsible lady is no longer based on your looks or swaggz but how stable you are financially, emotionally and religiously. In school, you had it easy in getting Kemi to fall over you, abi? You should even think like a grown man before you leave that Ivory Tower!

2) Life will teach you that it is good to work hard to get good grades but not putting all your hopes on degrees and being enterprising and creative is excellent!!!

3) Life will teach you that you should have the fun while it lasts but don't waste your precious time and future banking on relationships that might not see the light of the day after campus!

4) Life will teach you that those people you and your crew were referring to as 'dull and a nobody' might be very intelligent without you knowing. Don't be surprise when you see them in later years in enviable positions in their respective careers! The Ukwuani people of Delta State say, 'Chiosa'...it means that destinies differ! Just because you are close to some corrupt lecturers and they give out marks to you doesn't mean you should look down on everyone!!!

5) Life will teach you that your parents did a lot for you by sending you to school. If you allow heavy hips and water-melonic boobs (Abeg, whatever that means) to confuse, distract and mesmerize you, you are on your own. To see a child through higher institution in Nigeria today nor be bread and Akara o! If na lie I lie, go ask your palee for house!

6) Life will teach you that you should never have compared your life with that of the female. They are and will always be ahead of you in emotional maturity! They might get married before you even think of rounding off your Youth Service Scheme!!!

7) Life will teach you that life, itself, has changed! If you feel you have been a salary earner by deceiving your parents for money back home with cooked-up stories, only to waste it on fruitless things, you will surely get the message vividly when you discover that the cash doesn't come again. You'd need to get up and do something.

8. Life will teach you that you dated some nice girls who you would want for a wife ...you just couldn't help losing them but you did because they are always readily available to be taken far more than you

Are You Having A Tough Time In Your Academics?? Read This Story

I just have a feeling this may be useful here for some categories of students. Let me quickly share my story with you....the best sermon is one's personal experience. I left secondary school in 2004. By 2005, I got admitted to a state university in Ekiti State. After two years of studies in Ekiti state, I discovered the program I was enrolled into was not accredited. To make the story worse, nearly all lecturers in the faculty of science avidly disliked everything about the program. It was called SLT then.

Consequently, they mark down our papers. Not only that, they called us all sorts of names like NFA, unfortunate students and the likes anyone who attended the university and did that course can attest to what I am saying. My dad happened to be a staff of the University, so I told him about the poor grades, everything I heard about the program and the intensity of the lecturer's hatred for the program all to no avail. All he said was whenever students don’t want to read, they come up with different flimsy excuses so I kept mute.

After five years of my life in that school, my dad was made one of the board members of the faculty so he saw the whole results since the inception of the program. He saw so may spill over students from year 2000, and the fact that the program has not been accredited. I was in 500 level (final year) then with a lot of carry over courses.....carry over is not a big deal in that program....people had 15. It was so worse that from 300level, you can be so sure you are already a spill over student. My father saw how bad it was and he immediately invited me to his office for a meeting. He blamed himself for not listening to me when I complained 3 years earlier and he said he would want me to transfer immediately. That was how I took my transcript using his influence. I was the first person ever and possibly the last person to get a transcript from the program. I returned to 200level in another school entirely when I ought to graduate with maybe a third class or a pass.

I wasted 5years of my life in Ekiti state University and as a result, i was so sad and depressed. Merely sitting with my younger brother's age mate turned my stomach in anger. Infact when I got to the new school, my own younger brother who I happened to be ahead of by 3years became my senior. The retrogression started affecting my grades such that attending classes became a burden. Along the line, I sat myself down and reasoned deeply about how my life has been. For crying out loud, I used to be one of the best students in secondary school. I was only unfortunate to have attended the wrong program in Ekiti. Though I wasn't given any certificate despite the number of years spent but what about the life lessons I learnt?

From that day onward, I made a concrete decision to change my attitude towards my new classmates and I began to humble myself to a fault. Above all, I began to see my new school as the golden opportunity to start afresh again. My declining grades all of a sudden began to soar so high such that I had 5.0/5.0 in one of the semesters with a bit of dedication and I ended finishing top 5 out of the class

Today, I am currently in Canada on a graduate program fully funded by a Canadian university. Up till now, I am yet to spend a dime of myself in Canada because the scholarship covered everything. Guess what? I even got two scholarships from two different universities and just last week, I got another funding again. Yes just last week! What if I had committed suicide then? Would I have seen the goodness almighty God has packaged in my future today? What I am saying in essence is you can fall as much as possible but whenever you fall and refuse to rise again is when you failed. The righteous shall fall seven times.....but they shall rise again.

Conclusively, whatever the case maybe, dust up yourself and try again. Do not give up so easily because winners never quit and quitters never win. I am sure very soon you gonna look back and smile. Every successful man or woman at some point had a share of that gloomy period when you feel you are all alone and the world is about coming down on you. But I am happy to announce to you that alot of people have tread this same path and today they have become success and point of reference in the society. My brothers and sisters, it is never how far, but how well and tough time never lasts tough people do!!!!!!

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