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

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

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.

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.

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!!!!!!

SOURCE

7 Documents To Have Before Applying For Undergraduate Scholarships

There are basically 7 documents you must have before applying for undergraduate scholarships.

The quest to screen and identify scholarship applicants give rise to the following 7 documents required for scholarship application and aptitude tests.

7 Documents required for Undergraduate Scholarships

1. Passport: Most often the company in-charge of screening scholarship applicants give size, color and age of the passport required for the scholarships application.

For example, Scholastica requires a white – background passport not more than 3 months old and of size 450 X 450.

2. Admission Letter: If you must win an undergraduate scholarship, you must show an evidence that you have been admitted into the institution and course of study you claim.

The Admission letter can either be from JAMB or from your school. Although sometimes, some scholarships specify the actual admission letter they require.

3. O’level Result: Virtually all scholarships demand O’level result for their application. The O’level results include WASSCE, GCE, NECO and NABTEB.

Although all these belong to O’level, some scholarship schemes demand that the O’level result must be WASSCE or any of the above mentioned in one sitting.

Scholarships like Mobil demand 5 A1 while Federal Government Bilateral Scholarship demand 5 Distinctions in relevant courses including English and Mathematics.

4. JAMB Result: Obviously any one who gained admission into the university must have gone through the scrutiny of Jamb Admission and Matriculation board scoring at least 180 and above. Many Nigerian scholarships schemes ask for JAMB result for application. Some scholarship demand JAMB score of 60% and above of JAMB total score.

But we advise students to enroll for any scholarship they are eligible for so long as such student passed JAMB and meet all other requirements.

5. Local Government of Origin Identification: Almost all undergraduate scholarships request the Certificate of Local Government of Origin from the applicants. This is very important when it comes to scholarships that are location based for example, Area of Operation scholarship award for some oil companies.

Since such scholarship favors students from the operational area, students from non oil producing students look for ways to claim they are from the operational area and to tackle this, the Local government of origin identification is a requirement .

6. School ID Card School ID is one credential almost all the undergraduate scholarships require from students but unfortunately, most schools don’t issue the school ID on time and as a result, many students are denied the opportunity of applying for these scholarships.

We advise the students to use any other document that will identify them as students of the school they claim to belong, for example, In Federal University of Technology Owerri, (FUTO) where we have a branch at EXCEL’s PLACE FUTO, students in level 100 use their confirmation of admission gotten from the Registrar to serve as their school ID for scholarship application until the school issues the official school ID.

With this the students will not miss the opportunity which is even more open to first and second year students.

7. Birth Certificate It is no lie that any application you do online or registrations will always have a field with “Date of Birth”. And to affirm that the date of birth you have actually filled is is true, the scholarship schemes demand that applicants submit their birth certificates. And where birth certificate is not available, age declaration can also be used.
Sometimes, baptismal certificates can also serve.

It is important to note that many other scholarships may ask for all of this and more while some may only demand for just some of the above mentioned documents.

I am certain that with above information, you will be ready for any scholarship application that will come up any moment from now.

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 thesame patterns,
Don't read when you hate most like in the midnight when most people hate,don't inconvinient 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 inconvenient 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 tommorow,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
 
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Tips On How To Read And Cram As A Student

Cramming? Sounds familiar? Oh Yes, it should. It was along day chilling with friends and you’ve got a test the next morning. Chances of you reading and understanding in-depth are limited, this is where cramming comes in handy. . Even when you are not tired, some students do nothing else but cramming. They care not about reading and understanding but to just get the whole write-up in their heads and pour it down in the exam, at times it is justifiable. Cramming means to study intensively over a short period of time just before an examination, but no necessarily so, even some courses and subjects really require that you cram, they hardly have something meant for you to understand. So write on here, let’s discuss some

Tips On How To Read And Cram As A Student

1. Never Do It In Your Room
Studying in your room, apartment, or whatever you stay in can be inevitably distracting. Pick up books or computer (only if you need it) and head somewhere else. It shouldn’t necessarily be a library. It might be that eatery. Anyhow, just make sure you find a place where you can really set up and relax for a while.

2. Make Use Of The Study For 50 / Chill For 10 Rule
This is one major hint and a must-follow method of studying, because it keeps you incredibly focused. Study really hard for 50 minutes, No breaks, no sleeping off, no distractions. Make sure anytime you get distracted and stops reading for whatever reason, the 50 minutes starts all over. Once you are successful with a 50 minutes, take a 10 minutes break, probably take an aimless stroll, look for a friendly trouble, check your mail or anything just to exercise your brain. Then get back to work. Training yourself this way forces you to study hard 80% of the time, half-studying doesn’t working when it comes to cramming.

3. Rewrite What You Read
Well, this doesn’t actually work for everyone. The best way to cram is to eliminate the filler, and whittle down your reading into a specific sheet. This makes you to figure out what’s really important and also unconsciously get them into your head as you write. Plus, you’ll be amazed at how much you learn simply by writing. You are bound to at times forget what you crammed, get back what you wrote down, read it all over and once you get it again, you might no more forget.

4. Study with a friend
Well, odds are, you’re not the only one who loves cramming. Find someone else to enjoy the feelings with, and you’ll be rewarded in two ways: you’ll realize how much you already know by asking and answering questions, and you’ll figure out what you do not know and need to study. Quiz and debate each other,
two brainstwo good brains are always better than one, and cramming is no exception.

5. Figure out the Big Points
As well, odds are you’re not going to be able to cram every minute detail of the material you are reading. That’s normal and the more you can cram varies from person to person. Instead, spend your time focusing on major concepts, focus on lists, definitions, abbreviations and their meanings and other key points. Focus on the big stuffs first, and move on to minor ones only if you have the time.

6. Chunk as you read
Try remembering these ten numbers: Chunking, (in psychology or linguistic analysis) means to group together (connected items or words) so that they can be stored or processed as single concepts. This can help you retain information at a much higher rate. To study with this method, follow this simple process: Come up with important terms you need to know, then try and define them. After that, come up with a few major concepts from the course material or course note, and explain them one after the other, each in a paragraph. Then, on a sheet of paper, group your terms into the concepts. Then start practicing going over a concept, and remembering the relevant terms and definitions. Learning the individual parts as they relate to a larger whole makes remembering and applying them much easier. Before you know it, you have all what you need stalked up in your brain.

7. Try To Read Out Of Order
Most people read by just reading their notes over and over again. This, believe it or not, really isn’t a helpful way of reading when it comes to cramming. Your brain doesn’t work in perfect order all the time, and neither should you. Instead, read your notes through consecutively only once. Then, randomly go back and read or read your jotted keynotes, in no order whatsoever. This helps your brain remember the information on its own, instead of simply as a part in a series. If chronology is relevant, i.e. in a history class, be careful to note chronology, but still change your orders.


8. Read Out Loud
Reading out loud as you cram is a big trick. You can murmur, whisper, yell, sing, rap, whatever – just make sure you are talking out loud. It can’t be overstated how much easier it is to remember something you say, hear and read than something you simply read. Research says, by speaking out loud, you give your brain three stimuli to remember the material instead of just one. Your retention ability skyrockets as you talk, because you’re forced to concentrate on the material. Don’t study in your head – study aloud. Also reading aloud gives no room for emotional distractions, you concentrate on the material.

10. Sleep! Sleep!! And Sleep!!!
Sleeping is literally the single most important thing you can do after reading. Studies have shown that you will remember incredibly more after 6 hours of sleep, and you tend to perform terribly in pressurized situations without much sleep. But keep it moderate, sleeping too much is no good for you, though that is a no-brainer.

These Tips On How To Read And Cram As A Student aren’t always the optimal methods to it. They’re just a way to help you out. Ideally, you should be studying all along, eating well, exercising constantly, and getting lots of sleep. But that’s not realistic. Good luck!!!

5 Reasons Most Students Are Not Offered Admission Despite High Post-utme Score

Most admission seekers are often times left confused trying to get the reason they were not offered admission to the institution of their choice despite having a very high UTME score. At times, having a high Post-UTME is not a guarantee for admission. The following are the reasons students may not be offered admission despite having a high post-UTME score;

1. Wrong UTME combination
This is one of the reasons a number of students lose admission despite beating the post-UTME cut-off point. Even at times, some students are being stripped of their admission or moved to another department during the process of first-year registration simply because of wrong JAMB subject combination. For instance, a student seeking admission to study mass communication would definitely lose the admission if he or she did not take Literature-in-English as part of the four subjects for the UTME exam. Similarly, a student seeking admission to study Physics and Electronics should definitely select Physics as part of his UTME subject combination. Before any student fills his or her JAMB form, he or she should painstakingly go through the JAMB Brochure to know the right subject combination for his or her course of study.



2. University’s catchment area
Most federal universities, including some state universities, still retain the policy of catchment area in selecting students for admission. For instance, UNILAG catchment area constitutes majorly South Western states. What this implies is; prospective students from the South West have higher chances of gaining admission. For example, a prospective student from Osun state who scored 56, applying to study sociology may be offered admission while another student from Imo state who scored 60 may not be offered admission. This is so because if the catchment cut-off point for Osun is 56 while the general cut-off is 62, such a student from Imo state has definitely lost the admission despite having a higher score than his counterpart from the catchment zone. In view of the above, admission seekers should always be aware of a university’s catchment area and requirements before selecting any university.

3. University policy
Despite the general catchment area policy, some universities still have their individual policy they adopt as yardstick in admitting students. Oftentimes, such policies are not made public. It is therefore the duty of admission seekers to find out specific admission policies of their prospective universities from friends schooling in such universities.

4. Low UTME score
Often times, I pity most Jambites who score within the range of 180 and 210 because such scores limit their chances of gaining admission in a situation where they have to compete for the same admission slot with students who score as high as 250 and above. And most universities still compute both UTME and post-UTME scores in calculating the student’s average score. Hence, having a low UTME score can also hinder one’s opportunity of gaining admission. It is always advisable for students to try to score 250 and above in order to be on a safer side. As a matter of fact, it is very necessary concerning the JAMB policy of redirecting students with lower UTME scores to less-competitive universities.


5. O’level result
I do advise admission seekers to pass ALL the necessary subjects in their O’level exam(s) very well before going ahead to take UTME exam. I have met with lots of students who lost their admission because they did not have at least credit pass in some important subjects in their O’level result. Recently, I met with a student who lost his admission to study medicine at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye (OOU) because he did not have at least a credit pass in Mathematics in his O’level result. In fact, I felt very sorry for him because gaining admission to study a competitive course such as medicine is not easy.


Feel free to add other reasons

How To Improve Your GPA And Stay Focused On Your Education Each Semester

How to improve your Gpa this semester easily for the purpose of newbie going through this article..

GPA is a an advanced way of calculating grade,each semester a Grade point averege (GPA) shall be computed for all courses taken in the semester,The GPA shall be computed and rounded off to two decimal places.. exp (2.99)

Be prepared : everything structure in life as a foundation beneath, you need to prepared your self you want to also make it in life you don’t want to argue with people who’s the richest man on earth..
Stay organized : if your reading table looks like a natural disaster that occur in Haiti i don’t expect your GPA to look different ,The more organized you are the easier its for you to stay focus.

Invest your time : invest more time on your assignment,student are found with the habit of ctrl+c ‘’copy” and ctrl+v “paste” though you actually obeyed an order of submitting an assignment but you never follow the main reason the assignment was set out as we all know example is simple ,classwork is tricky,Assignment is logical,at some point you will ask your self can this lecturer solve this foolish assignment,yours is just to attempt to improve that brain of yours ..KEY ASSIGNMENT COMES OUT DURING EXAM ..

GET A BAG : higher institution student are found with the habit of rolling their lecture note ,carrying fancy bag around the campus just for fashion ,bags that can’t contain my secondary school physics text book “principle of physics”,your books will surely look rough and you wont be able to go through it,if you look dirty will any girl wanna hear you out same principle comes to play there. please if you are among such student desist from this bad habit get a folder it cost nothing less than 350naira ,not even up to the money you use to play your silly naira bet which will take you nowhere. Have you ever come to think of think if the founder of nahirabet gamble in school will he succeed to bring such business plan or even have the money to be copy the idea from foreign country please be wise..baba ijebu self don’t play betting..

GO TO CLASS : please just go to class even if you are only to be there in body and not in mind, most teacher pass out vital information while explaining which are likely not to be in the lecture notes .. GET a jotter for this just #100..
Participate in class
Don't study over night too much, for you to be able to focus during next class
Find your reading spot : this is very vital, I have a friend who can only study better at the school pitch, please don't copy such idea cause your own study point might be in the toilet..

Get a class tutor :gang up with your colleagues to discuss what you don't understand about today's lecture

Play : please have a good leisure time all work and no play makes jack a dull boy..

Don't be selfish share your knowledge with orders else they will surely course you after the exam for not explaining to him during exam preparation... Please don't underrate my last point cause it works...

How I Managed Till I Got My Dream Job

This writeup has been on my mind for sometime but due to the nature of my job,I have been extremely busy. This writeup might be helpful to some of the unemployed youths who are currently jumping from one interview to another, or those who are wondering what next after school.

I graduated from the university about 3years ago, and as a normal Nigerian graduate, I sat at home submitting cvs from one company to another, hoping ill one day get my dream job. I submitted cvs day in, day out and gradually days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. I gained weight and before I knew it,I felt myself rapidly aging, was looking far older than I was. The agenda for the day where the same, eat, games, sleep, eat, TV/games, sleep.If I needed money for anything I asked my mum, it was truly a nightmare, my mum took full advantage, in making me do menial house-chores which I so hated. Something has to change I thought.

I decided to go out and do anything I can to make money, so I started home lessons for my aunts children, she paid me 5k for two hours lesson, three times a week. I wrote an application to teach in one "dead" private school at a place far from me, I knew I would never be turned down due to my educational qualifications.So I landed my first ever job post school days, I was to teach 6 subjects(mathematics,geography,agric,biology,chemistry and physics) both for ss1 and ss2. It was a stressful job and the pay was just 16k, the transport from the school to where I stay was 4k per-month. Teaching at that school was soooo stressful, writing lesson notes for all those subjects, marking students notes and teaching. It was very stressful but I did the job diligently, My director recommended me to a man who was looking for a lesson teacher for his son, he paid 20k for 3hours a day, four times a week lesson. I was no longer depending on my mum for financial support and hence i stopped the house-chores I so hated .

Fast forward, I was one day preparing the js3 class for there upcoming junior waec one evening when i noticed a woman who looked very rich observing me from the window. She was inside her car passing by and heard me teaching and it caught her attention. She sent her security man to collect my number, was expecting her call but she never called. One month later, I received a call and it was her, she wanted me doing home lesson for her children, they where 3 in number. After much negotiations she opted to pay 80k for the 3 of them, at this time all my earnings combined was about 116k. I stopped doing lessons for my aunts children, was just focused on my two lessons and the school where I was teaching.

Fast forward, the woman I worked for was a talkative and I liked talking myself, each time am teaching her children and shes around, we talk about everything. She grew to like me, and in no short time it was like we've known ourselves for a long time. Her husband is a contractor to a big oil company and he wanted starting an oil servicing firm for his wife, due to the discussions me and his wife usually have, I got to know. She told me about the project and how they already have everything in place, just looking for the right personnel's. She needed a manager who would run the place, she told me about it and subtly asked me if I was interested since I read a course similar to what she wants. I quickly agreed, despite my lack of experience she made me the manager of the soon to start establishment.

It was all a dream, as the manager I was entitled to my own personal car, which she gave me from her and her husbands fleet of cars and my salary structure is now over 400k. We started the company, she brought in more experienced people but all of them are to call me "SIR''. I became boss to car owners, " Big Men" and during the 6months have been working there now have shook hands to highly important personalities. The first interview we conducted, I saw graduates trooping in, just to get this job, made me realize how far I have come in a short while, only because I decided to leave the house and get busy instead of jumping from one interview to another.

The company has done really well in this few months, our second recruitment exercise is tomorrow and its like have been here all my life. In reality March this year, I didn't envisage Ill be here so soon. Morals of this, to those graduates out there still waiting for big organizations to start recruiting,before leaving the house, please get out there and do anything, no matter how menial it might be, while doing it be diligent , cause you might never know when its your turn to break-free of the yoke that's unemployment .

SOURCE

Four Productive Things You Can Invest Your Time In As An Undergraduate

Some things when misused or wasted cannot in anyway be redeemed—non renewable and such is the four letters word,time. Though popular saying has it that time can be redeemed, this,theoritically, is not only incorrect in our experience of time but also practically incorrect; a propose of epileptic erudition. But then, since time is priceless as you would agree with me won't it be wise to make the best of it in the most important stage of education? Invest those between lectures in something productive, if not immediate in effect should be in years to come?

Outlined below is an encapsulated edit of ways you can make the best of your time without wasting as "big"a second.


1. Diary Keeping: We all have appropriated, not by coincidence but design equal amount of time; an unprecedented egilitarianism. And If there is anything productive you can use your time for at night it is keeping a Diary of your activities for each day; all encapsulated in a page. It doesn't only make things more easier and less difficult when writing your autobiography but also makes it faster when compiled since it will cover at least four years of your life.


2. Writing: Wether tutorial books, novels,short stories,poem even wise sayings could be productive when compiled and published. Those in between can be used for such purpose instead of being used for chatting away opportunities. You can write a thousand words per day. Calculate it for a year and you have got yourself a 500 pages + novel. You don't only get to be a great person after having a degree you can be before you do.

3. Tutoring: Now another thing to invest your time in is doing tutorial. O please....don't give i am not the brilliant type because guess what? If you are a dullard you won't be in that university. And perharps you are thinking, damn! i am shy,can't face a crowd of students well you don't have to face a crowd your pen can face blank pages and script down the tutorial.

4. Music: Join a progressive musical group on campus if none exist start one up. You don't really need to know how to sing you just need to spend those in between learning musical instruments that makes you indispensable. You can opt for dancing or song writing. The thing is being part of it.


Time is money, irredeemable nonetheless managable. Becoming a great person is impossible when the preciousness of time is not acknowledged. Those time you use in watching EPL and UEFA matches can be converted into something beneficial to you,your love ones and your nation. Remember, always make hay when the sun shines.

How To Get A First Class Degree In A Nigerian University

It’s no doubt that a first class degree is difficult to achieve but not impossible. Read below on some of the tips to achieving a first class degree in a Nigerian University.

1. The very first semester is the most important: The very first semester in any tertiary institution in Nigeria is the most important and the foundation for subsequent success. Some people take the view that they will coast through the first couple of years and then really turn it on in the final year when it matters most. This is not the path to success as it is easier to build on a strong foundation early on.

2. Read a course in a subject area you are interested in: This is one of the most important tip to getting a high CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average). This is because changing economic situations make certain courses especially in science and technology more valuable in the job market. Make sure you are study a course that interests you. But whatever course you end up studying, give it your 100% and you never know the possibilities that might arise from it.

3. Go extra miles to learn: Most Lecturers and Professors in Nigerian Universities only provide basic guidance for topics and assignments. As the master of your own destiny it is your responsibility to find time with your lecturers or yourself and make sure you have interpreted the question correctly and are on track with your research/school work. This extra effort is viewed favourably by lecturers and will surely be rewarded.

4. Find a good study partner: The reason is that you could be the smartest person in the world but chances are someone else is going to think of an idea that you would never consider. You cant be an island of your own. Be careful though in choosing your buddies especially in avoiding the problems associated with peer pressure and jealousy. Team or study groups are also valuable. However, beware of group work and plagiarism as lecturers can easily spot original work and usually reward accordingly.

5. Never miss lectures: Treat all your courses importantly and give each course your 100% by attending lectures all the time. If you are continuously missing lectures then things are probably not going to turn out well for you. Remember no-one with a first class degree ever wished they had partied more, but most people with a lower class degree wished they had studied more.

6. Time Management: There is no right time management method. It depends on yourself.Therefore, find the right balance for yourself and schedule. You have to work hard, but you also have to find time to play/relax. Do not joke with deadlines as they are extremely important in many parts of life and also crucial if you want to achieve a first class degree. Penalties could exist for late work which could lead to a reduction in your grade. Call in favours, burn the midnight oil whatever it takes but make sure you get it in on time.

7. Limit social activities :No doubt, with the current popularity of social medias, students spend much of their time online and have harder time concentrating in class, therefore, usually distracted and have shorter attention spans. Most of us are guilty of spending hours a day on social media. Imagine all the productive school work that can be done with that time.

That should be all on How To Get A First Class Degree In A Nigerian University

What A Student Should Do After Failing A Course

Omission of expected or required action – Failure ; isn’t a music that a man will ever like his ears to get plugged to. Moments when you studied really hard for an exam and still end up getting the letter after and before E and G respectively. Though I have never met anyone who purposely set out to be a failure as it’s something that is always strictly avoided but in case it turns sour, here are some of the things to do after failing an exam.

• FORGET ABOUT IT AND PICK IT ALL UP AGAIN
: Ruminating on a failed exam and reminiscing your hours in the exam hall will do you no good, failure is a very great spin to success and it’s possibly inevitable in the story of a successful man as it’s one of the norms of life. Once it happens as such, take it as one of those things in life and carry on with your normal life with the determination of hitting the ball again but this time hitting it rightly and getting the goal. Dwelling on your failure gets you trapped up in an emotional doom-loop that hinders you from moving on. The past cannot be modified, but you can shapen your future with positive thoughts and determination. Bearing in mind that “You will survive and you will make it“, do not allow the heat of the moment to weigh you down.


• DO NOT MIND THE THOUGHTS OF OTHERS
: On failing, you are bound to get thrown in the mud by people who have obviously been expecting your downfall. If possible, keep it at bay from people like this or rather get your mind toughened to listen not to whatsoever gibberish they have to spit but to the determined voice of your spirit saying “I will survive and I will make it”.


• BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE
: In situations like this, you tend to get weighed down and downcasted as all hopes will seem dashed. Make a Chinese up-stand and change your perspective away from negativity with the belief that you will make it with determination.


• SEPARATE YOUR FAILURE FROM YOUR IDENTITY
: Don’t make the failure your personality, don’t make it occupy your head, don’t make it affect you self esteem, don’t allow it to interfere with your self confidence. Because you failed an exam does not sum up your personal self as a failure, there are a million and one thing you have and can still succeed at. Read about the history of Disney if you want to know more about how failure stimulates success.


• PRAY TO GOD
: Lastly but most importantly, this is your best bet in difficult times. Open your holy book – Bible to Psalms 14:3 or Mark 17 and see what it has to say about failure. Look and open up to God to come around and take over the situation, with faith and so much unbelievable ease, all will go well with you.

He who falls is expected to stand, he who stands is expected to keep up with the race, he who keeps up with the race should not look back.

Why Students Carry Over Courses In Nigerian Universities

Carry Over, if asked to be defined by a layman, would be said to be the act of holding or supporting a rigid body over a surface or simply the act of propelling or giving impetus to something. But ask a Nigerian student, the first meaning of carry over that comes to his innocent mind is that “‘carry-over’ is similar to ‘failure’ in Nigerian polytechnics and universities. It’s the act of re-taking a failed course or subject in the next or another subsequent semester.” So, to ‘carry over’ a course, means to re-take the same course some other time. The reasons of which we are going to consider in this write-up. So, sit back, take a chill pill, lessen your grasp on the worry of the content of the post and read along some of the reasons Why Students Carry Over Courses In Nigerian Universities And Polytehnics.

• EXCESSIVE CHILLING WITH FRIENDS AND HANGING OUTS
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Say me hi to the social fanatics, shoutout to the party freaks and all hands in the air for those who are always around friends day in day out. Before you start throwing onine stones at me, I didn’t in any way say you should not chill with your friends, but there is time for everything. The paragraph you could have read, instead of laughing out loud in a friend’s place or holding a girl’s waist in a departmental party, might have gotten you out of failure and saved you from carrying over the course.

• LECTURER’S VICTIMIZATION
:
Our students are not that poor in terms of academics! No! I refuse to believe! Then, how come they still carry over courses? Actually, some lecturers are just deliberately wicked. They derive joy in failing students. And perhaps, our lecturers brag with “Who has the highest number of carry-overs in the course he/she is taking” when their meeting comes up. Some lecturers also fail endowed female students who disagreed to yield to their sexual wishes, let’s stop it there.

• NOT PREPARING WELL FOR EXAMS
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If you do not read, do not expect miracles. Well miracles happen at times, you might try it if you think you are the lucky type. I won’t advise it though. Therefore, learn how to prepare for exams.

• NOT STUDYING PAST QUESTIONS
:
This is the best bet when it comes to preparation for exams, it might save you a whole lots of time reading a very huge textbook aimlessly, thereby going off point by covering a syllabus you wouldn’t even need in 10years time. That’s why you see some really brilliant students still carrying over courses, they read all day, off topic, not knowing what could probably be set in the exams. Trust, Past questions help.

• NOT ATTENDING LECTURES
:
Students whoevade or probably avoid classes are more exposed to carrying over courses. The reason behind this is not so far-fetched and mind-numbingly obvious. Although some lecturers teach directly from PowerPoint and find a means to get the slides within the reach of the students. This makes it tempting for students to skip class, they just download the lecture slides, and learn the materials on their own. You might probably get away with this in easy courses, you’ll face problems in challenging ones. By skipping class, you miss out on a few important things:
Detailed oral explanations from the lecturer which are keys to understanding the material
The chance to ask questions and listen to the questions of other students and the answers
Announcements and assignments
Opportunities for extra marks e.g Attendance
It sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s too important to not mention. Skipping class can make you look bad in the eyes of your lecturer especially if it’s a small class and the lecturer knows most of his students. Since grades are somewhat subjective, it’s a good idea to avoid irritating the person who will be handing out the marks. Mind you, that 10marks you could have probably gotten from your attendance could shoot you from an F to an Escape grade.

• HEALTH CONDITIONS
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If you have ever experienced a severe case of malaria during the exam or test period then you should know what I’m talking about. You are not expected to write something reasonable inside that question paper while you are feeling so cold and shaky as an effect of a sickness.

• SPIRITUAL CIRCUMSTANCES
:
Those who do not know or probably do not want to succumb to the cause of their carry over will nod aggressively in approval to this like “YES! Some witches are following me, that’s why I failed!“. Well, probably true, that’s why in every thing you do, you involve your God.

HOW TO COPE UP WITH BUNDLES OF READING MATERIALS IN COLLEGE

If you thought college was as easy as school you need to think seriously about attending college. The school life was easy for all of us, however college is different in all manners, and getting to read materials is one tough job for most of the students. So, once you are at college you need to prepare yourself to get immense packs on notes and books that you would need to peruse in a restricted time. In the event that you have as of late joined school, this may appear like a troublesome errand for you, however with time and a few ways you’ll have the capacity to stay aware of the gigantic heap of understanding you will need to do.

Did you know there is no single strategy which you can approach so you can manage perusing with bundles of reading materials? Rather, it is a trial and run premise where you will need to try different things with the different methodologies and see what works for you.

You are not to worry because in this article we will be looking at top 5 tips and tricks which you can follow to make the college reading on time and effectively.

Tip# 1: Figuring out what system works for you

Reading your task paper does not mean you should do nothing more than look over the paper. It obliges you to peruse while understanding the significance behind every word. A few students find reading with short breaks supportive, while the rest discover it less demanding to peruse at a stretch and get it

What do you discover less demanding? Is it reading at a regular interval and enjoying a reprieve, or reading for 2 hours together? In the same way, you have to comprehend in what environment you realize better, is it a noiseless spot like a library or a bistro with noisy music?

So, in short how and what environment you want to read depends on you solely. Try out the different methods and sit with the one you find best.

Tip# 2: Mark a timetable on the date-book for your reading time

A large portion of the times, students check their date-books to make help them to remember their meetings with the specialist, clubs or with companions. Have you ever taken a stab at making an arrangement on your timetable to help you to remember setting aside time out for perusing? Believe me! You got to try this method. Once your calendar reminds you that its reading time, there is no escaping. Even if you try to run, you will feel guilty and the result would be you’ll end up reading the course materials.

Tip# 3: Read Effectively

Out of all the other tips if you follow this one effectively, you will end up saving a lot of time. So always make sure that at whatever point you are perusing your paper, you are highlighting the catchphrases, or bringing down notes. Do anything which assists you with understanding the substance of the paper better. You will need to work with this strategy to see what is simpler for you.

At whatever point you read, read it completely with the goal that you don’t need to wind up understanding it once more. Nobody needs to re-read every one of the pages again,right? Thus, be successful in your reading at one time itself.

Tip# 4: Be practical and comprehend you can’t read everything without a moment’s delay

You should be practical here and comprehend that attempting to read everything at one go is very silly in reality, rather, attempt to accept circumstances for what they are. Be that as it may, what you can do is to divide the reading task among your group. This way whatever you will read will be more thorough and you will end up understanding the concept. You need to understand one thing here and that is you read not to get over the material, rather, you read to understand the concept behind what you are reading. Therefore, attempt to be adaptable and read just till you are understanding the idea.

Tips# 5: General Tips

1. Read with regular intervals
2. Read only till you understand what you are reading
3. Take small amount of portions and complete them first
4. Check the arrangement of the material.
5. Always read the summary
6. Do not forget to underline the keyword
7. Write down important pieces of information
8. Each section has some questions at the end, try to answer them
9. If you fail to understand something, underline it and ask your teacher

Conclusion

Although college is fun, you need to make a proper regime to be able to enjoy the college life and get the proper education. You should not by any means take this reading lightly. Remember, this is college and your career depends on it. If you fail to achieve good grades in college, you will be risking your future. So, good grades mean better and secured future. I know everyone wants that, don’t you? So, college reading may not sound fun, but it is not an option, it is a necessity.

Try to follow these tips and tricks and hopefully you will be able to get the reading done on time and that too, effectively. Once you get into the habit of reading large bundles, you will fall into a routine. Just be patient and you will see the difference.

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