ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE YOUR INHERITANCE
Excelling academically
is virtually one of the dreams of every student in the four
walls of the university and also it happens to be one among many of the reasons why parents send their wards to school.
It is the desire of God
to see you excel in whatever you do and also it is never too late for God to
turn around your academics for the best because he alone can do exceedingly
abundantly above all you could ever ask or even think of .
This article helps to
shed more light on academic excellence and how it is an inheritance which has
been passed to you from Christ and also practical ways of excelling
academically while in school, and it also deals majorly on how you could be a
success at what you do and wherever you find yourself if the principles are
well applied.
Furthermore, it will be pertinent to explain
what academic excellence is all about and then we build our premise from there.
Excellence is a quality
of being outstanding. It is not a trait hence it cannot be inherited. Academic excellence
is the demonstrated ability to perform, achieve, and/or excel in scholastic
activities. Academic excellence to most people has been regarded as achieving
high grades wonderful performance but academic excellence is more than just
making good grades. It is also the
maximum development of your intellectual capacities and skills in service to
humanity.
In the words of EARL
NIGHTINGALE he was of the opinion that no one ever reached excellence in any
one art or profession without having passed through the slow painful process of
study and preparation. Academic
excellence matters because it honors God.
More accurately I will state that academic
excellence gained through devotion to Christ honors God. The mere acquisition
of knowledge in a prideful way or for the sake of personal glory doesn’t do
much to honor our God. But when we seek Christ as the motivation of our
academic pursuits, when we submit to his call on our lives each day, we will be
able to follow him wherever he leads.
HOW
TO ACHIEVE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
The question lies on
how to achieve academic excellence. One thing we need to be well abreast with
is that there is no one way of achieving excellence academically, it is how you
apply the principles governing it that determines the outcome. Excellence comes
with a price, you cannot be in your comfort zone and expect excellence to
become a reality to you without requiring you to go out hard to get it, only
those who understand its worth can pay for it. Excellence is not plucked from a
tree or picked from the road; it takes a lot of discipline and hard work to
achieve it. I will like to share with you some tips that can help you in your
pursuit for success; they are all of the same importance and not is of huge
importance than the others, they need all be applied concurrently to achieve
the results you could ever imagine. Break out of your comfort zone: aim for the
moon, if you miss, you may hit the star.
ROLE OF
GOD:
The importance of God
in your academics is of paramount importance and cannot be overemphasized as
God himself is the God of excellence little wonder he had made all things
perfect and had endowed his children with an excellent spirit. God has a way of
turning your academics in the absolute direction. God can turn noting to
something and empty vessels to vessels of honor unto him, it is never too late
for God to begin academic excellence in your life.
The lord in his
infinite mercies can turn a local champion into a world champion not only
because he is the God of more than enough but also because he can do exceedingly
abundantly above all you could ever think, ask, or even imagine. Vividly I
remember of how God transformed my academic life from been a secondary school average
student to being a university child of exploits and I believe that the God who
did it for me is still more than capable to do greater things in your life. God
has given you all that it takes to succeed at whatever you do, it’s just for
you to believe and tap into his abundant resources.
Always have the notion
to not always allow your studies to compete with Gods time in your life because
you need him to see you through and sustain you. I vividly understand the
importance of prayer in your academics but it is not enough; remember that
faith without works is dead, play your own part and do your best.
PURPOSE
IN YOUR HEART TO EXCEL:
It’s one thing for you
to desire and yearn to excel academically it’s another thing to have the zeal
and quest to excel academically, you need to have the burning desire in your
heart that whatever you do even though there is or may not be any monetary
reward you must excel beyond measures in it.
A classic example of a
man of purpose is Daniel in the bible, the bible makes me understand that he
“purposed in his heart” not to defile himself with the portion of the king’s
delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank, we all know the end result that
even when he decided not to take part in the portion of the king’s delicacies,
when he was compared after ten days with those whom had ate out of the portion
of the king’s delicacies he appeared better in flesh than all the young men
whom had eaten out of the king’s delicacies, likewise you also you can purpose
in your heart to excel academically beyond measures as its commonly said that “A
battle is won first from the mind”.
You need to bring your
mind to the reality that excelling academically is what you aiming for and
believe me; what you feed your mind is
what you get from it. I’m not talking about a gaze, I mean conditioning
your mind to one important goal you must achieve. Know what you want and go for
it with all determination, enthusiasm, an optimism. Everybody wants to be successful but not all of us can give success
its dues.
HAVE A WELL DEFINED GOAL:
Why not “write the
vision and make it plain” you need to have aclearly defined goal of what
you intend achieving in a semester and also a session as this will be a road map
in guaranteeing your success in school. It’s not also about having a goal for
the session but having objectives on how well your goals could be achieved.
Your goals must be S.M.A.R.T in essence it must be Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. If you want to
succeed you need to set goals. Without goals you lack focus and direction.
Setting targets ignites your passion and that’s the driving force that will
propel you toward excellence. You can
allow yourself to be your greatest asset or your worst liability, the choice is
yours. Without a goal the only thing you should expect is to be less
motivated, less productive, and less than your true self. Set goals
consistently and work assiduously to meet them. Time is a free but not renewable resource, so spend each moment
wisely. A goal will set your life in motion. Be SMART.
Distractions can come in any form to drift you
aside from your goals ; businesses, relationships, friends, families amidst
others can do that; but note that not so many
things can travel with you on the way to success; a lot of unwanted loads
have to be dropped because they might slow you down. There are things that can
wait because they will always be there; however if you cannot make sacrifices
for your academics, then don’t think about excellence.
DISCOVER
YOURSELF AND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU:
Carve out your know
niche; learn to know what you are capable of doing and the extent you can go,
Learn to be yourself and never try to study like somebody else; understand your
pattern of learning and develop your style of studying. Never compare yourself
with someone else because people apply the principles of success differently. Know yourself as this will go a long way
in helping you now and the nearest future, never give up, try to catch up and
you will soon be up. You should be well abreast of your time of maximum
assimilation either during the day or night and fix up your study timetable to
work in line with it. If you are Persistent you will get it, if
you are consistent you will keep it.
PREPARE ADEQUATELY:
Examination is a test
designed to measure your academic aptitude of students to ascertain their level
of understanding of a particular subject. If you fail to plan then you plan to
fail as it is often said. Don’t start studying too close to examinations or
tests, you will only be tasking your brain too hard, denying yourself of enough
rest and putting your entire body system in a state of higgledy-piggledy, it
won’t help, the fire-brigade approach never pays. Information is being stored
overtime and not spontaneously, no magic will magnetize answers to your brain,
so why don’t you make sacrifices early enough for it. Give yourself a target of
been ready for exams two weeks before commencement. With that in check the sky
is your starting point. Try to stay healthy with a good diet and be punctual
for your examinations or tests. Be calm and don’t panic in the examination
hall. Remember your composure in an examination is paramount to eventual
success. You don’t have to cheat if you have played your role well because not
only will you be destroying your image peradventure you get caught, the
consequences are very severe, so beware!
Excellence is a virtue
students pursue rigorously, it is not a respecter of any person irrespective of
the level and course, achieving it will take you to push yourself despite all
odds. It requires a lot of God’s help and smart works that is doing the
necessary things and leaving the rest to God. Believe in yourself and know that
you can be distinguished for excellence in what you do and where you find
yourself. Always try to pay attention to little details and try to endure
because whatever you are going through now is temporary. And remember
dependence on others will take you nowhere in life as the bible says “vain is the help of man, but with God you
shall do valiantly” Be around the right people and company. See
examinations as a challenge waiting for you to overcome. I leave you with this “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Stay blessed.
CREDIT: OLUDE KAYODE
200 LEVEL LAW
LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY