The Spectacular Student

Two days ago, I recommended that if you want to be the best student in your university, you should engage more in active reading . I gave you important steps on how to go about active reading. There are different active reading strategies. One of the most popular is the SQ3R Reading strategy. This strategy was first proposed by Francis Robinson, a prominent American educational Psychologist in 1946 in his book titled Effective Study What is SQ3R The SQ3R is an active reading strategy that helps the reader engage intentionally with the material before, during and after reading. SQ3R is actually an acronym which stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review. 1. S - Survey First, quickly go through the materials you are to study. Take note of the headings, subheadings, as well as the notes under the pictures, tables and charts. Don't spend so much time on this. This step will give you an overview of what to expect from the text or material you are to read. 2. Q- Question or Que...

Someone once said that life is not fair to many of us. We all face different challenges over time. These challenges affect many of us. They are like pebbles being cast at us by life itself. Many people allow these pebbles or stones cast at them to get them injured or broken or depressed. As a result, they fall and never rise again. They give up. They abandon everything and go home defeated. Yes. Defeated. For others who face similar or even worse challenges, they gather the stones and build a bridge. Remember that nobody cares why you fail . This itself is not fair. I know. But that's just the gospel truth. Everybody will become interested in your story when you succeed against all odds.  I want you to learn excellence from these two students who lived with sickle cell anemia, one genetic condition that you will not even wish your enemy to have. But they excelled. They excelled, and that, very well. They came out with first class. They are our world's unsung heroes. Let's l...

Many students do not know that the way you read a novel or some entertainment blog post is not the same way you read your academic materials. The difference is just that the former is passive and the latter requires an active reading pattern. This post will teach you how to engage in active reading, as this is key if you want to understand what you are reading, if you want to be able to recall during exams/tests and if you want to be an outstanding student. Passive Reading Passive Reading is the kind of reading usually employed while reading for entertainment purposes. For example, reading an entertainment news, scanning through a newspaper or reading through a boring novel, etc. In passive reading, you are not actively engaging what is being read. You are not reading to fully understand the details in the text. Understanding may be superficial. Passive reading requires superficial attention. One's attention may be divided while reading. Focus is lacking. One could even be mul...

Have you ever gone in to write an exam and you just 'offloaded' all the answers needed to pass the exams into your answer sheet, and then, the next moment you are unable to remember the information you just 'offloaded'? The reason is because you didn't read to understand. You only crammed the information. Many students fall into this category. They do not read to understand. As a result, they find it difficult to remember. Is Cramming that Bad? While cramming can sometimes be of great benefit, it is not a good way to study, if your aim is to understand what you are reading. Some students, however, have mastered this process of cramming and use it to their benefits, especially to pass exams. Cramming is simply trying to learn a lot of information within a very short period of time. In cramming, you just mug up the information within a short time, especially when about to write an exam. Cramming can be very useful in emergency test/exam preparations and this has helpe...

While in the University, I had a schoolmate who would complain of reading and reading her course materials but then will get to the exam hall and not remember what she read. At a a point, one of her campus pastors felt she was having some spiritual problems. He had to pray seriously for her. It didn't stop. It continued. I think it wasn't a spiritual problem. Many Students have this Common Problem I have interacted with a lot of students over time and I have noticed that this is a very important problem that students face. They find it difficult to remember what they read. As someone who have passed through schools, I can say that remembering things that you read is not as difficult as many put it. While I don't rule out the fact there there could be some spiritual undertone to matters like this, I usually want to believe that before we say it is a spiritual matter, let's assess the physical and ensure that there are no loopholes. A thorough assessment of your study pat...

Have you ever been in a situation where you did good to someone and he paid you back with evil. Or maybe he was just so ungrateful. Have you ever been in such a situation? How did it feel? I'm sure you must have felt so bad. Whenever we do good to people, we expect them to be at least grateful. I'm sure this is the case for everyone.  At Least One Person I'm sure you would be grateful to one person or the other that you are a student today. It could be your family or friends who encouraged and supported you to this point. It could be some individual you knew previously who helped make admission possible. It could also have been some strange Good Samaritan who you never knew from Adam but went ahead to help you one way or the other to secure this admission. It could even be that you are grateful to yourself for taking the courage and putting in the efforts in order to make the merit list.  Did You Miss Out the Main Person While it is good to be grateful to one person or the ...

Have you heard of Helen Paul , the famous Nigerian comedienne with the little baby's voice. She is not just a comedienne but also an actress, singer and now a professor who has bagged multiple degrees. Rejected, now Accepted If you have never heard about Helen Paul's life  story , maybe you should look it up here . She grew up as an unwanted child, born out of wedlock. Even her relatives detested her and called her all sorts of names.  Today, she is a notable comedienne, actress, singer and has bagged several degrees and awards including different masters degrees and PhD. Today, those who despised her now want to be associated with her.   A Strong Source of Motivation Here is one source of motivation that I've come to develop over time. I'm sure you will learn from it too.  Whenever someone tells me that I can't achieve something that I put my mind to, I do my best to prove them wrong. I find some uncommon energy created in me to push towards my goals. I find myself...

My dad has always been a very hard man. Yes, he is such an amazing individual but hard. Very hard. The day I saw him almost skip in excitement was both funny and instructive. License Exam After returning as a fresh graduate from India, we were told that we would write a license exam in order to be able to practice in Nigeria. The exam day came. We were gathered at the venue in Lagos. We had fellow fresh graduates who had finished from universities in almost all the continents of the world, as well as graduates from Nigeria. I had written the exam, not as a competition, but just to pass. We were not told that there would be prices or something for the best candidates. So, we wrote the exams. We were told that only those who passed would be contacted to come for the induction. Induction Day Induction day came, and I was seated there with my dad by my side. Other candidates had also arrived. Some who wrote the exams were missing at the induction. I later heard that they didn't pass th...

Today, we want to pause briefly to take some excellence lessons from these outstanding ladies. These 18 ladies from the University of Lagos graduated with first class degrees in their field of study just last week. More interestingly, this year the department of Mass Communication graduated 18 first class students and all 18 were females. Talk of the female super power  Their brief stories will inspire you. Click here to read their stories Let me know in the comment session which lessons you got from them. Again click here to read their stories. Enjoy. ✌️ 💕  Dr Tochukwu Onu, PT 

Anatomy was one of my most favorite courses in school. We were required to learn the structure of the human body in details, noting every point. While, learning Osteology (part of Anatomy), we would carry human bones around studying them and marking the points, the contours and the grooves.  Skeleton in my cupboard In fact, while in my Indian University, I had two human skulls in my cupboard with other human (not artificial) bones. That's, literally having skeletons in my cupboard. And No, I was not a native doctor. I was just an anatomy student who was doing everything required in order to learn. The long bones of the arms and legs were easier to learn. But you see bones like the skull, the shoulder blade and the hip bones, they were so difficult. The hip bone, for example, is actually three bones fused into one. This particular day, I took the shapeless hip bone to one of my lecturers and told him how difficult it was to master this bone. Another lecturer sitting near him retorte...

There's a saying which goes thus: 'He who fails to plan, plans to fail'. This is true for all areas of life, including your academics. People who eventually become successful don't become successful by chance or luck. They had a plan which they followed. Here are 7 things you should do to develop an academic plan: 1. Make sure you have written down your SMART goals Have you written down your goals? What are your long term and short term goals? What exactly do you want to achieve this semester, this session and when you graduate. Write them down. Make sure they are SMART. You may need to read our previous articles on 'Write Down Your Goals (Ep. 3) and SMARTen your Goals (Ep. 4).  Remember to break your large goals into smaller bits. For example, if you have a goal of getting a 5.0 out of 5.0 GPA this semester, you could break it into smaller bits of making A's in every course you offer this semester 2. Identify where to get your academic resources. Where can ...

Imagine that you need to get to Ibadan from Lagos. You know that you will need to board a vehicle heading to Ilesa (your destination).  Your destination (Ilesa) is your goal while the vehicle you are boarding is the plan you need to get to your goal.  Simply put, your plan(s) is (are) the vehicle(s) that will take you to your goal. I already taught you in previous episodes how to create a goal for your desired academic excellence. I also wrote about creating SMART goals. Without a plan, your goals can never be achieved. For example, if I have a goal of making A's in all my papers this semester, I have to develop plans on how to make that happen. My plans may include spending 2 hours each day in the library, reading the course every morning, doing assignments same day it is given, etc. Be creative and flexible enough in your planning. Be disciplined also. Make sure the plan is good enough to take you to your desired goal. To succeed, you must plan. If you fail to plan, you plan...

The University of Lagos, recently, had their convocation ceremony. A lot of students posted their grade point averages (GPA) on Twitter. I noticed that a good number of them, had their worst GPAs in their 100 levels Many Students Fail in First Year Many students, usually, do not do well in their first years (100 LEVEL) in the University or college. Many accumulate heavy luggages of carryovers in their first years. Some eventually recover from these carryobers while others do not. Many who should have become first class materials ruined that opportunity in their first years. Whatever be the reason, many students regret how they treated their academics during 100levels. Mostly The Student's Fault For a lot of students, their failures in first year is mostly their fault. Many came into campus in so much frenzy. Some get carried away with a lot of excitement of having finally become an undergraduate. Others are so happy that they have been freed from the clutches of staying at home and...

This post is to help you prepare for your test/exam. This is not a substitute for thorough studying of your books. It is assumed that by now, you should have completed reading. This is therefore to help you remember. 1. Do a Quick Scan   Pick up the materials you want to cover. Gather them. Then, quickly run through them. Scan through quickly 2. Do a Slower Scan Now, slowly scan through, noting the important points, the pictures, tables, etc. This is not a deep reading. 3. Thoroughly read only important parts. Now take time to read the important aspects more thoroughly to full comprehend. 4. Use mnemonics You can use mnemonics to remember important points. An example is using MR NIGER D to remember the characteristics of living things. 5. Paste some answers on your wall Pasting some important points or terms written on paper on your wall can help you remember better. 6. Try answering likely questions or past questions Your lecturer may have mentioned important questions. There...

In being able to pass your exams and tests, reading is very important. However, it is also important to know the lecturer who will set the questions and also mark your scripts. What does your lecturer want What does your lecturer want in answering the questions? Some lecturers want you to tell them exactly what they said in class. They do not want you to put it in the way you understand. If there are 20 correct definitions for a topic, they want you to write in your exams, the exact definition they give you.  Some lecturers want you to write in your own words. They want to know if you understand the subject. Some want you to, at least attempt all questions, even if there wasn't enough time to finish up. Some others want you to attach diagrams to every question. Some want you to show the full workings in a calculative course. Some want simple straight to the point answers and not stories. Others want creative stories around the answer. Some want you to quote authors and theories, et...

 I've always been a lover of the library. I remember as a secondary school student, shuttling to the Oyingbo Library from my small ghetto in Ilaje, Ebute Meta, . I owe my successes in WAEC and JAMB partly to that library.  Then, while at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, I was so proud that we had the 2nd biggest library in Africa and trust me I made it my other abode. In our Indian University, the librarians of our college library would report me on different occasions to the Dean as, 'The only student who uses the library'. That was an exaggeration, actually. "The Library is boring" The truth is that many students do not like the library. If they even visit, they end up either using social media, seeing some movie or even sleeping. I can bet you that many students in your university will visit everywhere in campus except the library. This is because the library is seen by many as boring. It's about the most quiet building in the campus - no chattering , cha...

I've heard so many students complain that reading is so difficult and very uninteresting. I understand. But somehow I don't completely agree. Reading is actually very interesting and yet not as difficult as you think. There are many ways to make reading very easy. I'll be teaching you these methods subsequently. Today, I want to show you how to start developing a reading habit. This is because Readers are leaders and reading is one very important key to academic excellence. How to Start Now, how do you develop a reading habit? James Clear in his book 'Atomic Habits' gave us simple ways of how to develop any habit. One important strategy he gave is to  'Start small' Many students are unable to develop a good reading habit because they plan to start reading in a big way. They want to cover 3hours on their first day of reading and 6hours on the 2nd day. Within 1 week, they have dropped the habit. Start Small I want to encourage you to start small and prog...

As a trained Neuro-Physiotherapist, I can tell you a lot about how the human brain works. The brain has centres for different functions, including memory. There is a centre for short term memory and another for long term memory. As the name implies, information stored in the long term memory lasts longer(for years, or even a life time) while information in the short term memory lasts for a few seconds or minutes or hours. There is also an intermediate memory center, where the information can stay for a couple of days. You need to remember information Most information we receive, however, must first be stored as short term before being moved to the intermediate and long term memory centres. If you fail to move the information from short term to long term, you will forget it or lose the information. This is not good for you as a student. As a student, you really need information stored in your long term memory, especially because you must be able to recall during exams. How to Move It Th...

In my first semester as a fresher, my flatmates saw me as a lazy person. (We were about 6 of us sharing the same 3-bedroom flat). They were right to think that way of me, actually. I would return around 8.30pm from school and while they were just preparing to start reading, I would be preparing to go to bed. Their perception of me as a lazy student changed when they saw my first result and noticed that I topped my class and that I was within the first class range. Yeah. What they didn't know What they didn't know was that, when our lectures closed by 3.30pm, I'd remain in the library alone studying till 8.00pm when the library would be closed before returning home to rest.  So, when they were busy doing other things, I was busy studying in the library for over 4 hours. They just didn't know and I wasn't ready to start explaining to them. It was better to allow my results do the explanations. And the results did explain. They were better at reading in the night. I wa...

Having been a student in three different universities, I can tell you that what many people call success is actually not success. Many success stories are simply stories of  poisoned apples. Yes, bad success is synonymous with poisoned apples. Bad success is not success at all. If one gains academic excellence through exam malpractices, that's not success. Sex for grades, where a student gives in to sexual demands from lecturers  or colleagues, is not success at all. Yes, I know that nobody cares about why you fail - everyone only wants to hear your success story. But this is not an excuse to give in to negative demands in order to maintain or have good grades. Life does not end with having good grades in the University. Don't sell your future by doing the wrong things to gain academic excellence. Don't be Myopic 'It is better to fail honourably than to succeed with shortcuts.' Your honour and integrity are very important. You won't see this if you are myopic No...

Yesterday, Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman won the African Player of the year award. The coming days will be filled with congratulatory messages for him, as well as several interviews to discuss his new win. Like Ronaldo and Messi, everyone would like to hear his success story. Everyone loves success stories Everyone loves success stories - how and why one succeeds. Have you ever wondered why nobody loves to hear why people failed? Look, I know that through your academic period you may have excuses why you wouldn't or shouldn't do well in school.  Maybe, your parents didn't pay your fees on time; a lecturer doesn't like you; the lecturer doesn't know how to lecture; your classmates aren't cooperative - many excuses. You could even blame it on someone or whatever. You could even have very cogent excuses. But remember that there are many people with worse circumstances than you do, who still, against all odds, succeeded. The truth is that nobody cares to kno...

  As a Freshman in the University, I won't forget what one of my lecturers told us in our first class with her. She said: 'Everyday, after lectures, just spend 5 minutes and go through what you learnt in class for that day.' This advice made reading easier. Just 5 minutes? Wow! That's cool! I'm telling you the same thing today. Spend 5 minutes everyday to go through what you were taught that same day. Not the following day. The same day you were taught. Just 5 minutes. Ok, you could choose to extend it to 10 minutes, 15minutes, etc. But make sure you go through every lecture you were taught for that day. Don't push it till tomorrow. This is not a so in-depth kind of reading or studying. Just go through. Refresh your memory over what the lecturer taught. Scan through your notes or textbooks. The truth is that it sticks better when you spend a few minutes reading what you were taught today than when you spend longer durations trying to read them later for the firs...

There is a popular proverb in Nigerian Pidgin English which says,  'Nobody wan die, but dem wan go heaven'. It translates thus:  ' Nobody wants to die, but everybody wants to go to heaven'. It means that many people have desired outcomes that they want for their lives but only few are willing to take the steps required. That is the sad reality everywhere today. Many people want to get better outcomes but they are not ready to swallow the bitter pill required. Many want to be rich/ wealthy/ successful/ excellent but are not ready to take the steps required. Wishes are not Horses Wishes are not horses. If wishes were horses, even the beggars will ride. What differentiates successful people from failures is not in their ability to desire good things, but in their ability to take action, no matter how difficult or how demanding it may be. I know you desire to become a very bright student or even the best student in your institution (Of course, that's why you are here). ...

  People who write down their goals have a higher chance of achieving them than people who do not write them down. However, it's not just about writing them down. In writing down your goals, you must write SMART goals A SMART goal is a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable/ Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound 1. Specific Define clearly what you intend to achieve. Don't say, 'I want to make good grades in my subject'. Rather say, 'I want to make an A in Maths and English' 2. Measurable  Quantify your goals. Give it a numerical value so that you can be able to measure if you are making progress or not. For example, don't say, 'I'll read my English textbook today'. Rather say, 'I'll read 10 pages (or 2 chapters) of my English textbook today'. 3. Achievable/Attainable Make your goals realistic. For example, don't say, I will cover the 1000page textbook tonight' or 'I will read 20hours everyday'. That's not a re...

Renowned author, Steve Maraboli once said,  "If you have a goal, write it down. If you do not write it down, you do not have a goal - you have a WISH". Yesterday, I challenged you to decide on exactly what you want as a student. I know that you must have decided that you want to be the best graduating student, make good grades, etc. That's a good start. But that’s not enough That's not enough Having these great decisions and goals just in your head or in your mind is not enough. You must write them down. A research conducted by psychology professor, Gail Matthews concluded that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals simply by writing them down. A goal is simply something you intend to achieve within a given period of time. Writing your goals down is a very important practice if you must achieve your goals. Why should I write my goals? Writing down your goals gives you: 1. Clarity: It helps you define exactly what you want to achieve in very clear terms 2...

As an undergraduate in my Indian University, the Best Graduating Student (or BGS) in my college, usually gets a gold medal, amongst other things. This gold medal will usually be presented by the governor of the state So, this particular day, as a Freshman in class, one of my lecturers came in, told us what we stood to gain as the BGS and asked a question: 'Who amongst you will be the BGS?' I didn't say a word, but that day, I made my decision. And my decision was deep. Very deep. It came straight from my heart Fast forward to graduation day, I got this gold medal, with my name beautifully inscribed on it. Decisions are very important. Yes, decisions are very important. Or better put, "deciding early enough" is very important. Taking a firm decision helps refocus your life. It is the number one step in avoiding unnecessary distractions as a student. It's also very important you decide early enough. Late decisions are costly. The best time to decide on exactly w...

I wish to congratulate you for being a student. It's not an easy feat. I'm sure that for you, it's a dream come true Here, I am committed to giving you very simple tips that will help you become the best student that you can be. Now, let's move As someone who has recorded outstanding academic performances throughout my academic journey; winning awards on academic excellence (including a multimillion naira scholarship that took me abroad for years), a good number of persons have approached me to find out what my secret is I've noticed that many people often attribute my success to so many factors.They however usually forget my most important secret...😃 What's it? I put my God first in everything I do. Yes! You read that correctly. God must be first. He just has to be first. Here is how it all began. I gave my life to Jesus in secondary school. I saw, first hand, how God can change a life that was sinking in sin into a life that wants to live for God and right.  ...

     Hey, people, We are finally online Isn't that great? This is to welcome you specially to this blog You know, I've come to realize that becoming a bright student isn't as difficult as many people think. Yea How do I know? Ok. Follow me. First, my name is Tochukwu Onu. I am a Paediatric Physiotherapist working at a leading Federal teaching hospital in SouthWestern Nigeria. Having been a student of a Nigerian University and then moving on via scholarship to one of India's finest Universities, where I graduated as the best graduating student of my college and winning the prestigious gold medal award. Oh I didn't tell you that I came out as the best in the nationwide scholarship that took me abroad. Yea, Don't mention.🤗 I then proceeded to the prestigious University of Ibadan for my masters where I finished with a PhD grade (the highest obtainable grade in a masters degree) and then currently about to start my PhD  I've come to realize, through my excellent...