How to be an excellent student

Many parents have complained to me over the years that their children are not doing well in school despite working hard. This reminds me of the saying by Albert Einstein which says that “Doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results is insanity”.

If you read and read and read day in day out it does not mean you will do well in your examinations. You have to learn how to be a smart learner. If you are one of those students who study relentlessly but achieve only average results than you do have to change your method.

If you are a hard-working student, I am sure that seeing your average results you would have studied even harder and put in more effort. Yet, at the end of the year, you again do dismally in your examination. You cannot expect to achieve different results if you continue to do what you have been doing all this while and being an average student. It is time to change your strategy and learn smart.

Let us start off with a schedule.

If you want to be an achiever, and become a smart student, start by having a weekly schedule.

Divide your daily schedule into 45- minute segment or one hour segment whichever you are comfortable with.

The above time table will only be for the time left over after class, meals and sleep. Then plan the number of segments required for each of your subjects. Make sure you have a short break after each segment. A fifteen minutes break after a forty-five-minute study will be excellent.

If you try to do too much studying at one time, you will tire and your studying will not be very effective. Space the work you have to do over shorter periods. Taking short breaks will restore your mental energy.

This will give you a rough indication of the time available and what to do with that time. Of course, you can revise your schedule as you go along. If your schedule is not achieving what you want it to achieve then change it. This is your schedule and you decide what is best for you. Bear in mind that the schedule you prepare should be able to allocate your available time most productively.

Procrastination and avoiding studies is very easy. There will be so many excuses not to study on any given day but with a determined mind, you can stick with your schedule and achieve excellence. Studying at the same time each day establishes a routine that becomes a regular part of your life, just like sleeping and eating. When a scheduled study time comes up during the day, you will be mentally prepared to begin studying.

For a student, time is the most important resource. Make sure you don’t squander it off wastefully. Time, once past is gone forever.

Note:Originally posted in my blog named 'How to be an excellent student' on 6.4.2010

Qualities of an excellent student Excellent student, good student, smart student

Luqman Michel

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