A Highflyer in this context is a student that excels academically. Becoming a 'Highflyer' in school is everyone desire but not all are willing to pay the necessary price required for it and just like any other venture or endeavour, academics also require hardwork, focus and determination in order to excel. it's my earnest desire to guide you on this journey of academic success based on my own personal experience,  experiences from friends and of-course, those I have mentored achieve academic excellence.

So the 1 million question is How can I be a High-flyer?

Have a Dream:

Every top student has a dream to make good grades and graduate with an excellent result. Well, I'm not talking about daydreaming or metaphysical sorts of dream, I mean the Martin Luther King concept of having a vision, setting down goals and achieving the goals. its not only goals but SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) goals such as:

What do I intend to graduate with ( First Class /second class upper) ?
  How many hours should I study a particular course per day?
  How many courses should I cover a week ?
Where is my area of difficulty and how can I improve?
Knowing what you want and setting goals to realize it should be your utmost priority.  For instance,  I had a friend who said that I have a dream that I will make A's in the West Africa Senior Secondary Examination council (WASSCE) in a particular school where they normally record 90% mass failure every year and even the remaining 10% result is nothing to write home about owing to the compendium of 'EFCC' that greet their result. When he said this, everyone doubted and even laughed at him telling him to start preparation for a second missionary journey the next year. The young boy stood his ground, set his goals, attended extra-moral classes everyday, read very well and eventually surprised the 'doubting Thomases'. Though he didn't get the 9A's but he had 6As and 3Bs and his result was the best in my state that year.  He was offered a scholarship into the university where he came out with a CGPA of 4.76 (on a scale of 5.0) and is currently finalizing his PH.D without a masters degree.

That's the power of dream!


 2. Focus :

To dream is not enough, you got to concentrate and dedicate your whole attention on your goal and refuse to be distracted by anybody or anything.  You got to have a resolution and stick to it.

You can't have focus and be pursuing every human wearing skirt or trouser or be in a relationship that won't add any cubit to your academic growth. You can't have focus and be a regular customer in beer parlor or be in attendance in all night clubs.. Nay! nay!! nay!!!

As an undergraduate,  I had a watchword engraved at a strategic corner in my room that says :  Dave,

 Make A's
 Manage B's
 Reject  C's
I read it every morning and it became my daily routine.  one striking experience I had was that it rekindled my mental energy and rejuvenated my subconscious mind to my target and frankly speaking, it paid off at the end of the day

KNOW THYSELF:

Do I understand in a noisy or cool environment?
Do I read more in a group or when single?
Do I need to read a particular topic once or more before I can understand it?
When is my best period of studying: early morning, afternoon or night?
Am I a slow or fast reader?
Answering these questions will help you understand yourself and what works best for you which is important in making adequate preparation for your academics. There is no need trying to emulate another person’s reading strategy or even copying their personal timetable rather know what works for you and adhere to it.

4. KNOW THY LECTURER:

Knowing your lecturer and knowing what they expect from you will definitely trigger your grades. Some lecturer will require that you give exactly what they taught you while others may prefer that you add more ‘flesh’ to their ‘skeleton’. In the first scenario, there is no need for any addition as some of them are so strict with their rules and this may warrant you losing marks. Nevertheless, having extra or additional knowledge on a concept is not bad but in such cases, it’s better to keep it to youself

5. HAVE A MENTOR:

Mentoring what I commonly refer to as an external ginger is very ideal if you desire to be the best. For every venture worth-taking, there are top-notched personalities that have attained such great feat in your field of learning. They know the basic principles and risk they took before reaching such heights. Learning from their experience will help you a great deal and will facilitate your progress towards actualizing your academic dream.

6. EXERCISE AND DIET:

A common adage has it that all work and no play makes jack a dull boy. Academics is a work and for you to do well in it, you need to have a break for exercise. Exercise refreshes and relieves us from accumulated stresses and pumps  endorphins into our brain. This relaxes your mind and sharpen your mental alertness and cerebral acumen. Thus it’s mandatory that exercise is included in your personal timetable which must be judiciously and consciously maintained. It’s equally important that you consume vegetables and fruits and equally stay hydrated by drinking much water while been unreceptive to junk foods that sap you of energy.

I am assuming you are still a student or fresh graduate. What did you graduate with?