Top Secrets Of First Class Students?
Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been thinking about this for a while so
I decided to make this public to  the members of nairaland.

The question is "do you think that first class students have secrets?" If so what are they?

Your contributions would be very important. Please give your views. Hope to hear from you all

By the grace of God, I belong to this category. My secret? God's help of course.

But from experience, the following could be useful:
1, NATURAL BRILLIANCE: Most First class grads are naturally brilliant,not strugglers. Sure you still have to read. Yes, you just have to read. But if you see student X and student Y read for 3 hours, subject to the same condition, and X scores 80%(or let's say graduates with with Firts Class) and Y scores 50%(or more generally, graduates with 2-2), what is at play there is natural brilliance. First Class materials don't struggle academically, they are naturally brilliant. In my class for example, the guy that read most was not among the Top 60 students in class. Likewise, I wasn't among among the Top 20 heaviest readers, if hours spent reading is anything to go by.

2, OPTIMISM & SELF BELIEF : Most First Class students have self-belief that they can make it, right from year 1. They don't get swayed by the common pessimistic ranting of majority of the students that YOU CAN'TMAKE FIRST CLASS;THEY WONT GIVE YOU. First Class materials dismiss such claims, and go ahead pursuing it.

3, LONG TERM TARGET Most First Class studenst don't use the Fire Brigade approach. It involves setting targets and being conscious of it. I started a conscious pursuit of it right from my year 1. I always targeted A in every course.

4, CALCULATIONS: Most First Class students always have their brains doing calculations and permutations on how to achieve their target.Don't be surprised if you see a First Class reading a purely theoretical course but having calculator by his side.He is using the calculator, not for the course he's reading, but for calcualting stuffs and assumptions like: 'If i had B in this course,what will my GP be?', 'What if I misfire in a 30 marks questions(i.e misinterprete) in this course and eventually score D, won't i drop from First Class'. He will simply take his calculator by his side and work out what his GP will be under these assumptions.I, for one,didn't look at A from the point of scoring 70% but from missing 30 marks. 30 marks is too big to miss in a course.So in any course I didn't miss up to 30, I scored 70% and above and that was A. Later, A became so easy for me. I scored A in 76.6% of all the courses I did from year 1 to 4.

5, COMPETITION: I have always hated playing the second fiddle in my life. I think many First Class students also share this. I can't stand not being among the 'frontliners' anywhere I find myself. So the desire to top my class motivated me to study hard. My class was especially very competitive, and I can't afford not to among the best, if not the best.

I hope that helps!!!

You can read more on my blog: http://jarushub.com/2013/03/17/top-10-secrets-of-first-class-students/

this is a nice one. He has said it all just to add:

sometimes u need to do extra work like familiarising urself with ur lecturers' style or mode of teaching, discover somethings on ur own (what is discover urself sticks than that which u are told), memorise what u know as pple tend to remeber what they memorise more.

Finally, DONT FORGET THE GOD FACTOR IN SUCCESS!

This is the room av prayed to be with, i gbadu ur opinions,

i heard what 2nd writer said and all were true replica of what i really did in my school days with FEDPLOYNEK and guesswhat i came out the best upper credit even though i aimed a 1st class and my lecturer gave me a missing script that was what really brought a declibe. all the same sha its simple the truth and i second the opinion of THE GOD FACTOR IN SUCCESS

no secret, they study like their life depends on it, n of course it does, they have got their priorities straight, they do their best n let God do the rest. they don't see the need to be frolicking around with cult and women atimes because they know their parents sent them to school to do one thing which is study and pass. so there is no two way about or secrets, they study their azz off.

crazy intelligient people who feel their lecturers are wrong or rather not exactly right at least 40% most of the time.  
just kidding,    am I?


well God is the help. Is that a secret? Thanks 'ife-eco-06' for the lecture!!

all men were not created equal

Well, seeing how I have 1st class in Mathematics, I would give y'all my secrets. . . but you have to pay for it.

ima1:

no secret, they study like their life depends on it, n of course it does, they have got their priorities straight, they do their best n let God do the rest. they don't see the need to be frolicking around with cult and women atimes because they know their parents sent them to school to do one thing which is study and pass. so there is no two way about or secrets, they study their azz off.

Im with u there.

ima1:

no secret, they study like their life depends on it, n of course it does, they have got their priorities straight, they do their best n let God do the rest. they don't see the need to be frolicking around with cult and women atimes because they know their parents sent them to school to do one thing which is study and pass. so there is no two way about or secrets, they study their azz off.

absolutely untrue. I know average guys who really did study like that was their passport to heaven. They finished with barely a second class lower.

Ife-eco's analysis was spot on. I'll use his points to add my 2 cents . . .

1, NATURAL BRILLIANCE: While this is true most average students can do better than naturally brilliant ones is they learn how to STRATEGISE. Studying is a lot more than simply cramming the notes. One thing i always told myself, you cant know everything in your book but you CAN understand the concepts like the palm of ur hands. Once you get the concepts right, you cant be easily thrown off even when you get a question that doesnt initially look like you covered it in class.

2, OPTIMISM & SELF BELIEF : No two ways about it, some people regard it as arrogance but if you dont belief you can do it you never will.

3, LONG TERM TARGET: Some people never start studying hard until yr 3 or 4. Once i realised GPA started counting from day 1 i made sure the first 2 semesters would be foundation point. After that it was easy to coast through the remaining 4 yrs with a more than healthy GPA. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

4, CALCULATIONS: Gbam! A friend and i actually calculated the lowest GPA we could get and still make a first class after yr 1 and we made sure we beat it by very good margins till we finished. Dont forget also that schools make mistakes, you want to be sure you're getting the right GPA every semester, it helps you set a target for the next yr. A man without a target is a man going no where.

5, COMPETITION: I made a 5.0 once and it was simply because a mate made it once and i vowed not to let him beat me. It sure helped.

End of the day - most important points - plan, plan and plan more . . . after that PRAY! Note prayer comes AFTER planning . . . prayer alone wont write ur exams for u.

folahann:

all men were not created equal

everyone is created with the potential to be great, it all depends on how you use that potential to create opportunities that make you great, God created everyone out of his own likeness, its the opportunities that we create ourselves that generates inequalities, thats where we have men who were born poor n they work hard to make it n become rich, n then we have those who want quick money n end up being poor.
so i don't buy your all men are not created equal story, for example you have a smart student in class, what is stopping the less smart ones from asking the smart student to tutor them, lemme guess "pride", pride is one of the downfalls of a man and sadly so is women lol .

i for exampe don't know much math, but i still seek ways to pass it, i look for tutors, ask questions in class so that i can get it, so we need to quit creating excuses for failures and just not accept failure.

Natural brilliance, so does that mean you think the person who makes first class is smarter than you, if you are willing to accept that fact then i can see the cause of your failure, cuz watever you put out there is what you get back. i would most likely blame this on our level of comprehension, which tends to be different, but wats stopping you from seeking help, asking extra questions in class (afterall you pay your fees). we just need to be competitive n want to be the best so bad that it freaking hurts.

ima1:

everyone is created with the potential to be great, it all depends on how you use that potential to create opportunities that make you great, God created everyone out of his own likeness, its the opportunities that we create ourselves that generates inequalities, thats where we have men who were born poor n they work hard to make it n become rich, n then we have those who want quick money n end up being poor.
so i don't buy your all men are not created equal story, for example you have a smart student in class, what is stopping the less smart ones from asking the smart student to tutor them, let me guess "pride", pride is one of the downfalls of a man and sadly so is women lol .

i for exampe don't know much math, but i still seek ways to pass it, i look for tutors, ask questions in class so that i can get it, so we need to quit creating excuses for failures and just not accept failure.

My dear, It is plain and simple. We have smart kids, Average kids and retards.
I am no genuis but definitely no retard.

Back in school, there was this kid who never needed to study as hard as the res of us to get top grades.
He graduated with a first class _{(with little effort or should I rather say with ease)} and I graduated with a second class upper _{(with hard labour).}

So my dear in the words of George Orwells "Animal Farm" - "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than the others."

ima1:

Natural brilliance, so does that mean you think the person who makes first class is smarter than you, if you are willing to accept that fact then i can see the cause of your failure, because watever you put out there is what you get back. i would most likely blame this on our level of comprehension, which tends to be different, but wats stopping you from seeking help, asking extra questions in class (afterall you pay your fees). we just need to be competitive n want to be the best so bad that it freaking hurts.

Are you smoking cheap crack??

There are kids that just never get it. ever heard of the word "Intelligence Quotient" a.k.a "I.Q"??
Some kids were born Einsteins some kids were born Paris Hiltons.
You can never ever dispute the fact that some kids are just naturally good.
You must admit that some kids are just plain retards.

Okija_juju:


My dear, It is plain and simple. We have smart kids, Average kids and retards.

You couldn't be more right. . . . .
I dont believe in all these reading to death stuffs. . . . . .
Some would read from now till eternity and still get a woeful result at the end of the day.

Its natural. . . .All fingers are not equal.

Well Davidlyan, I will agree with you there but it can be simpler than that. I am very disorganised, but I still managed to make it without going through all those long process. Sometimes, it requires Naijaman mentality. . . .

Firstly, Natural brilliance is a must

Secondly, get all the past papers and run them through two or three times each.

In exams, always write some 'memory triggers' on your body parts. Funny, but it works. With Mathematics you work with processes and formulas and this can be a lifesaver.

For coursework, always pally up with the most brilliant students. If your colleague asks for your help, go one step further and email him/her your whole work. This will build trust so him/her will always help you in the future. Form a group of four or five brilliant students who always do homework together. Sometimes, you have to take the lead in doing all the work and let others copy yours. Next time, when you are not so on top, they will help you and vice-versa. Remember that you are not competing against your classmates but against principalities and powers. . . I mean, examiners. . . . . so feel free to pam your classmates work and let expo see you through. Amen.

For dissertations, always choose a topic of interest but one which is not familiar to your supervisor. NEVER [b]choose a dissertation topic on which the supervisor is an expert. He will pick holes in your work. [/b]I always picked dissertations on topics which were outside the syllabus.

For example, for my undergrad dissertation, I chose The Mathematics of Google Page Ranking - a new Mathematics which only came out in 2000. My supervisor graduated in the early 80's so he was not so familiar with the work. When he read my thesis, he was learning and felt good enough to award me 71%, although the thesis was probably a 60% at best. He loved it so much, he requested a copy for his files.

For my Masters dissertation, I did the same thing. My supervisor was a computational mathematician so I chose to do Algorithms for European and Basket Options - needless to say, finance wasn't his strongest point. He read my thesis and learnt from it, also requesting a personal copy. He scored me 70%, although the thesis was probably only worth 60%.


So use Naija mentality because it shall profit you.

Okija_juju:

Are you smoking cheap crack??

There are kids that just never get it. ever heard of the word "Intelligence Quotient" a.k.a "I.Q"??
Some kids were born Einsteins some kids were born Paris Hiltons.
You can never ever dispute the fact that some kids are just naturally good.
You must admit that some kids are just plain retards.

please we need to start looking at the positive not the negative, but you know something with every disability there is greatness, for example have you heard of the blind little girl who plays the piano without being trained n is now being invited to play for presidents, most big names today weren't that smart n had disabilities like a-d-d (attention deficit disorder) which you'll call retards, Albert Einstein had ADD/ADHD, but he's like the smartest man in the world, he didn't let his disorder affect him, so there is just no excuse, is just that most peope do not have the opportunity to get help. forget about natural brillance everyone is brilliant depends on how we apply it.

Ibime true talk. I wasnt particularly organised either but the most important place to be organised is actually not your books but your brain.  

I dont do writing stuff down during exams, what i used to do was simple - i'd spend the first 2 weeks reading textbooks (no notes, its just cram and pour) on the concepts for that course until i had them down. I noticed that helped me learn faster in class because while others were still grappling with language, you were already formulating possible problems in your mind.
Once exam time came you didnt need to read much.

Never underestimate the value of reading with friends even if they dont measure up to you. The sometimes seemingly stupid questions they ask may be the trigger to make you go back and study something you must have missed.

- One good trick - try as much as possible not to study the day of the exam, you're just wasting your time, nothing dey enter that skull.   Dont eat before you take the paper . . . the hungrier i was the better i scored on the test.  
Writing till Jesus comes is not the answer to the exam, be concise, straight to the point and demonstrate aptitude for the question. Even if you dont know the answer so well you may end up with 70% of the points just for demonstrating you had an idea with sound reasoning.

NEVER miss the first 2-3 classes. It may be the difference between an A or a D.

gud 1 david. It all comes down to hard work. Accepting that there are in born levels of brilliance in different people is the first leap away from a first class. I won't settle for a 2 though it takes me an hr to grasp a page.

Sammy107_d:

good 1 david. It all comes down to hard work. Accepting that there are in born levels of brilliance in different people is the first leap away from a first class. I won't settle for a 2 though it takes me an hr to grasp a page.

thank you, that is what i have been trying to say, if you think someone is smarter than you, then you are accepting failure.

wowwwwwww i love this discusssssssssssnnnnnnnnn

By Gods grace i belong to this class, i want to make it clear that those who make first class are not usually the most brilliant, But discipline, determination , unsatiable inquitiveness, confidence in their abilities, proactiveness in planning n hardwork seems to be their hallmarks.
Above all they most important factor is what i call G Factor, (GOD OR Divine Factor), Some who are on their way to makn 1st class hav been frustrated by external factors like misin scripts, sickness, misplacement of documents, (demonic) attacks, unjustified politics on the part of the lecturers etc
Finally u dont need 2 make first class inorder to attain ur zenith in life, i stand to be corrected.
One thing that puzzles me is why most of our Nigerian !st class Graduates end up working in banks despite their fields,

IQ is something you develop guys. I know some people are born with it but majority develop it by working there butts off.

fist class not so difficult, pray for it, believe it, and you'll get it, you are what you think

I Just thought I should contribute too cos I belong to this class

1. DESIRE. This is ta very important one of all. You need to want it before you could actually work towards it. The desire is very important. I know a lot of People back in school that just didn't care, so they never made it and it didn't border them. So simply put you need to want it first.

2.BELIEVE. This too is very key, you need to believe in yourself. I remember back then in school I kept telling myself that I can't fail(and I never did) with that aside you need to now ask yourself so what grade do I want.

3 PLAN. You can't leave this behind. Before the Semester commences, I use to write out all the courses I would be taking and I write a proposed Grade to it. I know some will be difficult so I tend to spend more time on them and spend less time on the ones I know am good at(but am not saying you should underestimate any course).

4 READING. You need to read, but don't just do this cos everyone one is doing it. You need to know yourself and what time you tend to assimilate better. For me the early morning was the thing, just waking up from bed, and the head is still clear

5 Competition. Engage yourself in a secret competition with the best in your class, understudy him or her and try to see what they do differently. This is important cos they are lots of courses out there and what works in science might not work completely in art.

6 STUDY GROUPS You need a group of good students to motivate you, this is key t cos at times we might just be lagging behind.

7[b]PRAYER[/b]. I'm actually saving the best for the last, I'll say this is the most most most important of all. You need God's Favour to get ahead. We all do so please don't leave this behind.

These are what worked for me, but you still need to take a little time to discover yourself to know what works
I believe Geniuses are made and not born

IN NAIJA,
secret behind 1st class is POLITICS{bribe ur lecturer and be their pets}
IN ABROAD,
hardwork,

Natural brilliance? I THINK anyone can get a first class.

Recipe:

1. Make getting a first class your goal. Accept nothing less.

2. Start preparing for exams even before the semester (or lectures) starts.

3. DO NOT miss lectures even if you don't like the lecturer and make sure you sit on the first row in class everytime.

4. Use a reading timetable and allocate appropriate time for each of your courses. Stick to the timetable and DO NOT neglect any course.

5. Make friends with people who have the same goals and who are highfliers in your class.

6. Look for a mentor, someone who is in a higher class running the same course and who, of course is on a 4.5 and above.

7. Use past questions a lot. Most lecturers repeat exam questions.

8. Most importantly, believe God.

davidylan:

Never underestimate the value of reading with friends even if they don't measure up to you. The sometimes seemingly stupid questions they ask may be the trigger to make you go back and study something you must have missed.

WORD!!! Sumone once told me that helping other people makes you know how shameful it'll look when you fall
You can't imagine how painful it is to do a 50% when that guy you helped gets 70%
Reading wiv friends gives you this unconscious psychological push that helps

@ima1
I think you're missing the point, you need to see ife-eco's post on planning
It's not about screaming 'I'm smarter than Einstein' . . . it's about being REAL with yourself
It's asking yourself, 'Am I an genius?', 'If I don't study at all, what GP can I hit?', 'How much effort do I need to put in to be the best'
In business management it's called a SWOT analysis

And to those screaming Einstein flunked exams, I think you've been reading too much from Stephen Covey
He was already releasing works at 15. Do not be deceived, geniuses exist
When Einstein 'failed' university entrance exams, he had not even finished high school then and he still got excellent Maths and Physics grades

That leads me to one important point, always do what you really enjoy
I once told my lecturers that if he introduced Arsenalogy as a course in my sandwich, I'll promise him 80%
It's much easier to work harder at what you like than sumn you manage, the same effort will yeild different results
In other words 'Study Arsenalogy and you'll never feel like you went to school all your life'

eldee:

That leads me to one important point, always do what you really enjoy

I forgot to add that.

You must love what you are doing.

Wait wait wait! How about juju? I heard some have secret obeah to get first class!

this is probably the most enlightening topic i've seen on n.land
@ davidylan,cooldude and ibime
thanks for ur contributions.