HOW TO STUDY LECTURE NOTE

While technology has had a great impact on teaching and learning, many courses are still taught in lecture format. Taking good notes, and learning to make good use of them, then, is an essential skill for academic success, which will help tremendously in an increasingly competitive job market. In fact, research shows that students who take notes and thoroughly study those notes score higher on tests.[1] Yet learning how to study lecture notes requires good organization and preparation so that studying can be done efficiently and effectively.

*METHOD ONE OF FOUR:
Preparing for Lecture Note-Taking

1
Develop a system of organization. A well-organized set of lecture notes is one of the most important tools in your exam-studying arsenal. Scattered, lost, incomplete and non-sequential notes create stress and take up valuable time that could be spent studying, not scavenging. Here are a few ways to organize your notes to avoid these pitfalls.
Color-coordinate the folders and notebooks for each of your courses. For

example, buy a green notebook and folder for science, a blue notebook and folder for history, a red notebook and folder for literature and so forth. On the first page, write the title of the lecture and the date and begin taking notes. Start each subsequent lecture on a new page and again write the title and date. If you miss a class, leave several pages blank in your notebook, ask a friend or your teacher if you can get those notes and insert them into the blank pages.

Another way to organize your notes is by purchasing a three-ring spiral binder, loose-leaf paper, subject dividers and 3-ring pocket folders for handouts and assignments. For your first course, insert plenty of loose-leaf paper, then insert a 3-ring pocket folder and finally a divider. Repeat for the next course.

If you are on an alternating-day schedule, purchase two 3-ring binders. Put science and history in one and literature and art in the other, for example.
If your teacher allows you to use your laptop in class for taking notes, create a folder for each course. 

For each lecture, either a) start a new document and “save as” the date followed by an abbreviated title of the lecture (doing this will help when it comes time to study as you will be able to quickly see the order of the lectures by date) or b) create a running document, in which you type the title of the lecture and the date at the start of each lecture. Leave some space between lectures, and bold and enlarge the font of the lecture title and date so you can easily see when a new one begins.

2
Read assigned materials before going to class. Reading before class primes those all-important neural networks, kind of like warming up gets your body ready for a strenuous workout. It will help you better understand what the teacher is discussing, more quickly absorb and process additional material presented and more readily recognize particularly significant points (say, when your teacher spends 10 minutes talking about the poison dart frog, not the spotted salamander, in a lecture on amphibians). When reading, take down notes of those areas that are confusing. 

Look up terms you are unfamiliar with or that are not fully explained within the readings. Create questions that you can ask in class, if they are not clarified during the class period.

Sometimes teachers will make course materials available online, including lectures, readings and helpful resources. If not stated in the course syllabus, ask your teacher how to access these materials.
If your teacher uses electronic media in class but does not post it online, ask if he or she might do so.

3
Review previous lecture notes. Before going to class, review the previous lecture’s notes to refresh yourself on what was last discussed. Note any questions you have and raise them in class. Reviewing the previous lecture will also help you better follow along with what is presented that day, particularly if the lectures are cumulative, or built upon each other.

 It also will help you be a more active listener, which is particularly profitable in the retention- and recall-testing arena.
Doing this before each class meeting will have a multiplying effect, making all subsequent study efforts more, well, effortless.
It also has the added benefit of being ready for the often inevitable and generally dreaded pop quiz!

*METHOD TWO OF FOUR:
Using the 4 R’s: Review, Reduce, Recite and Reflect

1
Review your lecture notes strategically. Though reading, and rereading, lectures in a short time frame (often the day before the exam) is common practice, research has shown it is a very ineffective study strategy. 

Your mind is not, after all, a video recorder. Nonetheless, reading each set of lecture notes more than once is still very helpful, if done correctly. There are two ways to get the most benefit from reviewing your notes: spacing the time between studying and mixing up study topics.

Space out the time between studying each set of lecture notes. For example, read over your notes within 24 hours of taking them. If you do this, you will retain approximately 50% of the material. If you wait longer than 24 hours, however, you will only retain about 20% of the material. 

Then wait another week or two to read that lecture’s notes again and so forth.
While waiting to reread might sound counterintuitive (Won’t you forget a lot by waiting, after all?), cognitive psychologists have found that the closer you are to forgetting the material, the more you will cement the information to your long-term memory through the process of re-exposure and remembering.

Additionally, read your notes aloud. This converts a passive activity into an active one and creates auditory links in your memory pathways.

Mix up the topics you study. Let’s say you’ve set aside two hours of studying per day. Instead of spending an entire study session studying your notes from one class, spend a ½ hour studying one subject, a ½ hour studying another subject, and then repeat. Mixing up topics in this way (interleaving) requires a type of information reloading that forces your brain to notice similarities and differences – a higher order of information processing that leads to greater comprehension and long-term retention.

Part of this study technique’s modus operandi is that as soon as you begin to feel like you really know the material, you need to switch it up and work on something else for awhile. So put away that blue notebook and pull out the red one.

2
Reduce your notes. The same day as you take your notes, or shortly thereafter, summarize your notes. Identifying the key points, concepts, dates, names and examples provided in the lecture, write a summary of that lecture’s notes in your own words. 

Writing them in your own words will force you to flex those brain muscles. The more you flex them, the stronger they will become. (There really is truth to the adage, “If you don’t use it, you lose it!”) Finally, write down any questions you have related to the material so that you can seek further clarification.

Another way to do this is by constructing a concept map, which is a diagram that encourages critical thinking by visually showing relationships between concepts that help you organize and evaluate both the main ideas and supporting details presented in your lecture notes. The more connections you make between concepts, the more likely you are to both remember the material and to understand the “bigger picture,” a particularly useful ability for essay questions, essay exams and finals.

Of note: Recent research has found that, while students tend to record more of what the teacher says verbatim when using their laptops as typing is faster than writing, students who take written notes comprehend and retain more because taking notes by hand requires active listening and purposeful selection of what to write.

Nonetheless, many students still try to hand write everything the teacher says. To promote retention and efficiency in studying your notes, create an outline from your notes. It will make your likely copious notes more manageable and help move the information more quickly down those neural pathways toward cementation through the process of repeated exposure.

3
Recite the information in your notes. Review your notes, summary, concept map or outline for a few minutes. Then recite, aloud and in your own words, this information. Do this 2-3 times and then repeat at time intervals per the spacing effect guidelines.

Reciting is one of the most active means of studying and learning. It will help you discover the gaps in your memory and understanding, elaborate on the main ideas and concepts, test your overall comprehension and help you make connections between issues.

You can also create cue cards to use when reciting. Pick up a pack of unlined 3×5 or 4×6 notecards and write cue words (never full sentences) – or a main idea, date, diagram, formula or name – and begin discussing it aloud. If you’ve created them in order with, say your outline, shuffle them before reciting. This plays back to the idea that mixing up information forces your brain to work harder, thereby storing the information more securely.

4
Reflect upon your lecture notes. Reflection is the process of pondering or thinking deeply about content. Because we are more apt to remember things that we can personalize, reflecting upon what we’ve learned and how it relates to our experiences can be particularly helpful. 

Here are a few examples of questions you can ask yourself to enhance the reflective process. To get the most from reflection, record your answers in some way, whether that be through traditional writing, outlining, diagramming, audio recording or another means.
“Why are these facts important?”
“How can they be applied?”
“What else do I need to know to make the pieces all fit together?”
What experiences do I have that relate to this information?”
How does this all relate to what I already know or think about the world?”

METHOD THREE OF FOUR:
Utilizing Self-Testing as a Study Process

…..

TO BE CONTINUED…..
Thanks for Reading and don’t forget to comment below…

21 Tips To Make Distinction In All Your Courses As A Nigerian Undergraduate

1. Desire to Make Distinction in All Your Courses Badly: Every achievement in life begins with a DESIRE. If you must make distinction in all your courses, you must have a BURNING desire to achieve that feat. With a burning desire, you will be able to go through every pain and stress necessary to birth your distinctions. When you are faced with obstacles, a burning desire for academic success will propel you to focus on solutions rather than problems. It will keep you going.

2. Write down your goal: Your goal here is to make distinction in all your courses. It is not enough to just have it on your head that you want to make distinction in all your courses, it is important you write it down in your personal journal. Writing down your goals makes them appear tangible and achievable. It is essential that you paste it where you can see it every day. You can paste it beside your mirror or somewhere in your room.

The first thing I always do once I resume for a new term when I was in secondary is to make a list of all my subjects and write the grades I want to have in all. I did same too when I was an undergraduate. The result is that my mates marvel at my academic performance. Some folks in my secondary school days, especially when I was in J.S.S 1 taught I was not ordinary, because they could not imagine how I achieved the feat of making A’s in virtually all my subjects. The reason lies in the fact that I decided to make A’s in all my subjects and I know that if it must be, I must have certain amount of mark in each subject to attain the goal, so I put in the needed effort to achieve my goal. I went on to be among the top 10 graduating students in secondary school out of over 200 hundred students, and graduated with a second class upper from the university. Without academic goals, you can hardly be an outstanding student.

3. Get the course outline of all the courses for the semester: what will be your class of degree, whether a first class, second class upper, second class lower, third class or ordinary pass at the end of your degree program is a combination of your performances in all the semesters that constitute your degree program. Your ultimate success will be determined by the success of each semester. If you can endeavor to do well one semester at a time, you will come out with a satisfactory class of degree, at least a minimum of second class upper.

To have a successful semester, the first thing to do is to get the course outline for all your courses. Everything you are expected to know for the semester is in the course outline, and its content is where your test and examination questions will be drawn from. It is an essential tool that you must have.

4. Get the materials for all your courses: In higher institutions in Nigeria, lecturers usually prepare handout for the course they are taking, and each student is expected to get a copy of the handout, so that they can have access to the components of the course. If you want to make distinction, it essential you get all the materials for your courses. Buy all the recommended handouts and text books for the semester. If you can’t afford them, borrow from those who bought and make photocopy, it is cheaper.

5. Attend lectures regularly: if you want to make distinction in all your courses, it is imperative that you attend lectures. When you are in class, listen to the lecturer. Compare his teachings to the content of the course material. There are some lecturers that teach so many things that you won’t find in the course material, while some teach word for word of what is in the course material. Now, for the lecturers whom you cannot predict what they teach based on their course material, it is essential that you attend their class, in fact don’t miss their class, if making distinction is your goal.

Some brilliant students don’t believe in attending lectures because they believe they can always read, and assimilate the content of the course materials and pass exam. What do you think would happen if most questions are set out of the content of the course material or if the lecturer expects students to answer certain questions based on the explanation he gave in class? Such students no matter how brilliant they are won’t make a distinction in that course. I once failed a course that way. I got to the examination hall only to see questions whose answers can never be found in the course material.

If you must boycott any lecturer’s class, let it be the class of a lecturer whose teaching can be predicted based on the course material. Without attending his class, you will pass if you study the course material properly.

Another reason why it is essential to attend lectures is because of continuous assessment. Continuous assessment is the combination of your class attendance, your contribution in class, assignments and test coupled with the final examination score. Not attending classes will make you lose some mark which may cost you a distinction in that course.

6. Read, Read and Read: If you don’t like reading, you may not be able make distinction in all your courses. You must be ready to read. Try to know the studying method that work best for you and the best time of the day that you can assimilate things faster. To some, their prime time is early in the morning, some prefer afternoon while some get the best out of studies when they study at night. It is your responsibility to know the reading method, and time of the day that works best for you.

If you must make distinction in all your courses, it is imperative that you cover all the components or content of your course outline. It is essential that you read your course material(s) from cover to cover, and digest them properly.

7. Get Past question papers: Research shows that about 50% of questions set for candidates during examination can be found in past question papers of that particular course or subject. Past question paper is a powerful tool you will need to excel in any course. Make effort to get the past question papers of all your courses as early as possible, and learn to use them as the semester progresses. Study the way the lecturer structures his questions, and apply it as you study his course material. Frame questions based on his pattern of setting question for all the contents of the course material, and learn to answer them in the best way possible.

8. Do your assignment and submit promptly: Assignment, whether individual or group is one of the components of continuous assessment. Failure to do and submit your assignment may cost you a distinction, no matter how brilliant you are. For this reason, cooperate with your lecturer by doing your assignment as soon as possible and submit when expected.

9. Always prepare for impromptu test: There are days you will go for lectures as usual, only for the lecturer to tell you to get a sheet of paper, write your name and matriculation number, and your course code. The next thing you will see is questions on the board. If you didn’t anticipate such test, you will be thrown off balance. And if you fail such test due to lack of preparation, that may cost you a distinction. To avoid such failure, I suggest that as soon as you are getting to the middle of the semester, you should always expect test any time you are going for lectures and always prepare in advance.

10. Find out the marking style of the lecturers: if you want to make a distinction in a course, it is important you know the way the lecturer expects students to answer his questions. Some lecturers want you to give them verbatim what they taught you or what are in their course material, while others want you to come up with something out of the box but still in line with what you were taught. Having this knowledge and answering his questions based on his expectation will earn you your distinction without stress. You can get this information from senior colleagues who have passed through the lecturer.

11. Prepare adequately for examination: At the end of every semester, you are going to write exam in all the courses for that semester. If you have followed the previous instructions, you will definitely be prepared for the final exam. You must make adequate preparation for the exam. Adequate preparation include, covering the course outline, reading all the recommended course materials, reading the note taken in class during lectures and practicing past questions.

12. Don’t miss the revision class prior to exam:Examination is never a battle between the lecturers and students. It is the joy of every good teacher to see that his students excel at the end of the semester.
During final revision that precedes examination, the teacher most often do their best to give students hints on possible areas that questions are likely to come out from. Prior to this time, they have set their questions, and submitted them to the faculty management.

By being attentive to what the lecturer says in the revision class, you will have a glimpse of possible questions to be expected and areas you need to focus on in the course material or lecturer’s note. Missing such class can cost you a distinction.

13. Choose your friends wisely: it is important to note that the people with whom you associate as a student play a very big role in your academics. You must make effort to relate with students who are serious minded; students who have burning desire for unlimited academic success. These set of students would challenge and motivate you to be up and doing. Associating will them with keep you alert and help you to focus on your academic goals. Always remember that “he that walks with the wise shall be wise, but the companion of fools shall be destroyed.” It is better to be a loner as a student than to be in the company of unserious folks. Choose your friends wisely!

5 Things to Do On the Examination Day

The examination day is the day to reap every effort you have been making right from day one of the semester, so if you make any mistake that day, you may end up losing your reward. I suggest that you do the following five things on the examination day.

14. Be early to the exam venue: It is essential you get to the exam hall or venue at least fifteen minutes before the exam commences. This will give you the opportunity to relax and get your mind ready for the exam.

15. Go with all the needed examination kit: This may include your pen, mathematical set, your Id card, and everything you will be in need of in the examination hall. Don’t go to the exam hall with the plan of borrowing anything you will need. Doing so will slow you down, and can even cost you your distinction.

16. Write your name and matriculation number where they are needed: There have been cases where students submit answer booklet and forget to write their name and matriculation number. To avoid this mistake, write your name, matriculation number, and course code as soon as you get your answer booklet.

17. Read the instructions thoroughly and comprehend them before you solve the questions: Take note of the instructions in your question paper and solve the questions in obedience to them. Most often, examiners use such words as list, state, enumerate, discuss, explain, and define and so on. You are expected to answer the questions based on the command or instruction given in the question paper. Disobedience to instruction due to error in understanding the instructions or answering the question in a way that is not consistent with the instructions simply to show the lecturer that you are brilliant can cause you fail.

18. Write legibly: If you have a bad handwriting, such that only you can read your work, you will fail no matter how brilliant you are. When writing examination, write in such a way, that even a blind man can read what you write. When you give the right answers using clear and legible hand writing, you can never be denied of distinction.

19. Work with time: Duration of time is always allotted to examination; it is your duty to make sure you answer as many as possible questions within the time given. If you know the answers but too slow to solve all the questions before the time elapses, you will lose your chances of making a distinction. What you need here is speed and accuracy.

20. Revise your answers before submitting: Don’t be in a rush to submit. Nobody is given a distinction for being the first to submit. Check your work properly; make corrections where necessary before you submit. And when submitting, make sure you submit in the right place because there are cases where students of different levels write exam simultaneously in the same hall. The school management often makes such arrangement in an attempt to curb examination malpractices. It will be a great mistake to have your script mixed up with a different group of students due to your own error. This kind of mistake is probably why some students do have missing script issue. Once again, make sure you submit where you should submit.

21. Keep praying till you see your result: You have done your best, now it is time to leave the rest to God. The kind of prayer you should pray is left to you. You must have it in mind that God will help you only when you have helped yourself by following the instructions in this article.

Source: Taiwo Emayosanlomo

25 Important Tips to Help You Survive Your First Year in the University

Maybe you were class prefect in secondary school. You may have graduated in the top percentile of your graduating class; maybe you were even valedictorian. Possibly you were in a class or group of high scorers. On the other hand, maybe you didn’t do so well in secondary school. Really, it doesn’t generally make a difference what you could or couldn’t achieve in secondary school as you make the move to university. Secondary school achievement (or the absence of it) doesn’t just consequently apply to your university experience and this should serve as a form of assurance for those who had it rough.

You begin school with a clean scholastic slate, alongside a great deal of freedom and a bunch of discriminating choices as you start the move into adulthood. The choices that you make and the moves you make amid your first year of school will have a noteworthy effect on whatever remains of your school experience.

According to some statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), just around 700,000 students get selected in all Nigerian universities in any year. Another 600,000 are enlisted in polytechnics and schools of instruction in any year. These statistics are not intended to drive away or remove any of the delight, fervor, and expectation you feel about attending a university. An incredible inverse! Having made it to your school’s admission list, the statistics prove how lucky you are to be a fresh undergraduate student despite the difficulties associated with getting admitted into school in Nigeria.

This article is about the things you have to do to survive your first year of school, as well as to flourish and thrive in school. Also, a hefty portion of the important tools, abilities and skills mentioned in this article can not only be utilized to help you succeed in school, but in your future vocation as well.

The initial couple of weeks on the school campus are to a great degree critical for every single new student. It is during this time that you settle on a lot of critical and important choices that will have an impact on the remaining part of your life. Some of these 25 tips are basic steps to take during your first weeks, while the others are implied for long term direction and survival. Whatever you do, attempt to make the most of your school encounter as much as you can. Expect to feel some anxiety and itchiness to want to be home again, but don’t let these initial feelings of homesickness to wear you out.

Strategies to Help You Survive Your First Year in School

Contents [show]

1. Go to all introductory ceremonies and orientations organized by the school authorities.

Do you truly need to attend yet another school orientation or tour? Yes. The quicker you learn your way around the campus – and around all the formality – the calmer you’ll feel and the better set up you’ll be when issues emerge.

2. Become more acquainted with your room mates and others in your residential area.

The individuals you live with, a large portion of whom are experiencing comparable and similar encounters and feelings, are your primary safety net – this first year, as well as for every one of your years. You may change room mates as time goes on, yet, simply take the time to become acquainted with your kindred first-year undergraduates.

3. Become more organized.

In secondary school, your tutors had a tendency to lead you through all the homework and deadlines for submission. In the university, your lecturers will not give a damn whether you do your assignments or not and this can cause a lot of students to lack seriousness in school. Lecturers post the assignments – frequently for the whole semester – and anticipate that you will be ready. Purchase a big wall calendar or plan book – whatever it takes for you to plan more effectively and be organized.

4. Locate the perfect spots for you to study.

It might be your hostel or apartment or a comfy corner of the library, yet discover a place that works best for you to accomplish your work effectively – while evading as many distractions as possible. Once you discover a place that works best for you, use this place as often as you can for your studies.

5. Go to class and attend lectures.

Self-evident and obvious, isn’t that so? Possibly, however resting in a little more on your bed and avoiding that 7 am class will be enticing on some occasions. Stay away from the temptation and ensure you don’t miss classes as much as you can. Other than assimilating the material by going to classes, you’ll likewise get basic data from the lecturers about what’s in store on tests or exams, changes in deadlines, and so forth.

6. Turn into a specialist when it comes to course necessities and deadlines.

Lecturers especially university professors put in a long stretch of time planning course syllabi and timetables so you will know precisely what is anticipated from you – and when. One of the lamest reasons an undergraduate student can give a lecturer for not being able to meet a deadline is: “I didn’t have any knowledge that it was due today.”

7. Meet with your lecturers and get to know them.

You can be guaranteed that there are many advantages of becoming acquainted with your lecturers. This will be particularly helpful if later in the semester you run into a few obstacles. Lecturers plan available time called office hours for the sole motivation behind meeting with students. Exploit that time as much as you can and you won’t regret it. One caveat is that some lecturers are not so friendly, so unless you can figure out away to bring down their defenses and get them to give you some of their time, it might be best to just focus on being present in their classes.

8. Become more acquainted with your academic adviser.

This is the individual who will help you with course clashes and conflicts, adding or dropping courses, booking of classes for future semesters, deciding on specializations. This individual is a key asset for you – and ought to be the individual you swing to with any academic issues or clashes. What’s more, don’t be apprehensive about asking for another adviser in the event that you don’t click with the one initially allotted to you.

9. Endeavor to find a balance.

School life is a blend of social and academic happenings and events. Try not to tip the equalization too far in either bearing. A particular student constantly used to say her mantra was to “study hard so she could play hard.”

10. Be involved on campus.

A major issue for a considerable measure of new undergraduates is a blend of nostalgia and an inclination of not exactly having a place. An answer? Think about joining a select group – and be mindful so as not to go over the edge – of student associations and clubs. It is also advisable to join a religious group depending on your religious inclinations. You’ll make new companions, learn new aptitudes, and feel more connected with your school.

11. Do your best to get good grades from the start.

Another clear one here, isn’t that so? Keep in mind the expressions in the opening section of this article; while good grades might have worked out easily for you in secondary school, you will need to acquire them with more effort in the university – and that implies setting a few goals and objectives for yourself and doing all you possibly can to accomplish them.

12. Exploit the study assets and resources available on campus.

Pretty much, all schools and institutions have libraries, learning labs and mentors accessible. In case you’re having a few troubles, these assets are another apparatus accessible to you. Another thought: form study groups.

13. Set aside time for you.

Put aside time and activities that help you unwind and take the stress of your day or week. Whether its enrolling in a gym or fitness center for weekly exercise, viewing your most loved TV programs, or writing in a diary, be kind to yourself.

14. Don’t feel compelled to make any hasty decision about a selective course.

It doesn’t matter if it seems as though everyone else seems to know what they’re doing with their lives, many actually don’t. The university is the time and place for you to really discover who you are, what you enjoy doing, what you’re good at, and what you want to be. It’s not a race; take your time and enjoy exploring your options.

15. Take complete responsibility for everything you do.

Don’t look to place the blame on others for whatever mistakes you make in school while trying to find your bearing in life; own up to them without over-personalizing or trying hard to justify them and move on. Being an adult means taking responsibility for everything that happens to you.

16. Make connections with your classmates.

A particular student said his technique in the first week of classes was to meet at least one new person in each of his classes. It expanded his network of friends and was a crucial resource at times when he had to miss a class and needed to be kept informed or update his notes. Besides, no one knows tomorrow, you never know when you may need the other person’s help.

17. Start preparing your career path on time.

Regardless of whether you are entering the university with your entire future mapped out, don’t hesitate to seek and explore fresh information about yourself with professional advice as well and get started on planning, preparing, and acting on your future.

18. Don’t procrastinate; prioritize your life and manage your time.

It may have been easy in secondary school to wait until the last minute to complete an assignment and still get a good grade, but that kind of stuff will not work for you in the university. Give yourself deadlines — and make sure stick to them. You are now responsible for yourself.

19. Eat right and stay healthy

A lot of problems first-year students face can be traced back to an illness that kept them away from classes for an extended period of time that led to a downward spiraling effect. Get enough sleep, make some time for exercise, take your vitamins, and eat right. If you haven’t heard the jokes about university food, you soon will. And without mom or dad there to serve you a balanced meal, you may be tempted to go for those extra fries or junk food. Stay healthy and try as much as possible to eat balanced meals. Manage the money you have no matter how little in such a way that you can at least one healthy balanced meal a day.

20.  Learn how to cope with homesickness.

It’s only natural that there will be times when you miss your family, even if you fall into the category of those who couldn’t wait to get away from home. Find a way to deal with those feelings of home-sickness, such as making a phone call to those at home often.

21. Stay on campus as much as you can.

Whether it’s wanting to get a better feeling of independence, homesickness, a job or business, or a boyfriend or girlfriend from home, try not to leave campus too soon or too often. The closer you are to the hub, the easier it will be to cope and thrive. The more time you spend on getting to know the campus and your new friends, the more you’ll feel at home at school. And why not take advantage of all the educative, cultural and social events that happen on campus?

22. Seek professional help when in need of it.

Most universities are expected to have health and counseling centers. Some actually have these facilities and some don’t. If you’re sick or feeling isolated or depressed, please take advantage of the many health care services that are available to students. You don’t have to face these issues by yourself or prescribe solutions based on speculations.

23. Keep track of your money with as much discipline as possible.

If you’ve never had to create a budget, now is the time to do so. Find ways to stretch your money – and as best you can, avoid all those unnecessary expenses that come as a result of temptation to “try out”. Spend frugally and wisely. Managing your money well is a skill you will benefit from in the future, so take the time to develop it now.

24. Don’t cut corners for any reasons.

University is all about learning. If you procrastinate and cram, you may still do well on tests, but you’ll learn very little. Even worse, don’t cheat on term papers, tests and exams. These things have a way of catching up with us in future. Discipline yourself to do things the right way.

25. Be prepared to feel overwhelmed and overstressed.

There’s likely going to be a lot going on in your life right now as you make the transition into the university. Expect to have moments where it seems a bit too much. As one student says, be prepared to feel completely unprepared. The trick is knowing that you’re not the only one feeling that way and feeling optimistic that you can survive and thrive.

You’ve done all the preparatory work — you’ve gotten good grades in your secondary school certificate examinations, scored well on on your UTME and post UTME screening examinations and have been accepted into the university you want to attend — so enjoy all your hard work while laying the groundwork for a successful university academic career. Don’t be a statistic; be determined to make it through your freshman / first year — and beyond. Take advantage of your social network of classmates, new friends, lecturers and professors, have fun while learning as much as you can, and get the most out of your university experience. Most of what you get from the university and what the university imparts on you are what will make or mar you for the rest of your life.

10 Sure Tips To Prepare For JAMB 2019 And Score Very High

It is no longer news that the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) has already commenced registration for 2019 UTME Examination.

This is nevertheless why you should start planning now.

In case you don’t know, Statistics of this year could be a little higher because apart from people who are rewriting jamb again, there are also numerous fresh people who wants to experience JAMB.

In this article, I have listed 10 Sure Tips To Help you Prepare well For JAMB 2019 examination and if you follow it, you would have a very high score.

These Are The 10 Sure Tips To Help You Prepare For JAMB 2019 And Score Very High

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1. Start your Reading NOW

YEAH! The first sure tips is to Start reading now. Never feel like “oh! is it not too early to start reading?”

Don’t wait till JAMB exam seems very near before you start running for your books. The best time to start preparing is now. I don’t mean tomorrow, I mean today, NOW.

Be careful of the evil of procrastination (postponing things to do). Dont give it in because of you do, you will keep postponing saying you will do this, you will do that and you might never end up doing it and that’s the more reason why you should START READING NOW!

If you start reading now you’re closer to scoring your 350 in JAMB.

2. Create Your Personal Reading Time Table and Follow It Strictly.

Yeah! The next step to you getting that high mark in JAMB is to create your personal reading time table and follow it duly, diligently and strictly.

Remember, never take it for granted. You have a mission and you must remain focus and discipline of you want to achieve your set goal.

3. Know Your Weakness or Weaknesses And Work On Them.

It is no fallacy that no-one is perfect but our father in Heaven. Knowing your weakness or weaknesses and working on it helps to build and transform you to be a better and a candidate with believing prospects.

Your weakness could be anything. It could be a particular subject, not being able to keep to time, fear, anxiety or as it may be.

Take time to work on your weakness and spend more time on them. If it’s a particular subject like physics or literature, spend more time on the subject and change your mentality towards it. Develop amazing interest in it and you would find it easy.

4. While Working On Your Weakness, Never Forget Your Strength

Of course I said you should spend more time on your weakness but at the same time you should not leave your strength hanging.

Spending more time on doing physics, mathematics or literature should not sweep away all your concentration from other subjects.

Remember that no course is little. The subjects you know better or love should be the one to give you an edge over other subjects and you shouldn’t take them for granted.

Develop yourself more and more on them even as you focus on your weaknesses.

5. Make Use Of The Syllabus

Yeah, I did tell you to make use of syllabus. Please o, I didn’t say you should study the syllabus o but you should read along with the syllabus.

Knowing the syllabus of a subject opens the door of knowledge of where questions would be set from to you.

6. Don’t Dump The Recommended Textbooks.

During registration, you would be given recommended literary texts to read for USE OF ENGLISH.

Make sure you read these texts well because unavoidable questions would be set form there.

If you study these texts well and if just 10 questions are asked from it, you should be able to score at least 9 even 10 is not impossible.

As far as you study and understand the texts, you would have no problem. And in fact, they are always interesting.

Last Days at Forcados for example is very interesting.. I can’t even remember how many times I read that book….

7. Treat Past Questions EVERY DAY.

Make sure you get JAMB past questions for all your chosen 4 subjects. You can always get them at the bookshop.

In case you don’t know, let me tell you; JAMB doesn’t have time to start setting new questions all over. They always repeat past questions and if you have been a diligent regular customer on past questions, you would realize that part of what you’ve once solved might peek out.

I remember last two years when I was writing mine, there was this particular page on register… I’ve treated it before in the past question and it all came out in the USE OF ENGLISH test. I was very glad… Trust me I nailed the mother****er

8. Attend Tutorials.

Sometimes you might have a lot of problems to solve. Going to tutorials will help you with all these.

So, if you have the dough, attending tutorial is a very nice step. You don’t have to go the expensive ones, there are always cheap ones around who are also doing well.

And if you know you’re not taught well in a tutorial you’re attending, pack your things and GO

9. Endeavour To Do Early Morning Reading.

Doing early morning reading is a very thoughtful and useful idea.

Waking up to read early in the morning is very good because your mind would be fresh and it will be very easy and quick to assimilate.

You can start with waking up around 4 oe 5 a.m and read for like two hours or any convenient hour.

It’s advisable that you read for at least 2 hours when you wake up in the morning.

You could also read km the middle of the night too. If you’re the type that wake around 2 a.m or 3 a.m ; it’s perfect opportunity to take you Ed book again.

Remember you’re competing with thousands of other people so, you must really take this like a WAR if you really desire to pass in flying colors.

However, if you’re not the type that do morning reading or probably your body system doesn’t subscribe to it, no problem then.

10. Never Be Shy To Ask Questions

As a Jambite who wants to write jamb for the first time, there would be a lot of questions on your mind to ask.

Make sure you look for people who you know can provide answers to your questions and never be shy to ask them.

Asking questions is never a bad or a forward approach; asking questions is a very good idiosyncrasy.

JAMB 2019: Ten Tips To Pass Outstandingly - Education

Are you preparing to sit for jamb this year? Or even better are you planning on writing it for the first and the Last time, or you want this to be your last after several failed attempt. If yes then, you are at the right place as this post is designed to help you achieve your goal, which is to obtain your desired score in jamb (am guessing 400)

Over the years, many has wasted years at home after failing to secure a good score in jamb while many have settled for an institution or course which they would not have had they score (quote) sufficiently enough to secure them their course of choice. Realizing the importance of this exam has spur candidates out in search of tips to help them pass excellently. Well, the good news is, search no more as I bring you glad tidings.

Tips around to help in this pursuit, but I have shortlisted top ten that will surely help you.

1. SUFFICIENT PREPARATION IS THE KEY.
If you really want to achieve that dream score, the impact of sufficient preparation cannot be over-emphasized. Preparation as it is, is having a goal and getting ready by planning, studying, and training to achieve the goal.

To get the best out of your preparation, you can adopt a method that has helped for many, have an active study routine where you schedule subjects to be treated for each study session, before the start of each session, you might find it helpful to write down what you wish to have achieve at the end of your study session and then work through your session having them at the back of your mind, but mind you though, make them realistic

2. THE POWER OF DETERMINATION:
While preparation will attempt to get you ready, determination will ensure you are ready. The level of your determination will reflect on your preparation as per how much time you put into it. It can be seen as the willpower or energy that drives you, so how much of it you have will determine how far you get.

3. LEVERAGE ON RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
Annually jamb update their syllabus, which has a list of all recommended textbooks and subjects. You’ll therefore do yourself a whole lot of good by endeavoring to get this texts and incorporate the subject found in jamb syllabus in your study routine.

Some of the questions are taken from these texts, so that will give you a head start in the hall having solved the questions before the exam

4. LEVERAGE ON PAST QUESTIONS:
Am guessing you are not surprised seeing this. Its now a renown fact that these corporate exam bodies repeat question from previous exams, which usually covers a reasonable percentage from the overall questions.

As you prepare make sure you dedicate part of your study sessions to solving past questions. You’ll find this helpful than you might yet realize. So don’t waste your time, go to any bookshop near you and purchase one, or if you want the soft copy, you can search in Google and follow their search results

5.POLISH YOUR ICT SKILLS:
Since the start of jamb full CBT exam few years back, it has become imperative that candidate, are pro-efficient in their use of computer, or at least enough to get them through. I have heard experience of candidate who entered the exam hall with no ICT training only to waste their limited time trying to find their way around the computer.

So if you don’t know how to use the computer, its time to enroll in a training of some sort to get you acquainted with it.

6. ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES:
This is perhaps the best advice I’ll give, understand your strength and weakness. Like someone I know would say, you only know what you know, and don’t know what you don’t know. Conduct some evaluation, know the topics you cannot readily answer questions from, topics that hearing their name alone would sent shivers down your spine, then take steps to better understand the topics, because as it stands only what you get correctly would count in the exam hall.

Therefore acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses now and dealing with it would put you on an edge in the exam.

7. SOURCE FOR HELP:
The previous tip has subtly introduced this, sometimes individual effort is not enough to get the desired result, and in positions like this you definitely need all the help you can get.

As many has, you will find the experience and knowledge of a trained tutor helpful, as you prepare for jamb 2019, so why not enroll in a reputable jamb lesson in your neighborhood or you can employ the service of a personal tutor.

8. HAVE A POSITIVE MINDSET:
Maybe you’ve heard stories about people that has written jamb up to five or more times and that frightens you, you get overwhelmed and start thinking jamb is one hell of an exam, so you cant make it, don’t be afraid, many has done it and so can you. However, if you’ll make it, then you need be prepared emotionally, wear the mindset of a victor. Always assure yourself that you can do this, and most importantly, let your actions do with your preparation.

9. SET A TARGET:
Do you have a target? Like a particular score you want to attain? Why is that even necessary you might ask. To better understand this, let assume someone wants to score zero, what is required of him? Nothing, just walk into the hall with zero preparation and walk out, but what if the person wanted to score 300+ then that calls for a lot of work on his part, he obviously has tons of preparation to do.

It can said therefore that the target you set would predict the accompany preparation. So I’ll advice you to set a reasonable target for yourself and make that your goal, while you put in sufficient work to achieve it.

10. PUT GOD FIRST:
Now on a final note, just as this is true for everything else, putting God first in all we do is very important, don’t cut him out of this endeavor, have his support and guidance and watch jamb 2019 be a success.

To this very end, I wish all prospective candidates good luck in this forthcoming jamb

10 Secrets of University Success

1. Get Started Right Away

Putting off tasks may feel like a method for temporarily reducing stress, but actually it's a recipe for increasing your stress levels as the term progresses. Things won't get easier later on, when the workload snowballs and your deadlines loom ever closer. You don't have to do everything at once, you just have to get started. When you begin a task, you leave behind all the worry and fear that the task is “too big” or “too difficult”. Break the job down into manageable steps, choose one small aspect of the task and get going right away.

2. Make Peer Pressure Work For You

Surround yourself with success-oriented peers who are committed to their university studies. You can gain a lot of motivation just by spending time with successful people. Challenge each other, teach each other, learn from each other. Develop study groups and quiz each other before tests and exams. Talk about your strategies and about your goals. Share your fears and work together to overcome them.

3. Rethink Your Approach to Exams

Sure, exams can be stressful and scary, but they are really meant as an opportunity to provide you feedback about the quality of your learning. Instead of waiting until the last minute to study and then waiting until the grade comes back to see how well you’ve done, set up your study routine to give yourself lots of time to prepare and test yourself prior to the exam. Not only will your learning be enhanced, you'll also develop a sense of confidence that will carry over to the exam and you'lll have a chance to catch any errors or omissions before you enter the exam room. Suddenly, the exam won’t seem so scary.

4. Believe In Yourself

Success is all about doing the best you can with what you have. Success is perseverance in the face of challenge; it means rising to the occasion; it means pulling through when times are tough. A positive attitude is a key ingredient in succeeding at university. Taking responsibility for making things happen, following through on tasks, and staying oriented towards your goals will all contribute to success.

5. Stay On Top Of It All

Managing time is absolutely critical. Know what your goals are. Figure out where your time is going and develop supportive routines. Use a planner, set your own deadlines, and look ahead to see what tasks are due in the near future. Learn to balance your school, work, and personal commitments. Procrastinate less.

6. Read The Course Outlines

Once you see the course from the perspective of the professor, you’ll have a major insight into what (and how) to study for your courses. Seeing the course from this perspective is as easy as carefully analyzing the course outline and course description for the goals, objectives, and topics of the course. Equipped with the knowledge of what is important in the course, you can organize your approach to the course to focus on the main ideas of the course and their inter-connections.

7. Listen Actively In Class

Taking notes from a lecture is a thinking activity. Effective listening involves paying attention, developing an interest in listening to the lecture, and avoiding premature judgment of the speaker. Pay particular attention to the beginnings and endings of the lecture to gain a better sense of its outline and main points, then summarize and anticipate the direction of the lecture. Evaluate the ideas you hear, select important information to record, and ask questions about what you hear. Avoid the passive listener approach of trying to "get it all"; instead, listen for main ideas, key details, and transitional phrases which point to the structure and focus of the lecture.

8. Read With Your Brain Switched On

If you’ve ever found yourself moving your eyes over the words of the text but found your thoughts were off somewhere else, you’ll know how much time re-reading long passages of text consumes. Reading more actively (that is, thoughtfully) can make reading more effective and efficient. Read with the aim of understanding and relating the ideas of the text to your existing knowledge, previous readings, lecture material, and the goals of the course. As you read along, summarize main ideas, interpret the themes of the reading, think critically, and try to state the material in your own words. It isn’t necessary to memorize everything written in the text. Instead, focus on reading selectively, extracting information that is relevant to your course and your purpose as a reader.

9. Don’t Get Stressed Out

Your first line of defense against stress may be to reduce your symptoms of stress. Taking a walk, doing yoga, meditating, and “venting” about your stress are common examples of symptom reduction strategies. They are geared to relieve the more common symptoms of stress. Once your symptoms are relieved a little, you’ll be ready to identify the source of stress (if it isn’t already apparent to you). Time pressures, making the adjustment to university life, finances, leaving home, living independently, relationships, and balancing work, school and a personal life may all contribute to your stress. Knowing where your stress comes from can help you to concentrate your stress management where it will matter most. Taking time out to deal with your stressors head-on can make a big difference in your day to day experience of stress.

10. Learn And Grow As You Go!

While each course or assignment might be unique, the skills needed to perform well on them carry over from one to the next. It might seem obvious, but a key element of success is actually paying attention to and working on the feedback you receive. Grades, comments, contradictory information, stress, delight... these are all forms of feedback that can help you to improve. Instead of working harder doing the same things, change your approach gradually on the basis of the feedback that you receive.

JAMB officially Announces the Postponement of 2019 Mock Exam

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB has officially announced the postponement of the 2019 Mock examination earlier scheduled to hold February 23rd, 2019 due to the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections which will now hold on that date. 

JAMB' s head of media Dr Fabian in an interview on Wednesday said the new date for the mock examination has not been fixed yet.

Dr Fabian equally disclosed that the board will also postpone the date of the main exam if the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for March 9th, 2019 are not concluded on that day, as it may likely affect the 2019 UTME scheduled to commence March 16th.

He said that a new date for the Mock examination will be announced shortly. However, for now, the date for the main exam remains March 16th pending the outcome of the elections on March 9th.

This means that candidates are not to relax in their preparation towards the exam. 

YOU COULD GO HOME AFTER ONE YEAR IN UNILORIN

By

Austin Archibong

Austin, a recent graduate of the University of Ilorin, is the founder of Austine Reviews, a website that focuses on reviewing academic and literary works.

 

It is not uncommon to see or hear about many students hanging around even when they have been sent out from their universities. They are aware that they would not be welcomed with outstretched hands, since it is not an enviable achievement. Right?

 

Now, step two, which comes after the initial step of accepting the admission offer from any school is to work at retaining your studentship. In most schools, the criteria is just a paltry 0.99 on a scale of 5 to move from being a freshman/fresher to being a sophomore/second year student. This is where the major hurdle is.

 

In the better by far institution, as they like being referred to, the minimum criteria keeps rising every few years. One day the criteria might be to have 5.0 out of 5.0 to cross to form 100 level to 200 level.

For all students, the minimum CGPA used to be 1.5 on the 5-point scale, while it was 2.0 and 9-9-6 for engineering students and more stringent for medical students as they couldn’t score below 50 percent in any course with CGPA of 2.5 and above.

As at the 2014/2015 session, the minimum for all students is now 2.0 out of 5.0. Anything less and you would not be in good standing and would be ‘advised’ to go to your parent’s house to spend more family time.

For engineering students, it gets interesting. For the current final year student in agricultural and bio-systems engineering of the University of Ilorin, 99 resumed 100 level in 2010, but only 45 students crossed to 200 level. Now, the minimum requirement is 2.5 and 9-9-6. 12 units will be offered in mathematics and physics in 100 level, 9 must be passed to continue in 200 level. 8 units will be offered in chemistry, 6 must be passed to continue.

For medical students, it is now 3.0 out of 5 and no score in ANY course below 50 percent. If you have a CGPA of 4.5 and score below 50 percent, you would be honourably dropped into the physical or life sciences faculty while someone with 3.5 but fulfills the criteria would proudly continue. Correct!

Many more students were admitted this year, as Unilorin increased her carrying capacity. Sure, many more would go home if they don’t meet these requirements.

Some departments would tell you after you are dropped from your previous one that they don’t accept the excreta of others. That it is ‘unhealthy.’ It is very common to see engineering students being dropped to continue in educational technology or medical students in biochemistry or microbiology.

So, yes, you could go home after year one in Unilorin. They go every year, en masse. This year would not be any different. Work hard!

4 WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR DIFFICULT ASSIGNMENTS

Sara Bhut

Sara has been writing for long for online blogs and she has experience in thesis, assignment and essay and helps so many students. For assistance on completing your tasks, reach her via her blog Vid Wonders.

When students are growing in their academic stature and levels, things start to get complicated. Academic journey is not really a bed of roses where you will just wake up, wash your face, attend your classes and pass through semesters after semesters. It requires hard work, passion, dedication and more importantly the willingness to overcome challenges in order to grow academically and learn new things. People who leave their higher education or do not study much are simply the ones who cannot tolerate various academic challenges in their way and somehow suddenly just give up.

Now academic challenges can come in various forms and shapes. Completing a challenging assignment is one of the challenges that students face a lot in their academia. Managing assignments in your academic term is very important if you have to achieve anything. Ineffective assignment management can lead up to an average performance and a possibility of failing in the major courses. Many students try the old clichéd way of managing their difficult assignments and utterly fail because they do not find compatibility in those tips with the modern day assignments. Today’s academic blog will talk about four effective ways for students to manage extremely difficult academic assignments like a piece of cake:

Focusing on the essence of the assignment

Focusing on the essence of the assignment and ignoring everything else is what can be a smart approach to tackle something difficult. For example, if you have to complete a research paper in Psychology, then do not just keep looking for random content on Psychology. Focus on one particular topic, quickly start gathering reading materials, organize them and get started with writing. Do not ask ten other people about assignment ideas as well. Everyone will have a different perspective so focus on your own understanding of the work.

Collecting samples

What better way to manage an assignment than to see how it is exactly done. Collecting samples of libraries, online websites and alumni can really be beneficial to you. You can actually really see not only the approach to the assignment, the areas to focus on, but also get the idea of how the teacher marked that assignment. What were the points where the most marks were deducted and awarded?  Studying through samples is one of the best ways to manage a really difficult assignment.

Taking assistance

If all else fails, taking assistance from various third party platforms is not really a bad idea. Not only you can get a professional individual to help you manage the work, but also you will really have the right approach towards the assignment, hence saving your time and also your academic grade by simply taking help.

Asking teachers

Above all, talking and interacting with teachers can help you discover different secrets or sources which can assist in completing the assignment quickly. They might tell you a good source to find relevant content rather than wasting time around or they might tell you which specific areas to really focus on in order to get the best marks or grade.

If the teachers are not available, one can even take guidance from their parents or any sibling who is elder than them. They are usually in a better position to teach us how to go about a certain topic, especially if it is of a much advanced level. Try it and you won’t regret it.

TOP 10 SECRETS OF FIRST CLASS STUDENTS

1, NATURAL BRILLIANCE: There is a minimum level of natural brilliance that is required before a student can think of First Class. I do not intend to put limit to one’s capabilities, for I believe like most people that impossible is nothing. However, realistically speaking, that is an exception to the rule. Most First Class students have a track record from lower levels of education. That is the first foundation.

2,THE POWER OF DREAM: Most first class students dream. I do not mean metaphysical dream, I mean the Luther King definition – vision, forward-looking, even though awake. In secondary school I had a friend who once looked up and said, ‘the last time someone made an aggregate 6 (i.e minimum of 6 A1’s in SSCE) in this school was 12 years ago, I want to be the next’. He made it. Same boy told me he wanted to ‘enter the back of JAMB brochure’, meaning he wanted to be among the top 3 JAMB students in Nigeria (JAMB print at the back of the brochure for a year the names of the best 3 candidates in the prior year’s examinations). He didn’t make it, but he scored 296. When this friend of mine entered Ife, he went to his faculty’s board, where names of best students are engraved every year, looked up and said, ‘when I leave this school after five years I want my name written on this board’. He worked for it. He didn’t make it. But he not only came out with a CGPA north of 4.7 (of the possible 5.0) but he also emerged as one of his faculty’s best. After that, he told someone that he wanted to have his PhD without doing Master’s degree.  The person told him it was hardly possibly, and counted on his fingertips the number of Nigerians that performed that feat. My friend proved our doubter wrong. He got the PhD at age 29, skipping Master’s. That is the power of dream.

3, COMPETITION: What most people don’t know is that there is usually a subtle competition among best students in classes. The competition is not necessarily unhealthy. They may be –and in fact usually are – friends, but they compete. In my undergraduate days, story is told of a guy that, at the beginning of every semester, went to ask what X, the best student in the class immediately preceding his, scored in each course and he would tell those that cared to listen to him that he would break the record and score higher than him. He did, most times.  Most First Class students compete. Each wants to be the highest scorer in each subject. That is why it is always good to go to a competitive institution, rather than enjoy local championship status without stiff competition.

4, CALCULATION: When you see some students reading a purely theoretical course and having calculator by the side, don’t think they are insane or doing ‘over-syllabus’. No they are just running the permutations – if I score B in this course, what will my CGPA be? What is the worst case scenario? What is the best case scenario? How many A’s do I need to make X-CGPA? etc. These are calculations that go on in their heads. Some don’t even compute their GP’s at the end of a semester, they have the template in their heads already, having done the permutations over and over again even before writing the examinations, and they just insert the course scores into their mental template.

5, OPTIMISTIC MENTALITY: Some students die many times before their academic death. How can a student gain admission into a school and the first thing he hears is, you can never make a First Class, they wont give you. Well, I don’t believe this. This is what kills many students. How can you go to battle with a defeatist mentality and expect to win? Many First Class students defy these “messengers of doom” and pursue their target optimistically. I finished from the Obafemi Awolowo University and this is one thing I must commend students of the school for. As a Jambite, what you hear are stories of one Deji Akere that shattered school records, or one Hammed Shittu that effortlessly broke any record breakable. You even hear of stories of students that had graduated since the 1970s. These are stories that motivate you, not some tale by moonlight about a sadist lecturer denying you First class. This is another very vital feature of First Class students. They don’t believe cock and bull stories.

6, ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT: Academic environment also helps. In a school where you spend most of your time queuing for water or transport or forced to read with candle, chances of academic success are very low. This is why Nigerian students do well abroad where they have all the facilities and learning is conducive. This is also why schools like OAU,  UI and to some extent, Unilag, with strong students body that fight for students welfare like good transport system, power on campus, good water system etc, produce more First Class students. Same for  private schools, where there is little or no worry about welfare.

7,  COURSE OF STUDY: Course of study is another very important factor. It is better to choose a course you are interested in, not one you are forced to do. Some otherwise brilliant students don’t perform up to potential because they are not interested in what they are studying in the university.

8, THE EARLY YEARS ARE CRITICAL:  Some students get taken away by the euphoria of being a university student and spend their first year faffing around.  Still, in some schools, year 1 performance is not aggregated as part of the overall grade. For most students, after performing woefully in their first two years, they now grab straw to salvage the situation in the later years. Needless to say, it is most times a futile exercise. But there are cases of great come-backs. The best two students in my class during my undergraduate days were not among top 15 in class after our first semester year 1. They were not even in First Class then. But they came back to overtake all of us early flyers. Well, that means there is still hope if you didn’t do too well after your year 1. But after year 2, the bridge may have fallen.

9,  KNOW THYSELF: The problem with many student is they try to ‘copy-cat’. While it is good to learn from the method of another high performer, it is important to know how to adapt it. Some students don’t need to read for more than 3 hours a day before they pass, indeed do excellently well and top the class. Some must read for at least  7 hours a day. I know First Class students that watched football and participated actively in campus religious activities. Some even get involved in departmental politics. It is about knowing oneself. But for most First Class students I know, reading the notes while still hot, and not waiting till they accumulate, is a common denominator.

10,….AND KNOW THY TEACHER TOO: Knowing how to approach a question in an examination is an art itself. How do you organize your answers? It goes beyond just picking the answer script and writing down what you think is the answer. Know what the lecturer wants. Does he want ‘lengthy story’? Or he wants it ‘short and snappy’? You may have a clue into this through your seniors who had taken the course earlier.   First class students study not only the course, but the course-taker.

Ultimately, God is very important. The above are just helpful human factors.

ADVICE TO STUDENT: HOW TO OVERCOME SHYNESS IN PUBLIC SPEAKING

Please I need your help.

I’m in my first year in a federal university. I’m quite intelligent (so to say) but there’s something that’s always bothering me.

I’m a very shy person and it’s affecting my education. Anytime I want to speak in public, I find myself stammering even when I know what to say; I just can’t express myself as I should.

Is there anyway I can improve on that??

I really want to be confident, I want to be able to express myself very well. The English is not the problem ‘cus I’m developing it gradually.

Please is there suggestions? Anything I can do to improve?

Chuks

***

Dear Chuks

1, Read articles on gaining confidence. They abound on the internet. You could read one or two good books on it too. For me, the book How to Build Confidence (can’t remember the author ) was helpful for me. I also read CNN’s Larry King’s book, How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime. Another greay book. It contains valuable tips. I also read articles online. They were very helpful.

2, Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Anytime you know you have to talk in public, practice in the room. When in school, I practised my presentations in the room in advance. Now, there will be times when this will not be applicable, but where it is applicable, apply it.

3, Psyche. Have at the back of your mind that there were people worse than you. I was probably worse than you because I was raised in a local community and initially struggled to integrate, communication wise, with city folks when in school until I later realized that I was better in writing that most of them, even though they spoke better. That helped my psychology – if I could best them in writing, I should be able to get close to them in speaking too. Still on psychology, the day I read Larry’s book, where he mentioned that he also prepared and rehearsed before TV show, my confidence was boosted a great deal. If the best public speakers also prepare and rehearse, who am I.

4, Participate in social activities. This can’t be overemphasized. You wont improve if you don’t find the opportunity to get better, no matter what you know in theory. Find opportunity to use the tips you read.

5, Know your stuff. If you know your stuff, it helps in confidence building. If you wake me up and ask me to talk on issues I have passion for (e.g oil and gas, taxation, careers etc), I exude confidence better than topics I am not great at. Start by finding opportunity to talk on your comfort zone.

6, Dressing well also helps in confidence building. Reading wide and being versatile also help. If you are loaded and know more than most of the people you want to talk to, helps your confidence.

Although I am still only an average speaker – probably still below – but I know I have improved a lot in the last 10 years. My activities as a career advisor at JarusHub also meant I can’t shy away from talking to people. I got a lot of exposure in the last 5 years (through JarusHub) that meant I can’t shy away from public speaking again. I get a lot of invites from universities to associations to TV stations to come and talk on one topic or another, it came with my modest profile in the last 5 years. At that point, I had no option than to work on myself.

I still have a long way to go too, but the above was helpful.

Life as a Law Student: 7 Things You Really Have to Know

Whilst we have all heard a little about studying law at university, whether through family, friends or films, it is difficult to know what it really does involve – and there’s no shortage of stories out there, from the mostly accurate to the utterly fantastical. This article should debunk a few myths, confirm a few and make sure you know what you are signing up for when you fill in that application form! It also includes a little advice to help you settle into law student life that bit quicker. Law is a great subject to study at university but it does have its challenges: here’s what you can expect.

 

Much of law has been passed down- through centuries.

 

1. There is a lot of reading.

Just to get the scary one out of the way first, it is difficult to explain how much reading a law degree involves other than to say that there are a lot of law books! Law students get a reputation for clocking up the library hours because each week you need to learn what the law actually is and academics’ opinions of it from scratch, and neither of these will be particularly short. There is definitely an art to managing the reading lists and you will get all the advice you need from older students when you first arrive, but it does take a while to get used to the pace of learning.

That said, by the end of your first term you won’t believe how quickly you can pick up the key themes of an article or find the important passages from a case. Just be ready for the inevitable long nights when you need to stay up getting through an endless reading list. They do happen but they are (almost) only as common as you want them to be; you are never set more work than it is feasible to do if you manage your time well. Self-imposing a schedule for getting reading done, plus whatever other assignments you have been set, is a habit to get into very quickly.

 

2. There is no single ‘eureka!’ moment, but it does all come together eventually.

Certain areas of law, particularly contract and tort, deal with different types of human action but are so similar in places that they often ‘run out’ just as the other one starts. As you usually learn only a few topics at a time you may not understand one fully until you have covered the next one. It is absolutely normal to feel a little like you’re in the dark to begin with, although universities try to organise the courses so that the first year exams at least can stand on their own. Criminal law, for instance, makes a good first year subject because it is easy to get to grips with the ideas and it doesn’t overlap too much with any other area. It is just important to know that if you study Land law before Trusts/Equity, it is not a problem if you don’t fully understand what a trust is because that will come next.

 

3. There is a rat race, but you don’t need to join it (straight away).

The law students aren’t considered the quickest off the mark for getting involved in applications and internships early on in their degree, but it’s a close one! More and more law firms are offering placements and taster days during the first year of university so it is tempting to think that you need to get involved in deciding your career choice right from day one. If you are thinking about becoming a solicitor it is worth applying to these if you want to be ahead of the game, but the big one is the summer vacation schemes at the end of your penultimate year. If you are thinking about the Bar then the more mini-pupillages you have under your belt when you fill in your application form at the beginning of your final year the better, and some chambers will expect a certain number as a minimum. However, most of this kicks off at the beginning of second year so you do have time to settle into legal study before you need to think about applications.

Don’t forget that there are other options too — charity work, civil service, interning for a while until you decide on a career path (if you can afford it!) or further study are all worthwhile alternatives. It’s also worth thinking about going to a local or regional firm or chambers if that appeals to you, and for this you may have to send letters asking to go and shadow someone rather than applying to an organised scheme. All these alternatives are no less competitive but require you to look further afield than your Law Society e-mails, which may tend to focus on the big London (and increasingly international) opportunities. Your tutors, personal advisor, careers service or equivalent will give you plenty of advice about careers, and where to start looking for opportunities in a field you’re interested in. Make sure you think seriously about where you want to start off — it is easy to be swept along with the crowd!

It is also just a fact of life that the legal sector, like anywhere at the moment, is very competitive for finding a job. Keep on top of your work, get involved with extra-curriculars and apply to any placements or schemes which may interest you so that your CV looks as good as it possibly can when you get to more serious applications.

 

4. You need to sweat the small stuff.

The ‘sharp mind’ you need for university study comes in different varieties, and each degree demands a particular mix of certain skills. Law requires both absolute command of the details of legislation and cases, and a wider view of how different areas interlock and what they (aim to) achieve. This is shown most clearly in the two main types of examination question. Problem questions require you to apply the law to very specific (and sometimes outright preposterous) factual patterns and explain why in this specific set of circumstances a piece of legislation or principle of law would/could be applied in a certain way.

You need to know the legislation and the case law, because although you may be given a copy of the legislation it wastes time if you’re using it to do anything other than check minor points. Equally if you don’t know part of the case law in an area that can lose you marks or narrow down the number of questions you could potentially answer. Essay questions require you to make a broad point using specific examples, so you need to have a whole arsenal of examples to hand.

Basically, you need to remember a lot of things! And you need to be prepared to sit down and learn cases, and at the very least the structure and key clauses of the relevant legislation so that you can find it in the statute book during the exam. It is absolutely normal to have legislation and case summaries stuck up round your wall during exam season (rent agreements permitting!). But because all this knowledge also needs to be grounded in the wider picture for the purposes of essay questions this isn’t just an exercise in memorising names, which makes the process a lot easier.

An Oxford examiners’ report commented a few years ago (in light of students forgetting the names of key cases) that if you have done the work properly then remembering case names should be no more difficult than learning the names of breakfast cereals. I may not know hundreds of breakfast cereals, but it’s true that you learn a lot of small details without thinking about it.

 

5. Everyone is going to ask you for legal advice. And you won’t want to give it.

Somewhat ironically, the more law you know the less confident you become definitively stating what the legal position in a certain area is. You are, after all, focusing on the more controversial and uncertain areas of law so it is easy to forget that some are actually quite simple and clear-cut. There also comes a week where you learn about liability for giving advice and accepting responsibility for it being correct. It’s fairly well-accepted that casual remarks in social situations don’t come within this category but as soon as law students learn these cases they immediately stop wanting to give any form of legal advice!

All this of course assumes that you know the area of law your friends are asking about in practical detail in the first place, which usually isn’t the case because law degrees are more theoretical than practical. No matter how many times you try to explain this to your friends however, you will still be asked. It’s something you will find frustrating, but it won’t stop you from asking the medical students about your twinging knee so it’s just something to resign yourself to I’m afraid.

 

Law’s at the heart of modern society.

 

6. It can be absolutely fascinating — especially when you think it won’t be.

Perhaps the really big thing to know about an English law degree is that there are subjects which (i) you have to study (ii) you expect you won’t enjoy. This is an unfortunate side-effect of the fact that law degrees are at heart vocational and so you study certain areas which are crucial to the smooth functioning of society but aren’t considered too glamorous. It’s worth noting that some people do come to university with a professed love for commercial law and that’s great, but it does seem to be the norm to start university dead set on being a human rights barrister.

However, because you have to learn these topics in significant depth you do find yourself getting far more interested than you ever plan to. What can seem like a fairly technical subject such as land registration is actually vitally important to individual people when you think about it — many cases on the topic end up with someone being evicted from their family home, or allowed to stay despite the aspiring purchaser having no idea that they had a legal interest in the house as it was not entered in the register.

There is a frame of mind to adopt here, and it’s absolutely central to ensuring that you enjoy studying law. Find the interesting element of something which doesn’t originally appeal to you — there will always be one, often the ‘human interest’ or political angle. Make as much of it as is possible as interesting to you as is possible. And resign yourself to the fact that you’ll just have to learn the rest!

 

7. Being a law student is what you want it to be.

Perhaps I’m giving the impression that law students spend their whole lives in the library learning statutes back to front, and that when they do emerge it’s to go to networking events, apply to careers or to sit exams. This just isn’t true. As with any other subject, university is exactly what you make of it and that will invariably (and should!) involve meeting some of your best friends and many of your future colleagues, getting involved in as many societies as you can make time for and having the odd quiet night in. There is a core amount of work which has to be done, but as a humanities student you’re in the enviable position of being able to manage your own timetable to a certain extent.

Make the most of it! Specifically for law students, there are also plenty of extra-curricular activities which can be really rewarding for yourself and others. If you’d like to get involved in pro bono work then most law schools have a scheme running, really do make sure you try some mooting (mock appeal trial, where you pretend to be a barrister) because even though it’s quite scary it does wonders for your public speaking, and make the most of any opportunity to get the sort of legal experience you’re interested in during the holidays. There is no single ‘law degree experience’, much as there’s no single ‘university experience’; choose what you want to make your priorities over the three year period, as long as you always make time for your work.

 

Like any subject at university, studying law has its ups and downs. However, if you’re interested in the subject and able to motivate yourself to work sensible hours then there are definitely more positives and it is a fantastic subject to study for three (or four) years.