The success of any endeavor is highly dependent on planning and preparations, and whether we choose to realize it or not, we are planning and preparing ourselves for failure or success through our daily decisions and actions, consciously or unconsciously.
Many of us have so much potential that we fail to maximize it in order to produce outstanding results because we frequently lack the willpower to make decisions, plan, and take actions that will lead to the success we seek. If you want to have a successful semester in any academic session, you must plan and prepare for the type of success you want to achieve by making some decisions and taking some actions. Here are eight strategies for planning and preparing for a successful semester:
Be familiar with the semester courses before lectures begin
Gaining some basic knowledge about the semester courses before lectures begin helps to prepare your mind for the semester in such a way that when lectures begin, many of the things mentioned by the lecturers will not be completely foreign, making learning and understanding much easier and faster. You can learn about the courses by researching them on the Internet or by purchasing or borrowing textbooks and course materials from senior colleagues. In the same vein, you should be familiar with the courses you’ll be taking and possibly their outlines.
Write down anticipated grades where you’ll see them regularly
Before the semester begins, you should decide what kind of grades you want and write them down somewhere you’ll see them all the time. This will serve as a daily reminder of your goals and targets, motivating you to make the necessary efforts to achieve them. At the start of each semester, I boldly write this on the first page of my lecture notes. You can also write them on a piece of paper or cardboard and stick it on your room door, wall, locker, or anywhere else you know you’ll see it frequently.
Develop interest in the courses
Nobody has a bad memory or a brain that is incapable of comprehending and absorbing important information. A lack of ‘interest’ in the subject is usually what causes a lack of retention by our memory of what we’ve studied. For example, football fans appear to know every detail about their ‘interesting’ football club. Why is this the case? It’s the aforementioned ‘interest’ factor. You’ll need to develop interest in the courses ahead of time for easier retention and understanding. One way to do this is to research interesting practical and real-life applications of what you intend to learn.
Read primarily for the purpose of learning and acquiring knowledge
Reading solely to pass exams, get good grades, and graduate from school with a good certificate is one of the most dangerous traps for students because it limits our potential. Passing exams and getting good grades are great goals as long as they do not take precedence over what should be the primary goal, which is learning and knowledge acquisition. These objectives can serve as motivation to learn and should be treated as byproducts of learning.
Inquire about the course lecturers and examiners’ nature
Aside from becoming acquainted with the course, you should also become acquainted with the course lecturers, coordinators, and examiners, as applicable. Inquire about your predecessors’ experiences with the lecturers when they took those courses. This has aided me numerous times in school because by asking questions, I learn which courses I should pay closer attention to and not take for granted. It will also teach you how to prepare for the courses ahead of time. For example, you’ll discover that some lecturers are meticulous in their approach to the course and, as a result, expect their students to be as well.
Learn to go back to prerequisite courses
Courses are typically assigned to semesters in an organized and formatted manner, with the fundamentals and basics addressed at the lower levels to provide a solid foundation upon which other lecturers at higher levels can build. In other words, lower level courses are frequently required for higher level courses. Of course, if you’ve already spent more than a year at university, you understand what I’m saying. You may need to go back and revise what you learned in previous semesters or levels as it relates to the courses you’ll be taking in the coming semester.
Plan your study and stick to them
As I previously stated, many of us would be much more successful in our academic endeavors if we could sit down, plan, and act on our plans. The harsh reality! How we cripple and suppress our potential by lacking the self-discipline required to do what we should do. You must be extremely disciplined if you are to maximize the tremendous potential God has given you. Plan adequate time for private study, at least three hours per day – possibly more depending on your schedule for other activities – create a feasible timetable, and be disciplined enough to sit down and read.
Don’t forget to include God in your plans.
I’m including this one because of my Christian faith and don‘t want to offend anyone, but it’s one of the keys to true success because the manufacturer of a product knows its capabilities and is the best person to tell you how to make the best and most of it.
Trusting God to give you the strength and wisdom to apply His time-tested principles for true and lasting success will undoubtedly assist you in realizing your full potential.