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Achieving Academic Excellence
A review on the pathway to succeeding academically
Date : 25/11/2016
Author Information
Uploaded by : Benjamin
Uploaded on : 25/11/2016
Subject : Career Development
ACHIEVING ACADEMIC
EXCELLENCE In our world today,
there has been conflicting opinions on what academic excellence really is. Is
it just achieving good grades or passing averagely and being able to defend it?
Some even say examination is not the best way of determining one s academic
ability or simply put, academic excellence. Now, what does academic excellence
mean? Academic excellence might not necessarily mean smartness
or being gifted, it means good focus and concentration on your work all the
time, that is, not procrastinating, putting effort in work to be done, and
asking questions in unsure areas of understanding, listening to teachers and
completing assignments and projects.Having best grades may
not necessarily characterize academic excellence but typically, you cannot
always go very wrong. It is the ability to achieve, perform and make effort in
one s academic activities. You are also confident in your abilities this is
exactly what is meant by academic excellence.Academic excellence is
usually the goal of the academia, which is the community of students and
scholars engaging in education and research. The term academia is spelt AKADEMIA in ancient Greece, which has
its etymology from the Athenian hero, Akademos.Africa happens to be
one of the first places for international study, for example in Egypt was where
Alexandria s library was situated. The library attracted readers and
intellectual from Europe, Asia and other continents across the world to study
various courses in philosophy, language and mathematics. However, other countries like China, Pakistan, India,
Islamic World and Western Europe were not left out in quest for knowledge and
they all gave rooms for intensive researches which built intellectual minds
towards academic excellence useful for the developments of mankind and
societies. Academic societies are also called learned societies which began as
groups of academics who worked together or presented their works to each other
in this we see that there is no monopoly of knowledge.In ancient times, ideas
and knowledge were shared among intellectuals who widen their horizons and make
vast individual knowledge about studies in other fields of study. It is of great importance to know that an
academic is a person who works as a teacher and researches at a university or
other higher education institution. Academic administrators such as presidents
or chancellors are not typically included in the use of the term academic
although many administrators hold advanced degrees and pursue scholarly
researches and writing while also tending to their administrative duties. Having gotten the definition of academic
excellence and terms used in the academia, it is of best use to see and know
how it can be achieved. The first point to note is what practical
values does school have? The answer is straight, it helps to acquire wisdom, the
Christian holy book states that wisdom is for protection ... Ecclesiastics
7:12, then it is of great interest to get protected because protection
is required to prolong one s life. Knowledge is power and it helps the achiever
to stand tall among equals and colleagues.Acquiring skills in
school can help solve personal problems instead of relying on others to bail
you out. School teaches one the value of having a strong work ethics which help
someone have a job and keep it. Furthermore, learning more about the world around you
makes you better equipped, this helps you to know who you are and what you
believe. Having these convictions will help you to be able to stand up for what
you know.Since everyone deserves
to be educated it will do one little good to dwell on the things you dislike
about school.Five steps to be
considered to achieving excellence1. Get motivatedOne
step to achieving excellence is to get motivated and that starts from
appreciating your teacher. A student in the United States said she liked her
Economics teacher the way he teaches and gesticulates in class, that made her
and other kids in class want to study Economics in the college. Note surely
that you have no reason to hate or have any form of bitterness towards a
teacher if you really deserve success in your academics2.
Get
organisedOrganisation
is a key word that makes your work easier to get done, having a good 24-hour
timetable could really help to plan your time properly. Most students that do
poorly in their courses lack organisation behaviour they do the right thing at
the wrong time and vice versa. Do not procrastinate get your homework done
before turning to any form of recreation like the television set or involving
in sports. School materials, textbooks and notes must be kept properly in right
places. When you have good organisation behaviour it saves stress of forgetting
things, running late and never seeming to have enough time for other priorities.3.
Get
good friendsThe
kinds of friends you keep really dictates your fate in achieving academic
excellence playful friends will never help you do well because you could
easily be distracted by pressures from your peers making you involve in less
productive things. Make friends with teachers and students that do well in class
those will push you towards achieving academic excellence.
4. Get good mentorsHaving
experienced people in your field of study as mentors will help have a two fold
benefit one, you ll get the needed assistance and two, you will learn to rely
on support when necessary, a process that will be of future benefits.5. Get good health habitsEating
balanced diet, sleeping well and exercise can help achieve academic excellence.
All these activities help the normal functioning of the brain neurons and
proper mental functions, just as it is established scientifically that
malnutrition, sleep deprivation and sedentary life styles have damaging effects
on areas of the brain that performs executive functions.In
conclusion, noting and observing all these points helps to raise your academic
standards and lead to excellence and it is of great importance to know that
your approaches towards your academics might necessarily be applicable in the
way you approach other spheres of you future life.
This resource was uploaded by: Benjamin