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Achieving Academic Excellence

A review on the pathway to succeeding academically

Date : 25/11/2016

Author Information

Benjamin

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 excellence

1. Get motivated

One 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 academics

2. Get organised

Organisation 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 friends

The 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 mentors

Having 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 habits

Eating 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