TITLE: CHARTING A PATH TO ACADEMICS EXCELLENCE AND CAREER SUCCESS Contents:

1. Beyond High School

2. Introduction to higher education and tertiary institutions in Nigeria

3. Schooling abroad as an alternative to Nigeria Education system

4. Higher institutions and respective courses offered

5. Career choices and their relevance to Nigeria labour market

6. Special waivers and general admission requirements

7. Admission selection process and procedures

8. Admission deferment , Internship, Industrial Training, Teaching Practice,

Housemanship, Chamber Attachment, etc

9. Different programmes run by tertiary institutions: Full-time, Part-time, DLI,

Weekend, Evening programmes, etc and professional bodies. 10. Conclusion, Questions and Answers, Closing remarks.

1. BEYOND SECONDARY SCHOOL

Introduction Concept of Career

Career talk of this nature is very complex and wide field with wide implications for the

students, teachers, parents and industry as well as the larger society. Career refers to

the major life domains which engage the individual in multiple roles, such as worker,

family member, community participant and leisure–time participant. Yet other scholars

see a career as the sequence of occupations, jobs and positions held during the course of

life. On the other hand, career education is the total effort by educational agencies and

communities in presenting organized career-oriented activities and experiences to all

persons from the nursery school through adulthood. The question now, is what the phases of the conceptual model of career are

The career education as a conceptual model comprised of four phases, thus; Career awareness - Elementary 1 though 4

Career exploration - Elementary 5 and 6

Career Orientation - Classes 1 through 3 (junior sec sch.)

Career preparation - Senior Secondary Classes & continuing advancement

education.

Annually, an average of 1.5 million students take the Unified Tertiary and Matriculation

Examination (UTME) for entrance into Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of

education but Universities only have the capacity to absorb less than 40 percent of these

test takers. The other 60 percent tend to go to their second and third choice categories

of institutions—polytechnics and colleges of education. Many Nigerian students also

apply to institutions abroad.

In 2015, over 600,000 of the students who sat for the UTME would not get admission as

explained by Jamb registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde. Tertiary institutions only have less than

800,000 slots as against over 1.4 million that sat for the exam in 2015.

Our tertiary institutions comprise about 104 Universities, 85 Colleges of education, 121

polytechnics & Monotechnics and 65 Innovative Enterprise Institutions and other Degree

Awarding Institutions.

It is also important for high school leavers to take note of the followings and be guided

by them beyond their secondary education.

I. Take time to think about what you like to do; dream and imagine ideal

careers. There are so many opportunities, so many different types of jobs and careers

in a wide variety of industries and there are also other career paths that are just

emerging. Even if you are fairly sure of a career choice, take the time in high school to

explore similar (or even vastly different) careers. Explore all your options. Examine your

likes and dislikes and take a few career-assessment tests. Answer the question, if you

could have any job right now, what would it be and why? Don't let any barriers hold you

back from finding the perfect career.

Example: Take the time for some career assessment and career exploration to expand

your vision of potential majors and career paths.

II. Challenge yourself in high school, but don't overwhelm yourself. Do get the

most out of high school as possible. When you can, take the tough and challenging

schedule of classes; you'll learn more and it will look good to the university admissions

staff. Obviously, you need to stay focused on getting good grades, but don't overload

your schedule or yourself, so that it makes you sick or burnt out. Be sure to include at

least one fun course in your schedule.

Example: If you have a passion for something, such as photography, find a way to

schedule a photography course along with your other tougher university-prep courses.

III. Work, volunteer, or otherwise gain some experience. As with your education,

the more you are exposed to, the more options will open to you as you search out

careers. There are even a growing number of internship opportunities for high-school

students. Seek work and volunteer experiences in and out of school. And from a practical

standpoint, work experience looks good on admission applications and on future job

applications and resumes. And one other benefit if you are working in a paid position:

spending money! Just remember that school and grades have to come first, so only work

if you can balance your schedule, manage your time.

Example: If you're interested in a career in journalism, start writing for your school

newspaper and look into a part-time job at a local newspaper or publishing company.

IV. Get as much education as you can. We are now a society in which many jobs and

careers require additional education or training beyond high school. Some careers even

require a graduate degree before you can work in the field. Take advantage of all

educational opportunities that come your way, such as summer educational

opportunities and educational trips abroad, If financially possible and there are many

ways to help make it so, attend university; university graduates make a much higher

salary, on average, than secondary school graduates.

Example: If you have a passion for science or math, instead of spending a summer

goofing around the community view centres, consider a summer math enrichment

program.

V. Talk with as many adults as possible about careers and universities. The best

way to find out about different careers is to ask people, family, neighbours, friends,

teachers, counsellors, to tell you about their career and university experiences. If you

have not already, begin to build a network of adults who know you and are willing to

assist you in your educational and career endeavours. And for careers that truly interest

you, consider asking each person if you can shadow him/her at work. You could also

consider conducting informational interviews at the same time as the shadowing, or as a

less intrusive method of learning more about jobs and careers.

Example: If you have a passion for economics and are considering a career as a

university economics lecturer, contact a closer university and ask one or more of the

economics professors if you can shadow them or conduct an informational interview.

VI. Remember that everyone must follow his or her own path in life. Don't spend

too much time worrying what other people in your secondary school are doing or letting

their opinions about your dreams and ambitions affect your decision. And don't worry if

you leave high school with no clear career path -- that's partly what college is all about,

discovering who you are and what you want to do in life. Everyone

develops/matures/grows at their own pace, so don't feel the need to rush to make a

decision now... but don't use the fact that you have plenty of time to make a decision as

an excuse not to at least start learning and researching potential career options.

Example: Many colleges & universities offer special "discovery" programs for entering

first-year students who have no real idea of majors and careers. These programs expose

you to a wide variety of classes, events, and speakers to help lead you onto a path of

career discovery.

VII. People change; don't feel locked into any university or career now. It's

great to have an ideal plan for your life, but remember that things happen, and your

plans may need to change, so keep an open mind and keep your options open. Some of

your friends or perhaps you, already know, or think you know, what you want to do in

life. If so, that's fantastic, but don't become so myopic that you lose sight of other

interesting opportunities. There are career paths that have not even started today that

may be big in five or more years.

Example: One of my undergraduate students, whose parents are both lawyers, is certain

his fate is to be a corporate lawyer, and his plans currently include law school after his

undergraduate education; however, he is also taking a full set of business courses, as

well as some interesting electives, in case "things change" by the time he graduates.

VIII. Don't let anyone control your dreams and ambitions. You will be horribly

miserable at best if you let a parent or other family member dictates your major or your

career. Students often feel pressure to follow in an adult family member's career path,

especially if s/he is footing the bill for university, but the worst thing you can do is

choose a career to please someone else.

Example: A former student of mine came from "a family of accountants," and everyone

was supposed to join the family audit firm. The problem, however, was that she had no

aptitude for figures and hated accounting yet could not summon the courage to tell her

parents. When she finally did confess her dislike, the world did not end, and her parents

actually encouraged her to follow her passion.

IX. It's never too early nor too late to get organized and begin making plans. No

matter where you are in high school, now is the time to plan the remainder of your high-

school years as well as your plans after high school. Research your options for after

graduation, technical schools; acquire a skill or learn a trade, etc. Start or continue your

preparation for the various standardized tests (such as the SAT and TOEFL, GCE/SSCE).

Start thinking about teachers who might be willing to write letters of recommendation for

you and approach them when the time is near. Finally, make plans to fill any gaps in

your plans such as striving for better grades, taking tougher courses, gaining

experience, or earning community-service hours.

Example: Many referees get swamped with last-minute requests for letters of

recommendation for jobs or admission, so the earlier you approach the person who can

write the best recommendations for you, the better off you'll be.

X. Never stop learning; read, grow, and expand your mind. Don't pass-up

opportunities to learn and experience new things. Many teachers offer or assign holiday

and supplemental reading lists, look at these as opportunities for growth rather than a

waste of your holiday period. The more you read, the more you'll know. It's a cliché, but

knowledge is power.

Example: One senior school student was sure he wanted to be a teacher, but the more

he reads about deficit budget in educational spending and the decline in the educational

values in many parts of the country, he decided he would be better off becoming a

political activist for educational reform than as a teacher and stuck in what he saw as a

decaying system.

Final Thoughts about High School

High school is a real transition time for teens, as you move into adulthood, the more

adult issues of work, careers, and university experience. It should be a time of growth as

well as a time of challenge. Have fun, but get the best education you can so that you are

positioned to take advantage of further educational opportunities and no matter where

you go after high school, never stop learning and growing.

Some other basic issues that affect career choice of post secondary education are also

listed below, it is better to understand this reality of life and be prepared for the

challenges ahead: Knowledge of the job

Self knowledge

Parental and peer group constraint Finance

Other challenges could be, O’level results, Jamb Cut-off mark, subjects’

combination, etc.

2. INTRODUCTION TO HIGHER EDUCATION AND TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

IN NIGERIA

Concept of Higher Education

The definition of higher education differs according to the context. Almost all

definitions agree that higher education refers to post-secondary education (or study

beyond the level of post secondary education) where a degree, diploma, or certificate

is awarded at the end of study. Higher education builds on the level of competence,

knowledge and skills normally acquired in secondary education. Post Secondary Institutions are:

Technical Schools

Pre- degree programmes

Pre- ND programmes

Polytechnic and Monotechnic

Colleges of Education

Universities

Other degree awarding institutions

Professional bodies

Students should also be aware that with their O’level they can start some

professional courses like;

Accounting Technician Scheme (ATS) by Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria

(ICAN)

Taxation Technician Scheme (TTS) by Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria

(CITN)

Professional programmes by Nigeria Institute of Management (Chartered) (NIM)

And several other professional bodies in Nigeria and abroad.

INSTITUTION TYPES & CREDENTIALS

Types of higher education institutions:

Federal University

State University

University of Technology

University of Agriculture

Polytechnic

College

School leaving and higher education credentials:

Senior School Certificate

West African GCE "O" Level

West African GCE "A" Level

National Diploma

Bachelor's Degree

Higher National Diploma

Bachelor Honours Degree

Doctor of Medicine

Postgraduate Diploma

Master's Degree

Master of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy

3. SCHOOLING ABROAD AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO NIGERIA EDUCATION

Because of challenges of gaining admission in Nigeria tertiary institutions, students

can further expand their academic search to other neighbouring countries in west

Africa, South Africa, Northeast Africa (Cairo), United States of America, Europe, etc.

Further information can be sought on this from most educational consultants that

provide similar services for better guidance. Please, kindly ensure you deal with the

genuine consultants. The essence of this information is just to expose you to

admission opportunities outside Nigeria and surprisingly, they could be more

affordable than most Private Universities in Nigeria, and some of their certificates

have global recognition.

4. HIGHER INSTITUTIONS RESPECTIVE COURSES AND STAGES OF STUDIES

It is worthy of note that there are some courses restricted only to University e.g.

Law, Medicine, Economics, Sociology, etc.

Some courses like Accountancy, Business Administration, Statistics, Banking and

Finance, some engineering courses are both offered in Polytechnic and Universities.

For Colleges of Education, Usually they offer educational courses like Education

Economics, Business Education, English Education, Guidance and Counselling, etc. Student can consults the Jamb brochure for more information on this.

Stages of studies

Non-university level post-secondary studies (technical/vocational type):

Non-university level:

Higher technical education is offered in technical colleges, polytechnics and colleges of

education. They offer two-stage National Diplomas and Higher National Diplomas of at

least two sessions each. The colleges also offer various Certificates in technology which

may be obtained after one, two or three years. Students are expected to have at least

one year industrial attachment after obtaining the National Diploma to proceed to the

Higher National Diploma course. The Colleges of Education in this sector train technical

teachers.

University level studies:

University level first stage: Bachelor's Degree;

First degree courses in Arts, Social Sciences and Pure Sciences are usually of four

years' duration (three years for students holding good GCE "A" levels), whilst

professional degrees tend to last for five years. Degree courses in Medicine and

Dentistry last for six years. The Bachelor's Degree may be awarded as an Honours

degree: students take either a single subject Honours degree course or combined

Honours e.g. B.Sc. Education Economics, etc

University level second stage: Master's Degree:

Master's Degree courses usually last for one year after the Bachelor's Degree but,

increasingly, where the qualification depends on research, it becomes a two-year

course.

University level third stage: Doctorate:

The Doctorate Degree is usually conferred two to three years after the Master's

Degree. Some first generation universities require students to complete a Master of

Philosophy degree before being admitted to the PhD programme.

Teacher education:

Training of pre-primary and primary/basic school teachers

Four years' post primary study at a grade 2 teacher training college leads to a Grade 2

Certificate/Higher Elementary Teacher's Certificate. Holders of the former Grade 3

Certificate may take an upgrading course to become grade 2 teachers. As from 1998,

the Nigerian Certificate in Education conferred by colleges of education is required for

teaching in primary schools.

Training of secondary school teachers

Holders of the Nigerian Certificate of Education may teach in junior secondary schools

and technical colleges. Senior secondary school teachers are trained at the

universities. They must hold the B.Ed or a Bachelor’s plus a Postgraduate Diploma in

Education. Most students study for three years at an advanced teachers' college for

the Nigerian Certificate of Education, which also gives access to university. As from

1998, no teacher with a qualification below this level will be able to teach in any

school.

Non-traditional studies:

Distance higher education

Distance education is offered in Open Studies Centres of certain universities e.g. NOUN

Lifelong higher education

Extension services are provided mainly in the area of Agriculture. In Education,

vacation courses have become a very popular path for teachers wishing to obtain a

Bachelor's or a Master's degree.

5. CAREER CHOICES AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO LABOUR MARKET

Relating school programmes to our needs

The question seeking answer to, what can be done to bridge the gap between a

graduate’s specialization at school with available jobs? To bridge the existing gaps

between graduates’ specialization at school with available jobs requires that

government as the proprietor of our public school system should see that

students are admitted into programmes related to our needs in society and

available jobs in the labour market.

Adequate and relevant career counselling should also be given to students to

enable them make responsible choices for their study programmes/specialization

in higher institutions. Students should be prepared to study what they are ready

to develop into employment and career for their future. This approach will help to

reduce unemployment and lead someday to a wipe out of this social malady

bringing an end to the accusing fingers, unemployment, blame, regret,

frustration, suffering and crimes that go with it.

Building good bridges between school and society

How the school system can help in solving the problem of unemployment in

Nigeria is what the second question is about. Teachers should focus students’

attention on the immediate and future application of the skills they learn at

school. This teaching approach should guide the students on how they can

develop their future careers through the subjects they are taught. Teachers

should be prepared to take students on field trips to different sites that are

relevant to their future career. Through field trips students get to see the real

operation sites that relate to classroom theory in application, and where jobs are

available to match with what they learn at school e.g. Nigerian Stock Exchange,

CBN, SMEDAN, National Assembly, Factory, Mechanic Village, etc.

6. SPECIAL WAIVERS AND ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

For candidates to be offered admission into 100 level of the chosen course in any

institution, he/she must obtain an acceptable level of performance at the UTME exams in

subjects RELEVANT to the proposed course/programme of study. The UTME courses

which are mandatory for the respective courses are set out in Jamb brochure. Please,

ensure you read before filling the jamb form.

All candidates are to note that “Use of English” is mandatory for all courses and has

therefore been excluded from the brochure table of courses combination to avoid

unnecessary repetition.

The proprietor of each school provides Jamb with the guidelines to be adopted in

selecting candidates for the respective institutions. For federal institutions, the federal

government stipulates that a percentage of the candidates should be selected on merit,

another percentage on catchment/locality which in most cases is the geographical or

socio cultural area contiguous to the institution. A proportion is reserved for the

candidates from educationally less developed states.

All candidates are strongly advised to study the section of the waivers before selecting

courses of choice.

General Entry Requirements

In addition to specific entry requirements into each institution, faculty or department as

explained above, the followings are general entry requirements approved for admission

into first degree courses for both UTME and Direct entry candidates.

a. Applicants must write the UTME and attain an acceptable standard in the use of

English (Compulsory) and three subjects relevant to the proposed course of study

as set out in relevant chapters of the brochure.

b. Candidates must in addition attain an acceptable standard in the UTME one of the

following qualifications:

1) NECO/WAEC/SSCE/GCE or equivalents with credit passes in five (5) subjects

relevant to the course and obtained at not more than two sittings; except where

otherwise specified.

2) Grade II Teachers Certificate (TC II) with credit or merit passes in five subjects.

Please note that TC II is not acceptable for some courses in the universities.

3) National Technical Education (NTC), National Business Certificate (NBC) with

credit passes in five subjects relevant to the course of study.

4) A credit pass in Mathematics required for all science based and social science

courses except where it is stated otherwise.

5) A credit pass in English Language is required for all courses except where it is

stated otherwise.

c. Also note that a matriculated student in any university is not eligible to sit for

UTME except those who are transferring from foreign universities.

Direct Entry:

Applicants with one of the following qualifications may be considered for direct

entry:-

1) A minimum of five (5) subjects passed at not more than two sittings with at least

two at the principal or advanced level of GCE/SSC, NTC/NBC. No subject shall be

counted at both Ordinary and advanced level.

2) Passes in two major subjects in the NCE with SSCE, NTC/NBC credits or

equivalent in THREE other subjects (mainly for education courses). Education

may be accepted for those taking courses in education.

7. ADMISSION SELECTION PROCESS

A candidate having satisfied the above requirements is also subjected to a selection

process by the institution of choice. The candidates are expected to write and pass

the post UTME or entrance exam or in addition to interview to be conducted by

respective faculty or department.

8. ADMISSION DEFERMENT, INTERNSHIP, INDUSTRIAL TRAINING (I.T),

TEACHING PRACTICE (TP), HOUSEMANSHIP, CHAMBERS ATTACHMENT,

ETC.

Student has the privileges to defer admission after he/she has been duly given

admission by the school senate. He/she must have satisfied all necessary

requirements expected of a bonafied student, and then he/she can now apply for

deferment for a very genuine reason, either for a semester or session(s) as the case

may be.

Internship and I.T are usually embarked on after a specified period of academic

pursuit for the students to have field or practical experience in their respective

courses.

Teaching practice are specifically for education students of NCE and Faculty of

education in the university while chamber attachment and law school are for law

students.

More discussion should be given on these.

9. DIFFERENT PROGRAMMES RUN BY HIGHER INSTITUTIONS

Full-time programme

Part-time programme

Distance Learning e.g DLI, NOUN

Evening programmes

Weekend programme

10. CONCLUSION, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

It is pertinent to point out that in rising to the responsibility of these challenges, it

becomes imperative to alloy forces with the Almighty God through prayers, fasting,

almsgiving and charitable work. Prayer is the master key.

If one can rise to the challenges facing the preparation of his/her career of aspiration,

the sky will be his/her starting point. The person will be prosperous.

Consequently, if one prepares well for his/her Career, he/she will be Viable and marketable Demonstrate expertise, confidence and professionalism

Enjoy gainful employment; have job satisfaction

Be happy and well adjusted

Enjoy rewarding experience

Prepare for adult life

Attain fulfilled adult life

Be financially stable and independent.

Students should be courageous, focused, prepared and guided to face the realities of life.

Excellence is a quality of being outstanding; it is not a trait, hence it cannot be

inherited. There is no one way of achieving excellence academically; it is how you apply

the principles governing it that determines the outcome. Excellence comes with a price,

only those who understand its worth can pay for it.

I will like to share with you some tips that can help you in your quest for success; they

are relative but I am sure you will find them interesting.

Put God first

God Himself is a God of excellence, no wonder he made all things perfect and endows

His servants with an excellent spirit. He Has given you all that it takes to succeed at

whatever you do, it is just for you to believe and tap into His abundant resources. Do not

allow your studies to compete with God’s time in your life because you need Him to

sustain and see you through. I understand the place of prayer in your academics but it is

not enough; remember that faith without work is dead, play your own part and do your

best; pray as if you will never read and read as if you will never pray.

Prioritize

Many people have problems of misplaced priorities because they find it very difficult to

order things according to their importance. You have to understand that your primary

reason for being in school is to study in order to come out with good grades that will give

you an edge in this highly competitive world; every other thing is secondary such as

clubs, associations, politics, sports, parties, etc. How you channel your resources and

apportion your time is a function of what your scale of preference is like. If your

academics is important to you, you will invest your time, money and energy; you will do

anything to get the right materials and textbooks to upgrade you and make you a better

student, but if you pay more attention to trivial things; you might soon be on your way

to failure.

Set a target

Don’t start your semester without having a sense of direction; if you do not set an

achievable target for yourself, you will discover very late that you are studying

aimlessly. Be ambitious and always aspire to be the best because you deserve it; don’t

settle for less, believe in yourself, set out plans and develop strategies to accomplish

them. Setting targets ignite your passion and that is the driving force that will propel

you towards excellence. For example, when I got into college, I was determined to

make a good grade; even when it seemed difficult, I kept assuring myself I could do it

and kept pressing on until I achieved it and today I am sharing my success story.

Be disciplined

Discipline is a very essential principle of excellence that is lacking in the lives of so many

youths hiding under the shadow of freedom to do anything. Self discipline is a conscious

control over your lifestyle and you need to nurture it because it is one of an achiever’s

greatest weapon. Some students have worn indolence as a robe, nonchalance as a

footwear and procrastination as a hat getting dressed to travel the road of shambles;

they look into the mirror of stupidity with so much satisfaction and bid their studies

goodbye.

They get to the end of the road only to see an ocean of failure; they skilfully dive into it

and continue to swim in confusion until they are being swept away by a tide of

destruction. You should be disciplined enough to have a study timetable that guides you

like a map in a journey; be punctual for all lectures and complete your assignments

without waiting for deadlines; be committed to your study time and you can be sure of

remarkable results.

Stay focused

I’m not talking about a gaze, I mean conditioning your mind to one important goal you

must achieve. Know what you want and go for it with all determination, enthusiasm and

optimism. Distraction can come in any form such as businesses, relationships, friends,

families and so on; note that not so many things can travel with you on the way to

success; a lot of unwanted baggage have to be dropped because they might slow you

down.

There are things that can wait because they will always be there; however if you cannot

make sacrifices for your academics, then don’t think about excellence. Excellence is not

plucked from a tree or picked on the road; it takes a lot of commitment and discipline to

achieve it. When your eyes are fixed on something, you can hardly miss any detail and

even when there are times when you are tempted to shift grounds, return as soon as

you acknowledge it because the farther you move away from your goals, the lesser the

chances of achieving them.

Manage your time

As endless as TIME is, you cannot hold onto it; as the clock ticks and seconds count,

you’re getting closer to your end no matter how old you live. Time management is the

act of controlling and organizing events as they are being influenced by time; this has

become a skill because many people are guilty of mismanagement. Even if 24 hours

were increased to 48 hours in a day, many will still complain it’s not enough.

There is time for everything; time to admitted and time to graduate, time to study and

time to write exams. Procrastination has eaten deep into the minds of some students

such that everything is always for a later date, they start their day without proper

planning on how to apportion their time and instead of controlling the events, they end

up being controlled by them, they slump into their beds at the end of each wasted day,

wake up the next day worthlessly and remain the same.

At the start of each semester, many busy about with frivolities and when exams draw

close; they start expecting miracles, rush and muddle up things, write exams ill-

prepared and expect fantastic results. Instead, make a deliberate effort to plan your

day, make a list of events and appointments and make sure you are disciplined enough

to meet up. Time is a free but non-renewable resource, so spend each moment wisely.

Keep the Right Company

You are who you move with, there are different kinds of companies you can keep in an

academic environment but the choice of those that can make or mar you is entirely

yours to make. Students form cliques for different reasons; to some, it gives them a

feeling of importance while for others; it’s a way of being a part of something.

For good companies, it has to do with mingling with people of similar interests and goals,

people of like minds, passion and vision who have excellence as their watch word, people

who believe in your dreams and are ready to push you through. It can be a study group

where you exchange ideas, learn and also impart others.

Although you must develop yourself independently, you cannot be an island because the

more you share your knowledge, the more you know; don’t be scared of making

mistakes, you stand to be corrected but remember that your clique can only help you

outside the examination hall, so maximize the moments you share with them. If you

ever develop any form of academic apathy, the best thing to do is to talk about it; let

people with positive thinking advise you and deliver you from misery.

For bad companies on the other hand, your circle of friends are like viruses that corrupt

your mind, becloud your thinking and cause you to lose yourself and your purpose for

living. They lure you into all forms of vices such as drugs, gambling, prostitution,

cultism, internet fraud / cyber crime, examination malpractices and so on. If they

determine the kind of life that you live, so mighty will be your fall and guess what - you

will be falling alone; some are in complete jeopardy and are looking for partners in

failure. Quickly identify bad friends and dissociate yourself before you become

entangled. Evil and Excellence both start with the letter ‘E’ but they are two separate

roads you cannot travel at the same time.

Don’t copy others

Carve out your own niche; know what you are capable of doing and the extent you can

go. Be yourself and never try to study like someone else; understand your pattern of

learning and develop your style of studying. Never compare yourself with anyone

because people apply principles of success differently; this is what I mean, for example,

students in the same class receiving the same lecture under the same condition cannot

assimilate at the same rate. Know your pace, never give up, try to catch up and you will

soon be up. Recognize your time of maximum assimilation, day or night and fix up your

study timetable; never follow friends to study when it is very inconvenient for you, you

might just be the greatest loser, so be wise.

Prepare adequately

Examination is a test designed to measure the academic aptitude of students to

ascertain their level of understanding of a particular subject. Knowing fully that you

have to pass it to be promoted to the next level, why won’t you give it your best shot.

Don’t start studying too close to exams, you will only be tasking your brain too hard,

denying yourself of enough rest and putting your entire body system in a state of

higgledy-piggledy (disorganised and messy).

Information is being stored over time and not spontaneously, no magic will magnetize

answers to your brain, so why don’t you make sacrifices, burn the mid night oil, go the

extra mile and do your best, stay healthy with a good diet and be punctual for all your

exams . You don’t have to cheat if you have played your role well because you will be

destroying your image and peradventure you get caught, the consequences are very

severe, so beware!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INDULGENCE.

WISHING YOU THE BEST OF LUCK!

KUYE Olusegun Ismail B.Sc. (Ife), AAT, OND, GMNIM Postgraduate Student University of Lagos.