The aim of any student at tertiary
level is to graduate with a First Class honours. It comes in handy when
the admission you needed came and even to the course of your choice. Who wouldn’t
want to dream having a First Class honours; however, it becomes out of
reach to almost 90% of students that ever tried to reach it. The simple and
bitter truth is; First Class result is not for everyone. The most
important thing to have is a First Class mind. What is the essence of a First
Class result you can’t defend or the abundance of A you hardly grabbed the
basics. Since the current education in Nigeria has been riddled by more
cramming than understanding, coupled with the inability of teachers and
lecturers to communicate appropriately or actually bring tedious terms to the
level of students, a result can easily be questioned.
Despite the inadequacy of the Nigerian education system,
some students and graduates have been outstanding whether First Class Honors or
not. Sometimes, merely knowing the skill set of some students, or when they
speak, interact, suggest practicable solutions, you actually think they graduated
with First Class. Oh no, they didn’t, they only possess a First Class mind.
So in this article, the purpose
aside how to have a First Class honors, will also impart on how to have
a First Class in everything you do in life. So what does it take to have
a First Class?
See also:
#1 Have a First Class Mind
Whether academically or
professionally, the most important factor to succeeding is to have a First
Class mind. You start to ask, what is a First Class mind, what does
it entails, what does it do, how is it different from other minds. It is very simple;
a First Class mind is one that is success inclined. One that is anxious,
ravenous, ambitious and hungry for success. First Class minds always want to
learn everything and know everything. It is so tenacious and can do anything to
succeed. If a First Class mind promises itself to do anything at a particular
time, it must do it and it will do it. If that thing doesn’t happen or come to
pass, it would never stop trying or give up on it.
In my case in the university, I got
to my third year before I developed a First Class mind. One thing must
happen to a man to prepare him for circumstances. I wasn’t interested or
chasing a First Class at the start, and when I had my first drop at the
third year, that was the moment that changed everything about my life. I got
very angry at myself, I was seriously mad at the drop and just the hunger for
success affected every aspect of my life. Right from skills to instruments, to
reading, to hustling, to public speaking; a First Class mind had made me
find everything easy as long as my mind wants it. To make a First Class
in the university or headway in life or business, the First Class mind
is the most important.
#2 Believe in yourself
Another important factor in making a
First Class honors in life is to believe in you. Well, if you don’t believe in
yourself, who will believe in you. ‘Believe in yourself, but do not always
refuse to believe in others’
- Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis. It is very important you know and
believe you can actually achieve it. It might look beyond you, truly, First Class is not for everybody but
anybody who is determined and focused can make it as long as you are ready to
sacrifice and give it what it takes. You can be particularly stellar in that
business you have chosen; you can actually be a First Class that everyone envies but first, you have to believe in
yourself. You can always see yourself doing great things, breaking barriers,
conquering the market and here you are leading everyone. Always see yourself
having a First Class; ‘It is for humans and not invincible. If you
don’t imagine it, you can’t achieve it. Always know you can do it.’
#3 Be ambitious
‘The secret I learned
early on from my father was to run scared and never think I had made it’ - Thomas
Watson. One other thing about
having a First Class is being ambitious. I mean, you should be very
angry at yourself for not having it yet. Become so hungry for success that you don’t
see yourself not making a First Class in whatever you do. Wherever you
are, without arrogance and overbearing attitude, make yourself outstanding. Always
try to do better than others. Whether in group works, symposiums, assignments, studying,
always try to be ahead of everyone. If it were to be in business, observe the
market, study your competitors, try to identify the things they do better than
you. Fix up yourself, make corrections and see yourself outdo them.
Study those
ahead of you so you won’t make similar mistakes and thereby waste time. Never at
a point in your life should you think you have made it or you have arrived. You
must always try and strive to achieve more. A perfect result of 5.0 in a
semester shouldn’t make you relax or think you are there already; consolidating
on that success is the most important. Always want more in that regard just
like Oliver Twist and you are close to making a First Class Honors. ‘Children, you must remember something. A
man without ambition is dead…’ – Pearl Bailey
#4 Be teachable
‘Not art, not books, but life itself is the true basis of teaching and
education’ - Johann Heinrich
Pestalozzi. One thing in life to seeing your success to a First Class
level is your readiness to learn. Anybody is old enough to teach you. You can
learn anything from anybody, even those younger than you. Never feel ashamed to
learn new things, new methods, new skills, they are all for your own good. You can’t
be a First Class material when you see yourself as an island of
knowledge. Always reach out to people to know more and to learn more. So also,
always learn from experience, most especially others’ experience.
Check also:
‘It is
only a fool that waits to learn from his own experience when he could learn
from others’. You don’t have the whole time in the world to be making up for
your mistakes or doing it again. First Class materials hardly make
mistakes because they hardly forgive themselves for such, they rather strive to
be perfect and leave no stone unturned. So learn from others, and learn from
yourself. No moment should pass without you seeing something to hold on to.
‘Education is an admirable thing, but it
is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be
taught’ - Attributed to Oscar Wilde.
In the light of this, you have seen few things to do to
identify with a First Class
material, we hope you adhere to it and see it work perfectly for you. Please remember
to share the articles with your friends and family, on social media. You just don’t
know who needs such urgently to make a decision.
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2 Comments
First Class mind. The key to success. Weldone and well said Motivator. Also, we should receive the mind, believe and strongly declare it to ourselves every blessed day
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