Top habits of top students
The toppers in any school or class are popularly considered as nerds or geeks, those who don’t get noticed until there is a test or it is exam time. Then everyone envies their flair in acing the papers and getting all the awards.
Despite trying to be as discreet as possible in our admiration, we do get impressed by how they make it seem so easy to get top grades while most of us struggle for B and C grades. We all wish to score like them, but feel it’s their higher IQ or special genes that give the super tests-acing powers to them.
Well, that’s right, their grey cells probably have a turbo mechanism but more than that, it is their positive mindset and habits that help them achieve academic success.
They are in the habit of doing all the right things at the right time and avoiding anything that can shift their focus from their goals. They take a lot of small positive steps, all the time, and they steadily move towards their destination. They are like seasoned marathon runners, the ultra-marathoners, who set a steady pace from the start and even after hours on the track, they keep going steady until the finishing line.
The rest of the ordinary denizens of the class too can do well and excel if they just pay attention to the productive habits of top graders. Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for success, it is within everyone’s reach, provided they are ready to go the extra mile, or rather, run a marathon.
finishing line. The rest of the ordinary denizens of the class too can do well and excel if they just pay attention to the productive habits of top graders. Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for success, it is within everyone’s reach, provided they are ready to go the extra mile, or rather, run a marathon.
So here we will discuss some habits of high achievers that can make everyone do well in studies, and, in the process, learn a few things that we can avoid if we want to do better than before.
Don’t wait for motivation
Motivation is not going to come to you until you make the effort to get it. You need to find reasons to become motivated to study well and get better grades than before. And a good way to motivate yourself is to visualise success.
Use your power of daydreaming to see yourself as a top grader in your school, getting into the best college and university, and becoming a successful professional. You are bound to feel good. Use this adrenaline-boost to motivate yourself to work harder, study intensely and be the best you can be.
You can’t wait for motivation to strike. Successful people take hold of their present to march towards their goals, because they know that the perfect moment is now — or never. If you keep waiting for the next test, the next exam or the next class to take positive actions and work harder, you will always have an excuse about why you can’t start today and you will never start. Just do it!
Don’t resist change
You need to be ready to change if you want your results to change. Don’t fear change, because change is the only constant. Nothing remains the same, and to evolve, especially into a better person and better student, you must be willing to change your study habits. Change is required for self-improvement in all spheres of life.
Move out of your comfort zone, take on new challenges and don’t be afraid to fail. These are what you need to be proactive and productive. Get rid of your ego or any fear that is stopping you from changing your fruitless habits for some fruitful ones. Don’t be afraid to be called a geek or a bookworm — a high-achieving geek is better than a failure with a lot of swag.
Take personal responsibility for studying
Every student is responsible for their own studies and education. It is not the responsibility of your teachers or your school, their responsibility is to teach you, yours is to learn. It is not your parents’ responsibility to make you study because only you can make yourself study.
You will only be successful if you want to be so. So become responsible for your grades as the marks you get are yours and yours alone, so the task of studying is yours alone too.
Lectures are your lifelines
While weak or mediocre students focus on the boring aspects of a lecture, the top ones are like detectives, keeping their attention focused to look out for clues to get to the wealth of knowledge hidden in each lesson.
They don’t let themselves get distracted by gossips, giggles or glances. This is why all toppers know what the teacher said and did in each class while the rest of the class knows what they said and did in a class. So do you want to stay updated on class gossip or class topics?
Anything discussed during a class is important, and topics and problems discussed in detail are very, very important. Teachers also drop hints about topics and sections they will be testing students on and such hints before an upcoming exam are not to be missed.
Therefore, in the class, always bring your related textbooks and notebooks, note important points and examples, underline important terms and sections in the textbook. All these are productive ways of attending a lecture. And do try to sit in the front rows so as not to get distracted by others, and to hear the teacher and see the board clearly.