From the moment I joined college until I graduated university, I always had a scholarship with me that I earned from the institutions. Throughout the years, I saved a total of RM35,000 from my education fees!
It's quite tough if you need to maintain a certain grade in order to keep your scholarship, meaning you may lose your scholarship if your average grade is below the minimum requirement. Here are some tips that helped me power my way through and keep up my grades ✨️
Plan your studies in advance
- Absolutely DO NOT wait until nearing the semester end to start studying.
- Cramping an entire semester's worth of material within a couple of days is often stressful, ineffective and strains your mental and physical health.
- Plan to start studying for finals at least 3 weeks before the semester ends, and write down the progress you plan to achieve each day.
- These goals are not set in stone - if you're unable to achieve your planned progress today, adjust your goals tomorrow to cover what you've missed today.
- That way, you'll know if you can complete studying on time, or if you require further help from friends and lecturers.
Study your graded assignments
- Just because you've finished the semester assignments, it doesn't mean that it's the end of that topic. Until you graduate, it can still come back to haunt you.
- Revisit your graded assignments to review your mistakes and take the time to learn how to answer those questions correctly.
- Understand where you went wrong and what would be the correct answer, and how you can get there.
- Beyond just knowing the final answer, truly understand the though process behind getting the right answer that you're able to apply it in different context of questions.
- Lecturers also tend to reuse assignment questions in final exams. If they do, you'll know how to answer them. (This is a life hack, but don't put all your eggs into one basket and rely solely on this!)
Get enough rest
- Do not force yourself to study when you are sleepy - you will not remember what you have learned and end up wasting your time.
- Take naps and reasonable breaks whenever you need to - set an alarm and be disciplined enough to wake up when it rings. Achieving great things requires discipline and sacrifices, which in this case is your sleep time.
- Try to get at least 8 hours (or more!) of sleep daily.
- When you feel refreshed, it's easier to study and absorb the material in front of you.
Cut down on coffee and caffeine
- Drinking too much caffeinated drinks will build our dependency on it to stay awake and alert, until one day we're unable to function without coffee. That's caffeine dependency.
- Train yourself to stay awake naturally without using any caffeine. Take a break, eat some snacks, do some exercise - anything that works for you except caffeine!
- Excessive caffeine is bad for your health and also makes your heart race, making you palpitate and unable to think clearly. It also messes up your diuretic system in the long run.
Find a like-minded group of friends
- Keep each other updated about assignments or tips your lecturer has given. Be kind, be selfless and you'll receive rewards in tenfold.
- Help each other on topics that you don't understand or questions you may have. Having more than one brain to share the load is definitely easier than only one head.
- Open a shared spreadsheet and complete sample questions - best way to know if you're on the same page as others, as well as any gaps that you may have missed out.
- Build a strong support system with one another that nourishes your mental and emotional health especially during finals season, you won't regret it.
As again, achieving great things require great discipline. All the best!
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