The list below summarises the essential skills required to be an effective student. You can learn to be an effective and successful students following the list, but whether you will become one eventually will depend on whether you are prepared to make a sustained effort to do so.
1) Take responsibility. No ones owes you a living. Neither do you owe others. Losers make excuses for themselves; winners make their own successes. Don't blame others for your own mistakes.
2) Be organised. Plan and prioritise your time well. Work with weekly timetables and daily To-Do lists with a filofax. God is fair; everyone only has 24 hours a day, nothing more.
3) Be independent. Think and do things by yourself instead of asking others to do it for you.
4) Become an efficient learner. Effective study skills are important for life-long learning. Examples include mind-mapping, speed reading, etc.
5) Be proactive. Success is more likely to look for those who take the initiative to go and get it.
6) Be disciplined. It is very easy to lapse into compromises and postponed schedules. But remember, tomorrow never comes. Remind yourself constantly that you are committed to certain goals and will attain them, whatever effort it takes you. Focus!
7) Start well. Pitch in immediately. The first few weeks are critical. Having a good start will give you the momentum to carry you further.
8) Concentrate. Don't waste time on unfocussed efforts. You won't go anywhere far without concentrating; you will just fall off.
9) Stay healthy. Don't neglect recreation, family and friends. Plan for your social life so that they aren't disruptive to your studies.
How to be an effective student
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