NAIJA CGPA

Lately, I've been experiencing some kind of writer's block. I try to write but I am blank. The words aren't coming out. My interest in this blog has waned. However, this blog will continue. I know the block is temporary but I feel pained at the time it's taking me to get over this. I want to write but I struggle to string sentences together. I'll force it. I can't wait any longer. If you find the following article on reading disjointed, hold writer's block responsible and pardon me. Here we go... In your quest for academic excellence, never neglect a good reading habit. You can't escape reading if you aspire to be at the top or desirous of a good understanding of your course of study. At present, many great  ideas in our world are hidden in books. Not even this 21st century digital age has been able to effect a change. Hard copy books, unlike its digital counterpart, are a faithful companion to the average student. The student scours through ...

Lately, it's been pretty difficult updating this blog. I do sincerely apologise to my esteemed readers. Things will get normal in the coming days.

Ireti Akinsola, the Best Graduating Student of the 2015/2017 set at Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State, has spoken about how she achieved the feat. She also said the current national economic recession is an opportunity for the country to develop its other sectors. Ms. Akinsola, a Geology graduate with CGPA of 4.89, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos that the over-reliance on oil had greatly affected other sectors of the economy such as the solid minerals. “I think this recession should have taught us a big lesson not to put all our eggs in one basket. It is time for us to wake up to the challenge. “We need to develop other sectors that can equally earn us what we are deriving from oil if not more, especially our solid minerals. “Nigeria has abundant mineral resources that can earn us equivalent of what we are earning from oil if not more than that. “We are talking about diversification and it’s just mere mentioning, no real efforts geared toward...

If you are active on Facebook you might have come across Strive Masiyiwa's posts either through Facebook sponsored posts or shared by your friends who follow him. Wikipedia describes Strive Masiyiwa as a London based Zimbabwean businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is the founder and executive chairman of diversified international telecommunications group Econet Wireless. He recently shared details of his conversation with a student about combining business (entrepreneurship) with schooling. I consider it worth sharing. Here you have it: ”Johncross writes, Sir, I'm an eighteen year old 200 level engineering student from Nigeria, actually studying Industrial Production Engineering. I really have passion for entrepreneurship and already have some ideas. Doing business is kind of affecting my performance in school. I'm actually confused because I don't know if I should wait till I graduate before facing business or to just continue mixing business w...

In the pursuit of academic excellence, you need to realise that the calibre of friends you associate yourself with will determine to a large extent how far your goals of studentship will be achieved. Man is gregarious. He appreciates and revels his association with fellow humans. Friends are important; the good one will help propel you to your dreams. If you are a regular visitor to this blog, you should be familiar with its central themes: understanding the core concepts of your course of study and getting that eye-popping CGPA . This post, therefore, will revolve around those themes. Going forward, I'll be giving instances where friends will provide invaluable support. Motivation: in my previous post , I talked about the importance of motivation in schoolwork. Friends are one of the biggest motivators for success. Associating with the right friends has a dual impact; you motivate and in turn, get motivated. I had a smart and small circle of friends in my undergradu...

Motivation is key in all life's endeavours. The employee requires appropriate motivation in the workplace to function well. So also do students in institutions of learning require motivation to excel.  Motivation is a propeller of success. It gives the needed energy to attain a certain goal. In the quest for academic excellence and getting that eye-popping CGPA , you'll need a lot of it. Without motivation, your interest and focus drop. The academic environment gets frustrating and boring intermittently. The temptation to lower the bar will come. However, a well-motivated student forges ahead irrespective of those clogs. motivation could be intrinsic in which case it comes from within. Here, you develop an interest in a particular task, desire to get more knowledge and know the mechanism behind a certain process. Being rewarded in this instance is not a motivator. The benefits of intrinsic motivation are that it's long-lasting and self-sustaining. Intrinsic motivation...

Every student has his/her study preference. While some thrive well through personal study, others prefer group study. I wouldn't want to go into the pros and cons of both methods (will do that at a later time). If you find study groups attractive, read on as this article is for you. Study group functions when the right members make up the group. This is by far the most important point to note. Ideally, study groups are made up of students with sincere purpose, self-discipline and commitment. Anything short of this will run contrary to its purpose. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to forming a study group. However, the guidelines below are a common sight in articles on group study. They will help make your study, and study group effective. 1. Form your group. Like I stated earlier, the success or otherwise of your study group depends on the members that make up the group. Self-disciplined members are a beauty to behold in any group.  To form a study group, you ...

I've seen many reasons adduced by several individuals why grades do not matter or are less important in determining future successes. I do think the influence of grades has been understated. No doubt, grades can be a poor way to determine someone's success or better still, measure an individual's self-worth. Your success in life or otherwise may not be determined by how excellent your grades are. It probably isn't going to make you successful or unsuccessful. However, grades are an instant image of you at any point in time. Grades are the foremost tools schools use to measure it's students abilities. This means it will give a huge initial judgement about you, which transcends beyond the academic environment. If you think grades don't matter, ask that friend who missed that fully paid scholarship by graduating with a third class. Grades matter if you desire to get that competitive job where employers look at CGPA. As a fresh graduate, grades will matt...

If you've ever been within the Nigerian academic environment, it's common to hear the oversabi cliché and its other synonyms such as ITK and 'I too know' bandied around. Oversabi as they call it, isn't an English word. It derives its origin from the Nigerian pidgin, a severely distorted version of the English language.It has been taken to mean overdoing something- an assignment, a test, and activity, or anything in particular. Of particular importance is its use within the academic environment, where it is used most times in describing students who present unique coursework. In order not to suffer the infamy of being termed an oversabi, students now turn in bland and mediocre works. Ingenuity has been jettisoned for mediocrity! A lectures gives a task to a group of students, they head over to google, do a few cut and paste, and immediately, assignments are ready for submission. Not content with that, those who dared to stand out with well researche...

Many students love quick fixes. This topic is an abridged version of the one I wrote earlier. So if you fall into the group I mentioned above, read on. To improve you CGPA and write that eye-popping CGPA, follow the steps as itemized below. Don't miss classes/lectures. Copy notes but listen more during lecture sessions. Read you notes promptly (don't pile it up).  Seek other relevant course materials and use them (the internet and the library are good sources). Get you own personal academic materials/equipment (calculator, drawing board, pen, mathematical set, meter rule, stencils and the likes depending on your course of study) and carry it about. Choose a suitable study plan and time. Get past question papers and review them. Know your lecturers, their demands and styles. Choose your electives wisely. Make use of reading strategies such as SQ3R. Roll with the good guys (make friends with those well behaved and intelligent coursemates). Be determined and op...