To
have successfully secured admission into this great citadel of learning alone
is a proof that we are academically endowed. Most of us here were among the
best set of students in the respective secondary schools we came from. Because
of the insignificant workload there, it is a common practice for brilliant
secondary school students to suspend reading until it is a few weeks to the
commencement of their examinations without any worries or fear of failing.
Also, in the 100 level or perhaps, some other departments, a direct replication
of that method could still yield the students’ desired results. However, the
overwhelming nature of the workload in vet school makes this study method
inappropriate and somewhat dangerous. Sadly enough, most students do not
realize this until they become a victim.
The
‘ego factor’, most times exploit our inability to discern the fact that we are
in an entirely different academic environment. It often whispers to us not to
worry, and we tend to give in to the temptation mostly because of the
incredible academic prowess we’ve got. We most times fail to realize that this
is the kind of institution where the best minds in the nation converge. And as
a result of this, academic brilliance is not restricted only to the lucky few.
Having
personally interacted with a considerable number of students who are notorious
for leaving work to accumulate before they begin to actively involve themselves
in studying, I have come to realize that they always face the same set of
problems. They cope well with tests but perform very badly during examinations.
They were able to perform well in tests because the questions were usually
restricted to a sizeable topic which they can comprehend within hours or a few
days, depending on the volume.
The
reverse is the case during an examination. The first shock might come when they
begin to realize the ample number of lecture notes that have been released to
the class without their awareness. Then the Newton’s third law of motion comes
to play. For every action, there is equal but opposite reaction. These set of
students now condition themselves to study under very harsh and stressful
conditions. They may reduce their sleep time to as little as one or two hours a
day. Their immune system becomes considerably weakened, predisposing them to a variety
of opportunistic diseases.
To
rub salt into their wound, some lecturers may then start to release new
materials about a week before the examinations begin probably because they do
not have enough time to finish them during the normal classes. The fear of
failure—a feeling these set of brilliant students never had before—begins to
play. They further task their brain and hardly have enough time to eat or rest
well. It is when they are trapped in this terrible situation that they begin to
realize that no matter how brilliant someone might be, there is always a limit
to which the brain can assimilate. Before long, headache begins to manifest.
They feel groggy and emanate lack of concentration because of the sleep hours
they have deprived themselves of. Rate of assimilation becomes grossly reduced
and eventually comes to a halt.
The
most unfortunate part of this is that some of these students succumb to
sickness when the examinations are ongoing. The rest may fall sick just after
the examination or may be lucky enough to scale through. Even then, they still
perform poorly as things become cumbersome when study is done in haste. As a
result of this, they are prone to making various mistakes while answering their
examination questions, or may as well forget what the answer is even though
they have read it.
The
earlier we take cognizance of this ‘ego factor’ and bury our pride, the better
and less stressful learning becomes. Let us start making our hay now. It is
still sunshine!
Written by Martial
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