Table of Contents
- #1 Stop comparing your grades with others.
- #2 Accept your failure and grow.
- #3 Don’t be scared to ask questions.
- #4 Pay attention to people smarter than you.
- #5 Stop hanging around people who drag you down.
- #6 You will never be number 1.
Just to be clear.. I am NOT the top in my class. In fact, I have never gotten an honors award before. There are much smarter and more hard working people than me, but after being with those people for over 5 years, I noticed things that they have in common, and I can say for sure that I am making my way up when it comes to grades in each of my classes.
While they are also important, I will not be talking about generic stuff like study harder. Another thing, if you think you’re already the smartest person in your class, do not read this blog since you will be wasting 10 minutes of your life. If you are reading this blog, you’re probably not the top student but want to be for your own reasons, whether it’s to brag, get a scholarship, or prove something to someone.
Lastly, reading all of this is useless if you’re not going to apply it. So I hope by the end of this blog, you will not only learn something, but apply what you’ve learnt to your daily life. Without further ado, let’s see how you can be top of the class.
#1 Stop comparing your grades with others.
It’s no surprise that when you are in middle school or high school, you tend to ask your classmates about their scores in tests. Then you either get happy that you got a higher score than them or disappointed because you got lower. Don’t worry, I’ve done the same thing many times before. But then I realized, why do other people’s scores matter to me? I can’t do anything to change their scores, what’s done is done and we have to accept that. Asking others who might have gotten lower than you might also hurt their feelings resulting in a usually awkward interaction.
It might be better to compare your own grades with past exams instead of worrying about others. “How can I improve and do better on exams? How can I maximize the amount of time I am given? What questions did I get wrong?” Might be some of the questions you want to ask yourself. Then if you actually do well, people will come to you and ask how you got such a good score. You might get a little curious after a test, but before you ask your friend, remember that the only score that should matter is your’s.
#2 Accept your failure and grow.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work,” Thomas A. Edison. This has something to do with your mindset. How many times can you fail before giving up and how many times are you willing to get back up after failing. There are those who fail and never get back up. I’ve seen many students who failed and decided that they are just going to have a moderate paying job in the future and survive with the bare minimum. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but as a person reading this, is that why you aim to be top of the class?
As a personal experience, I have failed multiple times before, whether it’s IGCSE or IB. The difference is that I stayed persistent in asking why I got such a bad score. I kept asking the teacher to give me better examples, important tips, mark schemes, and tricks. Maybe to the point that the teacher got annoyed at me.
But it’s because of that persistence that I was able to go from a F to an A in just 2 months in two of my worst subjects. I accepted the fact that I failed and I wanted to improve because I have big dreams, and those dreams require that I become one of the top students in my classes. So always remember that as long as you stay persistent, failing is just the next step to becoming the best in your class .
#3 Don’t be scared to ask questions.
In class, sometimes, someway, somehow, the quiet kid is the smartest person who gets the best grades. Perhaps this is true for your class. Perhaps there truly is a genius in your class who can get those good grades without needing to do what I’ve said so far, but if you are a normal guy like me who wants to climb to the top, asking questions is something you need. Not only does it tell your teacher that you are listening in class, but it can also boost your understanding of a certain topic.
When you ask a question, you tend to remember it more than when your teacher asks you a question. The next time you see a question similar to the one you asked, you will reflect back on the time you asked that question and consequently, you will find your answer.
It might be embarrassing to not understand something, maybe you’re just shy to talk in class, or maybe you have a strict teacher who hates you and you’re scared you’ll get scolded, but at the end of the day, you are doing this for yourself. Asking if you do not understand something will be crucial to your journey to the top.
#4 Pay attention to people smarter than you.
This is especially important for all you lazy people reading this blog. You’re probably not a prodigy or genius so how will you learn if you’re not going to listen in class. Maybe you have external lessons, but what if you easily get distracted by all your friends? Listening to your teachers or friends who are smarter than you can change your results by a great amount.
This relates to the previous point about asking questions. In order to ask valuable questions, you have to first listen closely to what your teacher is saying. DO NOT try to be the smartass in your class that asks random questions to teachers thinking that it will prove that you are paying attention. Sure your teacher might answer it politely and think that you are listening, but what value does that add for yourself? You are simply wasting your breath doing something that brings no value to you. Always remember to listen THEN find questions that you will benefit from.
#5 Stop hanging around people who drag you down.
What I mean by bad people are not people that get bad scores or are not as smart as you. What I mean is, do not be around people who are willing to take you down with them. Sometimes people get the misconception that the smartest people are introverts and lonely, but that’s not true. It’s just that they are part of a small group of friends who choose to not be very extroverted. However, I’m not saying that you have to seclude yourself to be at the top, in fact it’s the opposite.
Surround yourself with people who are willing to learn with you and take you to greater heights by researching, practicing, never giving up, instead of the people who ask you to cheat with them. If you believe that cheating is bad but hang out with people who think that cheating is good, then you will eventually believe that cheating is good. If your friends constantly demotivate you, let those people be your classmates instead of your close friends. In summary, find people who will look at you as an equal and look at those people as your equal or better.
#6 You will never be number 1.
This may sound a bit counterintuitive to the point of this entire blog but it’s true. Someday, you will realize that there will be someone smarter, more hardworking, more ambitious than you are. Let that be your fuel to keep getting better. When you aim for the top, you have to first climb the mountain. If you start at the top, then what’s the point of getting better. Having the mindset of not being first place will allow you to keep finding better ways to do your exams, more efficient methods to study, and so much more.
At the end of the day, being at the top should NOT be a lonely experience. Before you keep going, remember WHY you want to be at the top of your class. If your goal is to get into a top university, then remember that your social life is still important, so do not abandon your good friends for study time. If your goal is to win a bet, remember that you should not sacrifice your physical health by not exercising or eating less. Being at the top means more than your grades, but this blog mainly focuses on the grade aspect of being at the top.
Congrats on having read this far into the blog. Before you click off, remember to try everything mentioned here for 3-4 months and see if there are any improvements. If you want to know more about this blog or have any questions, go to our Instagram @project_prodat and send a direct message! I’ll try my best to answer as soon as possible. 😁
P.S If you have trouble in IGCSE Accounting, go check out this link.
English