Five Tips for Academic Success
The UD team thought it would be awesome to help you start the school year on the right foot. Here are our 5 tips for academic success.
The UD team thought it would be awesome to help you start the school year on the right foot. Here are our 5 tips for academic success.
Community
During the school year, things can get so busy that we forget that people matter just as much, especially for a believer! Hebrews 10:24-25 says “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” While school is important, pursuing the right community is equal if not more! Find people that will encourage you, lift you up, and keep you focused this year!
- Deb, American Studies & Education Major
Plan
There are so many things that constantly need to get done once the semester starts, and waiting until the last minute can lead to a disaster. One way to stay organized with all your tasks is to plan ahead for them! God advises us to be prepared and intentional in all our ways. The bible says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only into poverty” (Proverbs 21:5). Keep a planner and give yourself small deadlines of how you will complete your tasks before they are due. This can help remove any unnecessary amount of stress school can give you. Don’t put it off until tomorrow!
-Toyin, Journalism & English Major
Study
No need to say much. You are in college pursuing a degree, not a significant other. Studying is the major key to succeeding in college. Everyone has a different style of studying. Some study with a partner or group, others in silence or some study at night. Figure out yours set aside scheduled time and be diligent with it. As you study, make sure you study in time blocks and take frequent mental breaks. Your brain needs rest.
-Olamide, Health Education Major
Health
During the semester, you’re usually so engulfed in getting assignments in, checking the syllabus, finding the PDF version of a book and keeping your sanity that you forget to really take care of yourself. No not treating yourself, but taking care of your physical body, your health. In many regards, the bible tells us that our bodies are a temple and temples need maintenance. So as a student, make sure you are getting at least 7 hours of sleep and eating at least 3 times a day. It may be hard but it is not impossible and it is worth it. It translates well as far as your focus and helps to prevent you from HAVING to use things like coffee etc. Time management will help you a lot in this endeavor, Kudos!
-Gabe, Graphic Communication Major
Personal Devotion/Quiet Time
While the majority of your time is being consumed by projects, labs, studying, internships, organization duties, work, and other student-life strains,the one thing that may require the least amount of “concentrated” time, yet yields the greatest benefit, is often neglected; quiet time, fellowship with the Lord, or whatever it is you call it, absolutely cannot take a backseat in this season of school for you. It’s literally the only fraction of your life that’ll hold you and everything else together. You can excel in all facets of this semester, year, and your life by keeping God first. This might not even require you to spend 30 to an hour in your bible or in prayer, but simply acknowledging Him through every phase of your day—before and during classes, study sessions, tests, working, etc—and making sure to utilize those five to ten minutes before your next class to see and hear what He’s saying can take you a long way. “One day in Your presence is like a thousand mold into one.” (Psalm 84:10 TJV)
-Jummy, Journalism & English Major
New Levels, New Glory
“Angela,
Fun, delightful, unique. God’s breaking you out of comfort. You’ll begin to do things delightful and tasteful to the LORD. I see you as a warrior with a sword. FIGHTER. You’ll be faced with many challenges. but God has given you the necessary tools you’ll need to OVERCOME. New Levels, New Glory. Begin to operate in His will and who He’s called you to be.
Love you, Grace U.”
This is a message from over a year ago given to me by one of my teammates at Bethel Campus Fellowship (BCF) Pulse Conference 2014. As I look at it now, I can see how God allowed what Grace said to come to pass in my life.
My name is Ebun Falade and I am an upcoming freshman at Cornell University. Even today, a few days from moving in, I am in awe that God has blessed me with acceptance. Senior year was one full of insane ambition, followed by insane faith. I chased after God like never before and sought for His guidance every step of the way because I knew that missing His instruction could allow me to spend the next four years of my life in the wrong direction. So when I shot for Cornell, and I shot for becoming a Pediatric Surgeon, I trusted that if it was His will, He will make a way for me.
During the application process, many supported me, while others discouraged me. Some told me I was being risky by not applying to more in state/safe schools and that I should stay in Maryland and save money that’s going to be useful for medical school. All good reasons, I refused to accept simply because God taught me not to settle and to expect more from Him. So I applied without hesitation: I got confirmation from God about my essay topic. I prayed, I fasted, I fellowshipped, but, most importantly, I believed. And on March 13th, I got my acceptance letter into Cornell University.
After acceptance I was still faced with the challenge of figuring out how my tuition was going to be paid. FAFSA is known to be not so generous, and submitting my financial information applications late made me even more concerned, but nevertheless God made a way for me. Just a few days prior to May 1st, I received my financial aid package from Cornell with basically my whole tuition covered with grants and scholarships. It doesn’t end there though; along with my acceptance I was enrolled in a summer program at the school, completely paid for. In this pre-freshman program, I took classes for six weeks and got familiar with campus in order to improve my transition to the school come fall semester. Knowing that Cornell had prestigious academics, I was ready and excited to take on the challenge, or at least I thought I was.
This summer was actually one of the least favorite summers of my life. Yeah I said it. And this was not totally because I couldn’t spend my final summer before college having fun with my friends and family, (I had already come into terms with that when found out about the program in March) it was because my academic performance was severely poor up until the final days of the program. I started off poorly, just as everyone else and for the same exact reason; we’re all straight out of high school. We did not know how to study, work, or manage our time like a college student. However overtime we were expected to gain better study habits, learn exactly how we learn, and efficiently maximize the little time on our hands. All these things I failed to do week after week.
This summer I took Chemistry and Calculus, which were both very difficult courses, and juggling the workload became a major challenge for me. Chemistry usually consumed majority of my day leaving me with little time for calculus. And even when I thought I found some type of a balance my grades reminded me that whatever I was doing was not working. I stayed in the D and E range of my class on the chemistry exams for about four weeks, and I had the lowest and second to lowest scores of my calculus class. These courses were pass/fail, which meant that I needed above a 60 to be considered a pass, and I was not even sure I could obtain that. I was scared that my acceptance could possibly get revoked because of my poor performance, so that anxiety lingered in my mind as I continued throughout the summer. On top of that, I found out my dad was in and out of the hospital back home, and not being able to be there for him for the first time took a great toll of me.
Though I spent the six weeks with about 200 other students, I often felt as though I had no one. My friendships merely touched the surface, and the only people I could really express my frustration to were my friends and family back home. “It’s okay Angela, keeping pushing, God’s is going to work everything out, it’s going to get better” was basically what I was told through every facetime call and text message. But it’s hard hearing that and praying and working harder just to see the same results. It was not getting better. I felt defeated, and for the first time I started questioning if I was even going to be able to handle the rigor of Cornell. But then I texted Olamide, the awesome creator of this blog, and she gave me two pieces of scriptures that I stood on for the rest of my summer journey.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:7-9 NIV
“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
James 1:4-6 NIV
One of the beautiful things about following Christ is that He believes in us, even when we don’t believe in ourselves. We have to learn to lean on Him and wait on Him when things get tough, because being optimistic isn’t enough, especially not through college. Positivity without faith turns negative quite and fast once we look at our circumstances. If we know God’s promises, if we know His Word, and if we trust in Him, we shouldn't focus on our circumstances no matter how bad they are, but we should focus on His will for our lives.
“.. being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6 NIV
God doesn’t open doors for us just so we can walk right back out of them. If He got us to it, then He will get us through it. We have all the tools that we need, and if we’re in lack of anything, we can simply ask God for it. The end route is success and prosperity in Christ and looking at the bigger picture makes it a little more bearable to through the roller coaster of college.
I asked God for wisdom and He gave it to me during the last week of the program. I realized that I wasn’t spending enough time studying alone; I was always working with peers or teacher’s assistants or professors. I knew the material, but I didn’t know it for myself, and without mastering it by myself I performed poorly on my exams. So during the last week I minimized my group studying and maximized my individual studying. I socialized less, I got better sleep, and I even had a little more time to myself. I got a C on my third chemistry exam and A on my final, boosting my D average in the class to a C, which was amazing for me seeing how I started. Calculus was a different story: my third exam was a twenty point increase from before which was a pretty good improvement. However, to this day I do not know what my final exam grade or my final grade was, I just know I passed... and that’s enough for me.
In the end, some would say I learned how to study like a college student a little too late. But God’s timing is the best timing whether we like it or not. I waited on Him and trusted in Him and finally I saw the fruits of my labor. And I know that if I continue to keep this mindset of faith, God will get me through these four years just as He got me through this summer. With fall semester coming up, upcoming freshman are filled with excitement and nervousness, but this summer has taught me that I CAN and I WILL do this. It may take a while figuring out how, but I am going to walk across the stage in the next four years and move on to another chapter in my life. As God takes me to new levels in life, the enemy is going to attack even harder. As I fight through these trials I will build my faith and endurance in the process, seeing God reveal new glory in my life.
To everyone going back to school, especially rising college freshmen, don’t give up. The transition is not going to be easy; you’re going to have to drop many of your bad high school study habits and take on new ones. The pressure is harder, the competition is stronger, and you’re going to work harder than you’ve ever worked before to get the grades you want. But just remember that you have Christ on your side. If you continue to have faith and persevere then you will be successful. Get ready for your New Levels and New Glory!
My name is Ebunoluwa Angela Falade and I live in Bowie, Maryland. I recently graduated from Flowers High School, and I am now freshman at Cornell University. I have been saved for about 2 years and I'm aspiring pediatric surgeon.
Sowing and Reaping Academic Success
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
Psalm 119:99
Wouldn’t it be great to experience the verse above? With the thought of going back to school, this verse comes to mind because it seems to fully capture what academic success might look like. This blog post isn’t just about what academics success looks like, but how to actually get there; how you can guarantee your academics success. How you can get closer to getting a 4.0. How you can raise your semester GPA by two points more than you had last semester. Sounds far-fetched, right? Let’s see.
There’s a big problem though. Again, this blog post is supposed to reveal a practical way of achieving academic success. The problem is this though: if I were to tell you the steps to achieving academic success, would you actually follow the instructions given? Be honest and really think about it. All your life people may have told you what you need to do to be academically successful: go to class, study, don’t procrastinate, etc., etc. It is possible you have heard some things you need to do to be academically successful at least 5 times in your life. But the question is, “Out of all the times you’ve heard what you supposedly need to know, how many times did you obey or listen to what you were told?”
If I told you what you needed to do to be academically successful would you actually listen and apply the advice? Most people hear what they need to do to be successful in school and then they don’t do as well as they want and then they begin to seek help and ask what they can do to succeed. The problem is what you need to do to succeed is not a secret. In fact, it's already been told to you maybe 100 times. The question is, did you actually do and will you actually do what’s necessary to be successful academically. Some people think, “This semester I’m not doing anything but school and the gym. Yea, that’s it, then I’ll get a 4.0.” The idea that ‘the less you have to do the better you will perform in school’ isn’t always the case and most of the time I’ve seen that fail.
My best semester in school was when I worked two jobs, had two prominent leadership positions, and took 19 credits with some of my major’s hardest classes. I was able to get straight A’s and a few A- that semester and to this day, that’s been the best semester GPA I’ve had. Glory to God! God really graced me that semester. I didn’t take on such a heavy load that semester without asking God if He would sustain me through all of it. He told me to take on the challenge and I did. It was super hard and I sweated almost every step of the way, but I didn’t lose faith.
If I were to tell you what you needed to do to succeed academically, would you actually listen? Obedience to what is true is the key to succeeding. But what does that actually mean? Succeeding academically is not a secret because how people have been successful in the past is not hidden. The verses below reveal how I’ve been able to be successful academically:
He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding
Proverbs 15:32
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Proverbs 9:9
Instruction is so important because it paves a way to a predetermined destination. “Huh, what does that mean?” Instruction is a structure or template for how you get in line with the goal you have set. If you want academic success, you have to simply get proper instruction. Not just get proper instruction, you must follow it.
The semester when I excelled, in spite of my busy schedule, was a combination of me hearing God daily and walking by faith. I literally had to ask God “I’m overwhelmed and I have many assignments, what do I do first?” Sometimes it was school work and other times it was to prayer and read my word and then get to school work right after. Sometimes I would have to help others with their problems spiritually, personally or academically before I did my own school work. The key here is that I didn’t do anything based on my own presumption or what I thought was best, but I asked God or moved based on what God instructed me to do at the time. As it is written:
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
John 5:19
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33
Obedience to instruction is key; obedience not just to God, but to your actual instructor. I ask my professors about how rigorous their class is and what a person would need to do in order to get an A in the class. I ask, “How I should study for the exams and assignments?” Because I ask, they instruct me. Their instruction is important because they are the instructor! The degree to which I obey their instruction as a master in the subject, is the degree to which I perform successfully in their class. They as teachers have mastered the materially to a certain level and I have to follow their protocol in order to secure my chances of performing well.
My main example is my Anatomy & Physiology 2 class during the semester when I took 19 credits and had straight A’s. My professor literally told the class on day one what we needed to do to get an A in the class. She said: study immediately after every class, study in groups of at least 3-4 people, use flash cards and a few other basics things like this. This was one of the hardest gateway courses into my major and yes, it was a weed out class with 400 people. I got an A on every exam, except for the deadly final on which I got a 79%. People always complained that this teacher was so hard and her class was unfair, but I had a great experience with her simply because I listened to her instruction. The reason why I got a 79% on the final was because the professor told us not to study the previous exams to prepare for the final because she would not use the same information over again. The class had so much material, but I thought she was jiving.
Here is the key: she gave instructions, but the degree to which I followed her instruction determined the degree of my success on the exam. Clearly, I got a 79. My obedience there wasn’t particularly on point, but I came out with an A in the class because I had sown obedience to her instruction for so long. I reaped my harvest in due season. You’ll reap yours too, if you walk by faith and obey the instructions and guidance of God every moment of your semester and the instructions of your professors too.
Oluwatobi (Tobi) Oke is a young entrepreneur from the University of Maryland College Park who is the CEO of Good Lord Clothing. He's the Vice President of Bethel Campus Fellowship and attends Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md. He shares the Gospel through rap music and plays the congos. He is working on his mixtape called “3 Days In The Grave” hopefully to be released fall 2015.