BEING A STUDENT?

• BY DR. AK RANA

Being a student? What a strange question it is. We became students from the first day we came to this world; but that’s not what I am talking about.

It’s the student that you become when you start preparing for that one exam that you have to clear, either for a job or for college admissions.

By the way, when we moved from one class to another at that time, we all felt that stress and the happiness when exams end.

The real deal starts from 11^th and 12^th class and, in this article, I will talk about them.

These kids are given choices to pick a career and the subjects. When it comes to the subjects, its either maths or bio or both.

Here maths is considered equivalent to engineering and bio to doctor. This is the current trend that we are seeing these days.

This 15–17-year-old little human has to decide his whole life while deciding a career which is 90% already decided by the parents. You are just going to approve it.

These kids are considered responsible enough to think about their life but they become children when they take any decision.

Are their decisions always wrong? Are parents always, right?

If we are to debate on it, I don’t think anybody will win.

Because it’s like this is also true and that is also a thing to be considered!

A BIG CHANGE

When you come in 11^th or 12^th and join a coaching institute, it’s a bubbly feeling. Everything is new, amazing, exciting and thrilling.

Enjoying those 90 minutes lectures sometimes, at other times looking at clock for last 30 minutes.

A fully motivated kid with 1000% energy, goes through monthly test, see the rank and wonder?

The best of their classes from all over the India come there and find themselves so behind….

This is not that much hard as he/she can try again for next month to improve.

They may or may not be able to do so.

In these 2-3 months, they forget to see around, but when they do so; a lot many things have already changed.

Their access to TV, Mobile all other sorts of entertainment is limited and their time is recorded.

What was thrilling over the months becomes a cage, but it’s still okay, you keep moving ahead because there is no turning back.

SOMETHING IS LEAVING YOU BEHIND

When syllabus is within grasp, we are able to follow it. We can walk or run, follow the rules and guidelines but still try to keep a hold of it.

The thing is when the end of the year is near, syllabus starts doubling. You start running a marathon every day, but you got only 24 hours a day and clock never rest or give us special treatment.

“Morning, afternoon, evening, night and morning again.”

Days-weeks go by, what scares us the most are those tests that keep coming with the result and the ranks.

When you see yourself slowly falling behind, slowly losing that grip, it becomes harder and harder to reach at it again.

There comes a time when the student decides to give up on those rules, time tables, exams and studies; and turn to see the world around.

World looks beautiful and bright while his room darker and darker.

That’s where we are lost!

Now the same question that was like a sad thing, becomes a topic of laughter – How are your studies going?

I know no one seriously, no one will know that feeling that hides behind your smile and that pit that is too deep to come out from.

Every day you keep going down in it.

Studies cannot be done without a calm and composed mind and with the pressure of exams, performance, lagging syllabus, we become unable to take a single step further.

SO, WHAT’S THE PLAN?

Till now, I just shared a common feeling that majority of us felt, sometimes here and there.

I wouldn’t be writing this if I had no strategy to come out of it.

That’s why listen carefully…

• Check out, which next test is waiting for you.

Write down its syllabus, the whole syllabus.

• Don’t forget the current syllabus, and just try to finish reading it once in class itself.

You can allot some 2 hours for finishing the rest at room.

I will advise you to do the maximum of it at and during classroom itself.

Don’t master it, just finish exercises, questions and go through theory that’s it.

• At your room, start with the syllabus and start with that hardest topic.

Yes! Not the easier one, let’s tackle the hardest one first.

Take out your notes, go through it line by line.

Keep a notebook beside you and label it “Doubt notebook”.

• DOUBT NOTEBOOK

Write down all the silly, major, mild or whatever doubt you have, topic wise and also subject wise.

(Majority of times many silly doubts and confusions become small bricks hindering our way, so for time being pick them up and place it in the ‘doubt notebook’.

Now, your way is clear to go ahead.)

• When you have read the theory, the notes and learnt the necessary, start with the examples.

Understand, and learn the way how these problems are solved.

Learn? Yes! Because there is a certain way in which we have to approach them. This way you must remember by heart.

Now you will ask, many problems have different ways, are you going to remember them all?

Nope! Only those that are difficult for you.

You must practice and understand the same examples twice and thrice.

Then, we move to exercise questions and try solving them one by one.

• If out of 10, you are able to do only 1, then let it be. No worries!

In our next step, all these 9 questions and your pending doubts have to go to the ‘DOUBT COUNTER’.

(One big mistake that we often do is not asking for help. Whom you will ask for help? Your assigned teachers…)

Ask them, ask all your questions and even if they rebuke you, it’s not a big deal.

The thing is our question is solved.

You know a big stone will be lifted from your head, with every question that is solved.

• When you reach back to your room, don’t forget to try those questions again and keep a note of these solutions.

• Focus on the topics that will be asked in the coming test, and see the remaining (when time is too less) from above.

You will know what you need to study and just see those points but remember to cover them all, even if its superficial.

• The major plus point is that these points or topics will become your strongest, and when in the final exam anything related to them comes, you will be pro at it.

That’s why don’t leave anything completely.

• Should you skip a test because you are not prepared enough?

The thing is we are never completely prepared for a test, and always there is something that could be improved.

Tests are very important for you, to learn that vibe, to free yourself from anxiety, to handle the situation better and the ‘time management’.

‘Never skip any test and go for it with the best possible preparation.’

In this way, students you will be slowly able to drag yourself out of that dark pit.

“Remember no one else can do it for you, you yourself can do so.”

If journey is long, we don’t run only for 100 meters but we have a marathon ahead to complete.

Don’t ask for instant results, keep improving and moving ahead.

Even if you don’t work or try, days will still pass, exam day will come for sure. The key here is firstly free yourself; you are alright it’s just that you are too busy in studying.  I won’t say that you won’t have to study after clearing exam but the difference is, it won’t be that much difficult, not even 10% of what you are feeling right now.

So, cheer up! Gear up! And go for it…

These tips will be helpful for you to go through your long preparation.

What about the final exam?

That one and only day?

For it along with these 2-3 years of preparation, you will need the ‘final attack’.

I will share with you about that in my coming articles.

Till then, take care of your health both physical and mental, be strong, keep studying and learning, you can do it!

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