For Those Who Want First Class

By Victor Chijioke and Peace Chenube

Different classes of students have different aspirations and regrets regarding their lives as students. But the word “regret” can be an acute source of pain for those in their finals who haven’t excelled academically. They tell themselves: If you wanted a first-class grade, why didn’t you work for it?

Some students resume school excited about the freedom they experience, thinking no authority figure would dictate what they can do. Unfortunately, they forget their student responsibilities and spend most of their time on frivolities while skipping classes. Eventually, they pay the heavy price with poor grades while losing access to the myriad of opportunities available to high-performing students. 

Many students’ experiences may resonate with the above. Lack of self-control breeds indiscipline, and then, towards the end of their schooling, they wonder why they did not take their academics, personal, and professional development seriously. But it is not too late to turn things around. That person could be you. But why are you doing nothing about it?

“I’m just not cut out for it.” 

This is the first objection students commonly have. They say they do not have the “talent” or aptitude to study well and pass exams. But this is not true. 

“Talent”, or, in this case, the natural ability to grasp information quickly, is not as important as the effort put into grappling with the content of lectures, studying, and testing oneself multiple times before exams. 

Psychologist and researcher Angela Lee Duckworth agrees. In her book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, she notes that “effort counts twice” for success in any endeavour. Effort helps to transform natural ability into skill, and effort ensures that this skill is continuously applied to achieve success. Talent, on the other hand, counts just once! Pointing to the research, she shows that more innate ability and less effort — or grit — may result in poor performance. However, more effort put into studying, with lower baseline levels of intelligence, may result in better performance. 

Before you rail against this supposedly preposterous idea, Duckworth makes two crucial observations to help you understand it. The first: As a society, we believe in the existence of “gifted” and talented individuals who seem to excel without much toil. We, however, don’t see what level of practice they put in behind closed doors because we typically can’t. Duckworth argues that excellence is a culmination of practised mastery of many mundane activities — in this case, activities such as taking accurate notes in class and sticking to routines for focused reading. 

But the second observation? Many believe that their learning capacity is fixed at birth or in childhood. To these students, you either know the book or you don’t. But this is wrong; you can grow your book smarts every day. Many research studies have consistently proven that the brain is malleable and can adapt to specific tasks throughout life, such as reading and understanding complex subjects. This second observation implies that with focused effort, you can improve your academic performance and upgrade your ‘baseline level of intelligence.’ To believe in your innate ability to improve is to adopt the ‘growth mindset.’

“Learning coursework is boring — why should I put in the effort?” 

This is the most poignant retort students give. They worry it will take an avalanche of willpower to sustain interest in a chosen course of study. 

Duckworth says interest and purpose are two interconnected elements essential for success in any activity, including academics. With the odds stacked against them, students who aim to excel must find ways to maintain curiosity in the objects of study. You must find your ‘why’ by reflecting on how coursework helps to solve real-world problems. You must also look beyond grades to acquire in-demand skills, knowledge, and valuable experiences. 

“I can’t keep at it, so I might as well give up.” 

Students who want to have the last laugh can’t say this. Having cultivated a growth mindset, developed interest and affirmed purpose, you must consistently do what will lead you to your desired goal — a first-class degree. The ‘Show up, work hard, repeat’ mantra will do with some adjustment here — deliberate practice.

According to Duckworth, deliberate practice involves practising to find your weaknesses, setting goals that exceed your current ability in those areas, and working to meet and surpass them. This may include taking the time to learn how to study. Rather than spending all day in the library, for instance, drifting in and out of concentration and still not grasping that course you came to study, deliberate practice may lead you to read in short, focused bursts for several hours each day, set targets on what you want to read or understand, and test yourself. That way, you figure out what’s yet to sink in and fashion a way to ensure it does. Deliberate practice, in this case, consists of taking control of your learning and improving all aspects of the process.

“What happens if I fail to get good grades despite all of this?” you may ask. You hold on to hope when you reach for the stars and land on the moon. “Hope is a rising-to-the-occasion kind of perseverance,” says Duckworth. Alongside practice, interest, and purpose, hope forms a component of a critical factor for success, which Duckworth calls grit. 

Gritty people are passionate about and perseverant about long-term goals. They overcome setbacks, persist in the face of failure, and eventually succeed because they exhibit the four aforementioned character qualities, cultivate a growth mindset, and, alternatively, surround themselves with other gritty people who persevere and hope with them. 

Last words? Treat your first-class honours like the sufficiently long-term goal that they are. Do not despair when your grades are less-than-stellar. Embed yourself in a culture of grit. Keep hoping. We, the authors, are still hoping.