Being only smart will not help you get good grades, but it is required?? Neither is studying nonstop?? Here we have three graduates (Chayanon, Sangsan and Jayakorn) who did their best and ended up with a 3.99 and listed as the top of engineering class of 2011 from Chulalongkorn University, especially since the school curved to a 2.8. What are the keys to academic success in their study habits? And/or what are the strategies for raising their GPA while minimizing stress and overall study time.
ÿGO TO CLASS REGULARLY AND LEARN
Jayakorn:ÿFor me, the best way of getting the good grades while maintaining low amount of stress and study time is to go to class regularly and learn! During my study, I tried to attend every class and understand the material taught in each one. Following up with the material in class might be difficult and tedious, but it is surely worthwhile. Not only did I not have to go through the material by myself (which often ended up being procrastinated again and again), time management is also much easier.
I could spend the free time with my friends and family or participate in extracurricular activities while not having to worry much about extra-study. When in class, I would try to note down comments and find connections between the topic in class and other knowledge I learnt before. Of course, listening is an essential part in learning, but it must be accompanied by understanding which would make it easier for reviewing and applying the knowledge.
Chayanon:ÿBeing a multidisciplinary program has its tough nature, you have to learn a broad range of subjects some of which you like and some of which you don’t. Being smart may ease you in your learning process but it’s not the primary factor determining your academic success. It’s about finding your learning style in which you can learn best. Some people learn well when studying as a group while others may need a quiet place to study their materials alone. Some people learn best by listening attentively in class while many learn more when doing a self-study at home. Hence, it’s important to know yourself first. As for me, I usually read my notes only once or twice but read slowly and try to understand as much as possible.
KEY FACTOR IS FRIENDS
Chayanon:ÿAnother key factor is friends. I owed my academic achievement to all my friends who have been parts of a very dynamic learning environment where we share our notes and homework solutions, and discuss on difficult topics in each subject. With an improvement in IT, we actually scanned our notes and e-mailed one another. In addition, some other study habits like perseverance, craving for knowledge and meticulosity may as well contribute to the academic success.
Jayakorn:ÿIn addition to attending classes, a few weeks before exam my friends and I would set up a study group to prepare ourselves for a few hours each day. In the study group, we would review the content together, go through exercises, and share opinions about the material. This way, those who did not understand the content could follow up with the others, while the ones sharing the knowledge would gain an even higher insight into the material. Moreover, our friendship was also strengthened through this common activity. Other than the ways I mentioned above, there are numerous other factors and strategies that might affect or suit each person differently. However, I would like to give my last suggestion to everyone that it is extremely challenging to study everything in one-go but it is much better to learn at a slower but steady pace and allow time for the digestion of the knowledge.
Sangsan:ÿÿAnother important factor is being around good friends. I am blessed to have many great friends. I share everything I know with them and they do the same back. I came to study computer engineering knowing nothing about programming and they taught me without holding anything back. My friends often tell or ask me things I don’t know I don’t know, which makes me know I don’t know so that I can make them something I know. Being in a good environment really helps.
READ THE MATERIALS AND TEXTBOOKS AHEAD
Sangsan:ÿMy study habit results from what someone might call weird reasons. When I was a child, I didn’t like studying. Like most children, I didn’t like reading school books, carrying books to school, taking notes, doing homework, or any other school-related activities. One day my parents told me that by putting more effort into it, I would end up studying with less effort. That makes perfect (and somewhat paradoxical) sense to me! My strategy is that whenever I have extra time, which basically means whenever I’m not too lazy, I read the materials and textbooks ahead of the lecture (given that I somehow have access to them). This way, I don’t have to carry them or take notes about something already in them. I don’t have to thoroughly understand the contents because I can ask questions about what I don’t understand when they are being taught in class. Furthermore, I don’t feel like I have to rush or anything so, indeed, studying requires less effort. The GPA just comes as a by-product. As for whether being smart is required, I don’t really have the answer. I think it’s like that in an artificial intelligence system where it doesn’t have to understand the reasons behind but can do the job.
WORK AND ACTIVITY EXPERIENCES
Jayakorn:ÿAlthough many people say that having a high GPA would open all kinds of doors.ÿ However, I do not think that the companies will only ask about it.ÿ They should also impress with stuff like serving as Chief of staff for the student clubs or starting an academic camp run by 200 volunteers. A good employer will not hire a straight-A student over someone with five years of relevant work experience.ÿ It might tip the scale in a competitive situation, but in most cases, I do not think that GPA is the only important thing to employers.
I do have a strong believe that active participation in an IEEE Student Chapter provides the knowledge, experience and networking needed to begin a successful career.ÿ Participation in a Student Chapter can provide member student valuable experience for career and personal development.
Chayanon:ÿTime management is also important. Frankly, most of us have so many activities, usually non-academic stuffs, to do and before we know, it’s only about a week or two before the exam begins. Given a limited time frame, you would certainly need to plan properly how much time to spend on revision for each subject taking into account the load and difficulty of the respective subject. You may be flexible but try to keep the overall time frame in a good shape.
GOOD HEALTH AT FIRST HAND
Sangsan:ÿI had to work almost 20 hours a week while taking 21 credit hours but I tried to average eight hours of sleep a night. I sometimes felt like school work interfered with sleep, felt a bit under the weather, or mildly stressed out, but I tried to meet my basic needs as well as I can. Eat healthy regular meals, take some time out to relax, and get some gentle regular exercise. Avoid not suffer alone, and there is no shame in asking for help.
Jayakorn:ÿMake up my mind to be happy. It is a personal choice. Why be sad and be depressed? Why not choose to be happy? I always get support from my family.
Chayanon:ÿ I would always have a laptop on my side from which I could google more information on the topics that I don’t understand and do some facebook updates when I’m bored.
FOCUS ON LOGIC, NOT THE PRESENTATIONS
Chayanon:ÿInstead, I spent all my time reading.ÿ Neither of the text is useful at all, and I've forgotten at least 95% of it. I always tried to decode the text in order to understand what I was reading. It is important to know something about the subject matter. I'd guess the same is true for most college graduates. What's the point of spending 60-80 hours a week learning things that you immediately forget?
In Engineering we were taught to use our knowledge of logic to find suitable solutions to a problem. We focus on the core of product instead of struggling with low-level engineering. So I think that the essence of learning in college is to experience case studies that are representative of the real world problems.
LOOK TO THE FUTURE
Jayakorn:ÿCurrently, I am a research assistant at my university. For my future, I would like to become a lecturer in a university due to the passion for teaching and research I discovered during my undergraduate study. So for now, I am preparing myself for commencing my graduate study in order to reach that goal.
Chayanon:ÿI’m not yet so clear about my future. In five to ten year time, I may find myself being an industrial engineer, a university teacher or a research scientist. Many institutions or organizations still judge people based, to a certain extent, on their academic performance. Hence, having obtained a good grade sure doesn’t hurt. However, it’s important, finally, to find the goal of life on what you really want to pursue. If what you’re doing is not “you”, then just try something new.
Sangsan:ÿLooking back on my childhood, I now realize that what I didn’t like was not studying but the way I studied. I like learning new things, otherwise my life would be really boring. One thing I know from learning is that being completely correct makes most of the topics hard to understand. In my future, I want to become a university-level teacher. I think it suits me because I will get to learn new things, be in an academic environment and research new knowledge. As for now, I am studying and researching to get my Ph.D. degree so that I can continue my lifelong “learning” career as planned.
Each year, Chulalongkorn University presents degrees to quality graduates who can then contribute to Thailand’s social and economic development. Chulalongkorn graduates are in high demand in the public and private sectors. If you master these basic behaviors and study habits, you will be well on the way to learning more and earning better grades. ÿPathway to a bright future are always provided to assist engrossing student fulfill their needs and goals.
Sangsan Leelhapantu, aka Momo, is a graduate in
computer engineering from Chulalongkorn University. Apart from the subjects
common to all engineering students (such as Physics, Chemistry, Management,
etc.), He is interested in relatively broad areas in computer engineering
ranging from low-level logic design to information system organization. He is
not only good at theoretical bases but also has strong skills for development, design,
and all technical aspects of assigned projects.
Jayakorn Vongkulbhisal completed his undergraduate
study in Information and Communication Engineering from Faculty of Engineering,
Chulalongkorn University. The curriculum comprises of a variety of courses from
computer engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, and
several non-engineering-related courses such as art, music, anthropology, etc.
Its interdisciplinary nature allows students to appreciate both technical and
non-technical topics and explore the connection between them.
Chayanon Ngambenjawong is a nanoengineering graduate
from Chulalongkorn University. Nowadays, nanotechnology may not be so
unfamiliar the term as it used to be ten years ago. It is the manipulation of
materials or substances at a nano scale in order to realize their unique
properties characteristic to their small size. Being diverse in applications
ranging from nanomaterials, nanoelectronic devices to nano drug delivery, he
had to learn myriads of subjects across different disciplines ranging from
physics, chemistry to biology in order to build up a pool of knowledge from
which he could further advance based on my particular area of interest.ÿ
