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The 5 Essential Ingredients To Achieve Academic Success

As an international student, I never thought I would be able to accomplish as much as other native students. I spent all of my elementary and high school years being told and believing I was not smart. I almost failed my English classes every single high school year to then move to a country where the native language is English. I knew I would have to put more effort in developing certain skills, but what I learned is that if you do your best to succeed you can achieve things you never thought you could. So here is my list of 5 essential ingredients to achieve academic success.

1. Be smart

Don’t worry I’m not talking about having a high IQ. I believe most of us know someone who is highly intelligent but never put effort or had the motivation to achieve their highest potential in school. What I’m talking about is putting effort on the right things. Work smarter, not harder. Some people work hard and spend hours studying but end up with not-so-great results because they spend hours and hours on things that don’t necessarily produce good results. For example, a lot of people spend time reading over and over and memorizing textbooks instead of doing practical exams that are proven to help remembering on the long-term. Know what the best way for you is to attain information and to learn with the least amount of time. Know what you need to work on harder and prioritize your time and effort, so you don’t end up getting unmotivated.

2. Balance

Don’t burn yourself out! Did you know that according to the American Institute of Stress, 60% of doctor visits are stress-related complaints and illnesses (anxiety, depression, stress-related diseases) and that American businesses lose $300 billion annually from stress-related costs? Working or studying too hard can lead to poor academic performance and less productivity. However, the opposite is also true when you don’t take time to do the necessary work to be successful. Eustress is the moderate and normal psychological stress that is beneficial to the experiencer. A Harvard research found out that after a stressful situation, completely letting go of a problem by doing an activity that you can relax and enjoy could effectively counteract the negative effects of the stress hormones. Therefore, make sure to interact with activities that are uplifting and rejuvenating to achieve academic success.

3. Consistency

There are some things that need to be done. Sometimes we cannot escape from doing certain things like homework and studying. It is acquired from us a certain motivation and discipline to do things we are not necessarily interested in. Gladly, those are skills that can be developed. Think about the reasons why you are doing what you do and the results that will come from it. After you have your mind motivated, start acting. Remember, ‘Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.’ – Joel A. Barker. Lastly, be consistent with this process by changing your mindset, which brings us to the next ingredient.

4. Mindset

Think about when you are doing a diet and you spend a month losing weight but after a few weeks you gain all of the weight back and sometimes even more than before. Therefore, do not think of it as something you are going to do now and by the end of the semester you get back to your old habits. Try to change your mindset and the way you view school. Think of it as a learning and growth opportunity. It is part of your growing journey and not just a box to be checked. Make it part of who you are and who you are going to be.

5. Be patient and kind to yourself.

Grades are not the most important thing when measuring your academic success. What matters is how far you have come from the first day of your academic journey. Thus, be patient and kind to yourself. If you put effort and do what you need to do, the results will follow. Reach out for help when needed. Everyone is different with unique characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. Stop comparing yourself to others. Mind your own progress. Besides, ‘if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.’ So do not worry if your grades are not the best in class, think about how you can make them better than yesterday.

In conclusion, do not let your own thoughts and other people make you believe you are not capable. Step by step you can become more confident and achieve academic success.

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