College is a stepping stone for anyone to reach the peak of his career and going to college requires a lot of determination and hard work if you want to excel and be outstanding in your field. Let us see do someone have to be smart to go to college or not in this article.
Being smart is a factor of many things, and Beyond intelligence, smartness in a student has a lot to do with possessing the intellectual, social, emotional, curiosity, and adversity quotient.
Do you have to be smart to go to college?
You don’t necessarily have to be smart to go to college, but you can build yourself and engage in personal development so you don’t remain the same person you are. Although this is a function of the college you are aspiring to go to. Colleges like Harvard and Oxford have high educational standards and requirements for you to be admitted, therefore you need to have a high intelligence quotient for you to be admitted.
What does it mean for a person to be SMART to go to college?
According to Merriam-Webster, being smart is defined as the ability of a person to possess a high mental proficiency, witness, and creativity in all fields of life.
Being smart is a function of how well you can recognize a problem and proffer a solution to the problem. Real smartness is applicable in life situations whereby you seek to go beyond your comfort zone to accomplish your dream is extremely clever, and wise ways.
A smart person is a person who is open to learning(building his/her intelligence quotient), networking with people(building his/her social quotient), relating with people, and does not pick offense with people for having a contrary opinion( emotional quotient).
What does it mean for a student to be smart in college?
Smartness in students is measured by the ability of a student to perform excellently in his/her academics and it is always dependent on the intelligence quotient of a child to produce high flying colors. In most colleges.
Being smart is result oriented and it is measured by the grades of students at the end of the academic session, however, being smart is not the ability of a student to cram and have a distinction in a course. It is the creativity and practical application of information, and knowledge acquired.
According to research, high-flying students who excel in memory(cramming) get good grades while those practically oriented learners who can only assimilate when they see the relevance of the study in their lives, tend to lose.
How to cultivate the habit of a smart student?
There are different types of students in school, there are those who are fast learners(they are considered to be smart because they understand a concept within a split second), there are slow learners( they have to learn and read and assimilate(they can take a whole day to learn a concept and they forget easily), there are the average learners( they learn easily as well but they have to go over it again and relate it to things around them before they can understand).
However, every student can perform well in school irrespective of the type of learner you are;
Build your intelligence:
Intelligence is an integral aspect of human life, and the most important domain of learning within the four walls of an academic institute is cognitive. A student must be sound academically. To set yourself up for academic success, you must;
- Organize your school material
- Make yourself a study place
- Get your textbooks early
- Ask questions in class, be actively involved
- Do the reading the night/day before
- Don’t put off your homework
- Attend lessons
- Set a goal
- Take a break
Organize your school material:
Organizing your school materials like your textbooks, notebooks, and jotter makes your work easier. Keep your locker in school clean, and organized
Make yourself a study place:
You need to have a separate study room at home or a small space that contain a table and chair and a shelf to keep books. When you are in your study room, your mind channels itself to study mode. You can have a study space in school as well, the library is also a place that helps you Channel your mind to studying
Get your textbooks early:
Having textbooks for all subjects, ps you to read ahead of time for the actual lesson, textbooks usually contain classwork and assignment. You can get your textbook during a holiday so you will read ahead of time.
Ask questions in class, be curious:
Engage in active participation in the classroom by asking questions, answering questions, and airing your opinions. Ask your teacher, don’t google that question you have in mind. Express how you feel about a concept and be inquisitive in class
Do the reading the night/day before:
Read ahead of time. At the beginning of a semester, lecturers do give students the content of a course outline. Therefore, you can read ahead of time because you are aware of the topic you have
Don’t put off your homework:
Take homework important, sometimes, a lecturer may give you a test question as an assignment. Pay cognizance to homework given to you
Attend lessons:
Don’t skip lessons! Ensure you attend lessons regularly, it gives you an edge over someone that doesn’t attend class because the lecturer might explain a concept and relate it to things that are not given in your notebook
Set a goal:
set an academic goal at the beginning of a semester, the GPA and C.GPA you want to have at the end of the semester. After writing your goal, ensure you stick it to the wall, so you will work towards it
Take a break:
Take a break when you feel tired, after engaging in all these academic activities, there is a high probability that you will be tired, give yourself a rest when you need to. Don’t overwork yourself.
During your break, grab a handful of snacks like peanuts, ground but, biscuits, chocolate, etc
Building your social quotient:
School is meant to make friends, relate with friends, and build quality relationships. Therefore, you need to build relationships, you can’t choose to be alone because you are not meant to do life alone
- Engage in group reading
- Take leadership position
- Build quality friends
- Volunteer in your free time
- Participate in athletics, drama, music, and art
- Join a club
Engage in group reading:
Engaging in group reading builds your intelligence and social quotient. According to research, students who engage in group reading perform better than students who study alone. For you to form a study group, ensure that
- Your friends are serious-minded
- Everyone should actively participate in the group
- Organize quizzes, lessons
Take leadership position:
Take a leadership position in schools like a class captain, senior prefect, or library prefect. You can volunteer to be the president of your group, don’t stay idle, be actively involved in any space you find yourself, position yourself to be relevant, and contribute to the growth and development of your group
Volunteer in your free time:
Volunteering to do something is a very great thing in life, don’t shy away from leadership roles. You may volunteer to help young girls to be aware of the effect of HIV, the usage of pads, etc.
Participate in athletics, drama, music, and art:
Build yourself in your area of gifting, your talent, and your skill. Being smart encompasses every area of gifting, the ability to learn new things, and laughing at yourself, you don’t have to be perfect.
Join a club:
If your school has a debate club, environmental club, or creative writing group, it is very important to join these clubs as it builds your eloquence and confidence level
Building your emotional quotient:
- Read books to expand your mind and build your emotions
- Take a break by engaging in sports and fun activities
Read books to expand your mind and build your emotions:
School can be so overwhelming because of the stress and pressure, you can read books on how to manage stress and balance your school activities with pleasure.
Take a break by engaging in sports and fun activities:
When you have stressed yourself so much, it is important to take a break and rest. Engage in swimming, retreat, try grounding, yoga, play video games, table tennis, etc to break free from school activities
Conclusion
In conclusion, you don’t have to be smart to go to college but you can build yourself in school and embark on a personal development journey to fit in the academic environment. Smartness is result oriented and every student must build his/her cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domain
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How is smartness measured in students?
Smartness in students is measured by the mental ability of a student to perform excellently in his/her academics and it is always dependent on the intelligence quotient of a child to produce high-flying colors
Q2. How can I be smart academically?
- Organize your school material
- Make yourself a study place
- Get your textbooks early
- Ask questions in class, be actively involved
- Do the reading the night/day before
- Don’t out of your homework
- Attend lessons
- Set a goal
- Take a break
Q3 What does it mean for a student to be smart?
A smart person is a person who is open to learning(building his/her intelligence quotient), networking with people(building his/her social quotient), relating with people, and does not pick offense with people for having a contrary opinion( emotional quotient).
