Truth Be Told

It's week 5 on Self Growth and today, the topic is on Education. Education can be either your degree or other means of educating yourself (e.g reading books etc) or both. I will start with the degree type.

I've been in a Uni environment for a while now and I've seen people stay redundant in a particular level purely because of their "I don't care" attitude towards school. (I wrote about Attitude last week on Pep Talk, read it and see how your attitude can affect your growth). I'm thinking of the best way to explain this scenario but how will one be able to grow if you are been held back by your continuous failure and bad attitude towards that failure? I doubt if anyone in that situation is actually thinking about Self-growth because if they were, the Education part of it will change for good. Believe it or not, we need our degree to move on with life. Nobody will take you seriously if at a particular age, you don't have any degree at hand. It's just how the world works and it's best we move along with it if truly we want growth.

Also, it is important to note that a degree does not make you a literate. Have you heard of an educated illiterate? Yeah don't let that be you. There's so much your course/degree path can teach you but if you don't educate yourself outside of what your professors are teaching you, you will be tagged an educated illiterate. That is where the second part of the two examples I gave, come in. How can you educate yourself?

• Invest in Books: Personally, I don't have the time and will to read books. I used to do that in secondary school but I grew out of it. I remember last year when I bought two business books, I knew I wouldn't have time to read fully. They stayed in my book shelf for a couple of months until the need for them came. I knew I had no choice at this point but to read them and get the knowledge I paid for. So please, don't give yourself the excuse that you don't like reading. You have to if you want to grow, somehow the drive to read a book will come when you know you have no choice. There are tons of inspirational books out there, look for and buy them. Luckily, technology age lets you have e-books too so you don't have to carry heavy books with you. 

• Listen to inspirational people: There was a time I played most of Myles Munroe teachings. (God rest his soul) I really wasn't listening because he was a pastor but because of the vast wisdom in his teachings. Find an inspirational person you like and stick with that person till you find another or if you don't mind, subscribe to as many as you wish. My current inspirational people are actually a couple, Cornelius and Heather Lindsey. Love them! They also have numerous books out. You can check them out. 

• Attend seminars: Either free or not, you also have to commit to showing up for events that will educate you and help you grow. I wish I lived in an english speaking country, I would have invested a lot into attending seminars. I love seminars that put you on another level mentally. Talking about seminars, I am hosting one on Oct 1st, if you are in Hungary, you can click here for more info. 

• Surround yourself with people that are up there mentally: I didn't know how important this point was until I started practicing it. You think you know it all until you meet people that know better than you do. That is how you educate yourself. You wouldn't even know you are lacking in an area until someone points it out for you. 

• Internet is a wonder place for wisdom: I can't count how many inspirational people I follow on social media neither can I count how many screenshots of wise quotes I have. That's how much I'm using the internet for my good. I follow inspirational blogs, youtube channels and search for ideas/ways one can grow. Try using the internet for something great other than keeping up with friends. 

• Exposure: Some days ago or I think yesterday, it was another-day-another-bant on Twitter and the topic of international exposure was next on Twitter's hot seat. To be honest, I couldn't even look for what started the debate. It was something about international exposure can't make you more learned than those that stayed in their home country. They were right. Staying abroad doesn't make you more exposed than those back home and you know why? Because you can stay abroad and not educate yourself. I know people in America that have no clue whatsoever what is happening with the electoral process, the unjustified killings etc. That kind of person will now claim they are more exposed than their counterpart in their home country simply based on location? LOL Anyway, my point here is that to be exposed, you have to educate yourself. Stay current with everything both socially and personally. 

Today, I'm dedicating TMNS to the New College/Uni Students. First of all, Congratulations on your admission. I'm sure you fought a great fight to secure that coveted position at your new University. Congrats again but I hate to tell you that the fight just begun. My memories of the College life are still as fresh as my certificate and before they disintegrate into the far distance, I would like to share a few important lessons with you.

A Dear friend took her time to write a post some months ago and it pretty much touched everything I would like to say today. You can find that here. Please make sure you open that post because it has EVERYTHING you need to know about Uni life. I don't want to repeat the same thing here. Nevertheless, my focus is on the Education you got admission for and a bit on Relationships and Friendships.

You see, one thing about Uni life is that it is never as it seems. One person might tell you their experience but yours will definitely be different. Make it a memorable and not a regretful one. To make this easier for you to read, I will break it down in points.

• Don't forget the primary reason why you are in school is to get your degree. Sometimes we get carried away with free time and spend it foolishly, doing unnecessary things. I am not saying you should not create time to relax but make sure you are glued to your studies from Day 1. You might get laughed at and insulted for being too serious but remember that "the end justifies the means." It's better to be laughed at now than to tell your parents/sponsors you are repeating a year and when they ask why, you blame your professors. Don't let that be you. 

• When it's difficult to study, ask your friends to carry you along. Don't be a loner while studying, it helps to study with others who are also goal-getters like you. They can explain what you find difficult to understand and you can help them too. 

• I won't lie to you that you will never fail a course after you implement the above points but I will like to encourage you not to give up whenever you fail. The amount of preparation is not always directly proportional to the best grade. Most times, we give up when our endless preparations yield nothing. It's disheartening but trust me it is not the end of the world. Many people before you have failed but the greatest of them picked themselves up and pushed way harder than the previous time and triumphed.

• Still related to the above point, I've come to realize that this life is a life of chances. You kill yourself and work hard for something and you get a rubbish result but someone else around you that labored lightly for the same thing got a better result. This is where I will like to tell you to focus on yourself! Don't look at your neighbor's lawn to determine your growth and effort. There will come a time where you will also have it easier than the next person, don't forget. 

• Don't disappoint yourself. Build yourself up now so that you can look back in your later years and be thankful you did not slack on yourself. Take nothing for granted and that relates to a supposedly easy course, lectures, a nice professor, study time, friends and of course your me-time. 

• Peer pressure and influence is very real. Stand on your ground from the get go. If you know a particular lifestyle is definitely out of your league and you know it's bad for you, RUN! STAY WAY! You will not regret that decision. 

• On gossips and rumors, even when you stay on your lane and focus on you, people will still talk about you. It's part of life and very inevitable. So please, keep staying in your lane!. 

• Someone that used to be a friend said to me "Who do you think you are?" and I was not shocked. In fact, I laughed and shook my head without giving a reply. That is what having a thick skin is about. People will insult you (yes supposed friends too) and say worse things about you, but if you want to be great in life, you have to put your Unlooking game on a 100. No, don't absorb the insult but ignore and unlook. Don't respond to ill comments because that is the response they want from you. Don't indulge "they" (*Dj Khaleed's voice*)

• On Relationships, don't let this derail you from your main goal. That fine student in your group should not distract you on your main objective. Leave relationships for when you are ready. Anytime you feel "yes I'm ready for a relationship", make sure you read my post on Relationships in Uni before you delve into one. Ask yourself if it's important to dedicate your full time into a relationship. Remember that it will definitely steal away some time you could have put into your studies and growth. 

• When you do decide to get into a relationship, make sure it is with a sensible and goal getter individual just like you. Forget talks that opposites attract, it's more of a collision which is a disaster. Get you someone that you can be a better version of yourself with and one who understands that the books come first!

• Lastly, trust no one but yourself and your God! Don't depend on friends for they can fail you but keep the good ones close for support. 

This is a special post for people about to start or already started the final year in Dote/Hungarian University. Going straight to the point, I will tell you that 6th year is not easy and very draining. Thirty six weeks of practice is no joke, accompanied with six major exams you have to study for during the practice. Just a few points worthy to mention

• Even though you already have a plan, be open that it won't always go that way. I had a plan of when I would finish my practice and exams, it looked like the perfect plan you know. Finish everything by May 20th. Lol as at May 20th, I still had 3 weeks practice and 3 exams. So just have plans as something to work towards and not necessarily have it like it's the only way they should go.

• With the current foreign currency drama happening back home (my naija people) at the moment, my advice is that traveling up and down is not the best option except of course money izz not a problem.

• If you still want to travel, plan with friends who also want to travel. You can share accommodation with them.

• Don't hoard all the info to yourself. Especially the countries that accept student interns etc.

• I heard about an erasmus program for 6th year students. You get pocket money at the country you end up for the practice or something like that. Please confirm with Edu office/ Erasmus centre.

• For most people, Neurology seems to be the toughest one to prepare for. It's a lot trust me and I will advice you take it out in the 1st semester before 6th year starts to take it's toll mentally. After you take it out of the way, 6th year becomes something you can overcome.

• It helps to study with friends except you prefer to be a lone wolf.

• About thesis, start early and the best department for thesis is Pharm department (For Dote students) No unnecessary hassle. Straight to the point and easy to get in touch with via email. 

• I can't confirm this info but I was told that if you write PLAB, you are expected to have a year experience before you can apply for jobs. Luckily, sixth year internship is accepted as a year experience only if it's carried out in one hospital for a year. Basically that means it's advisable you stay in your uni's hospital for the whole 6th year. Yes it doesn't sound fun because you don't get to travel but it saves you time in the future when you have to figure out where to apply to for a year's internship all over again.

• Have a plan for after school. If it's the US you are interested in, plan to write USMLE. If it's a non-english speaking country, enroll in a language school. If it's the UK, the previous advice is applicable to you. For Ireland, there's not much you can do until you get your certificate. Will post more info on that later. Perhaps you want to start Masters or PhD, look for a school as early as you can. 

• Finally, always ask for help from people that have gone through it when you need to. 

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If anyone has any advice you'd like to add to these, pls comment below and I'll update. Wish y'all a successful 6th year, you are almost at the finish line.
Love,
Dedun

• Have a note: This will help to write down important points you think you will forget. You can highlight a textbook but when you want to revisit, it will be difficult to find the exact point you are looking for. Thankfully, the notes I made years ago for the basics, are still useful to me now that I need to revisit them. 

• Create a mnemonic or look for one already created on the web: If you can't create a mnemonic just google, there will be something for it to help you to remember the point. Be mindful though, if you don't know what you are creating a mnemonic for, you won't understand why or remember easily when you need the information. 

• Start from the basics: Before you can understand an in-depth topic, you need to know what led to that topic. The foundation is the most important part of a building. This is why it's good to start studying early before exam period approaches.  

• Give yourself time to spend on a chapter: If you want to understand, you can't rush it. It is also worth mentioning that cramming won't help. Your memory centre needs time to process an information that will b stored for a long time. If peradventure your exam is tomorrow and you need to know some short definitions or values, you can cram if you are capable but revisit the crammed materials the morning of your exam because like I said it's pretty easy to forget crammed materials. Study to understand and not to pass. 

• Take breaks between study: This will help to avoid overwhelming emotions. There's so much information to process within 3 hours of studying so don't jam-pack your brain with too much information. Take time to snack, take a walk, nap etc. 

• Have a clear head space: You can't joggle emotions with studying. You won't be able to focus as much as you would love to because after reading one line, your mind is occupied with something totally different so it's best you sort out any distraction before you start studying. 

• Ask a mate to explain something you can't comprehend: I've mentioned this point a number of times. If your ego is too big to ask for help, think of the possibility of failing, deflate that ego and ask for help. You'd be amazed how good a mate can describe something you don't understand better than a textbook can.  

• Watch youtube videos: Perhaps you don't have that much time to study a course, youtube videos will go a long way to explain quicker than reading a textbook. Listening to something also sticks better than reading it. I can testify to that. I also have good photographic memory and I tend to remember drawings better. Hence why educational youtube videos are my go-to place when studying.  

• Revisit a difficult topic: Even when you feel you understand a topic that was difficult, it will help to read it again especially now that you understand. You can even help someone that doesn't and you'd be called a pro of that topic

• Give time to revise all the chapters you covered: After studying and covering all necessary chapters, you should also create time to revise everything. Important information you didn't pay attention to previously can pop up and you wouldn't miss it.