Students’ Speak: Plan, prepare and execute
By: Samarth Agarwal
As we know that depression creates lots of negativity and disturbs our mental state, it must be removed as soon as possible so that any mishappening can be prevented.
I remember that in my childhood, I was not good at studies and was not even an average student. However, my teachers always used to tell my parents during parent-teacher meetings that I was a sincere student in the class. To be honest, at that time, I didn’t even know the meaning of sincere and later on discussed its meaning with my elder sister. I literally enjoyed my childhood and never cared about the marks in the exams whether it was a monthly or final exam.
Slowly and steadily, because of some family issues, my mind started focusing and concentrating on studies. My childish brain started thinking seriously about the future in different aspects and then only I realised my examination marks as well as my best friend’s marks. He was a very brilliant student and had a little bit of ego which was a result of high marks in the class.
I was disappointed with myself for not considering my studies as an essential part of my life in order to build my future. In coaching, too, almost every student scored better than me and then I totally lost my self-confidence. No one was there with me with whom I could share my feelings and thoughts. However, my parents always believed in me, they never forced anything except one thing and that was being sincere towards academics.
Follow a time-table religiously
That time I somehow managed to keep the mental state stable that took around two months and prepared a time table for myself. For studies, I allotted three hours during school days and six hours in the holidays and followed it strictly because I was serious regarding the future. Since I was very weak in understanding the concept and memorising the formulae, especially in Mathematics (that too in trigonometric formulae and theorems), I had to work hard.
In the examination, because of anxiety and nervousness, I could not score well. I was very upset with my marks but I was surprised when the teachers appreciated me for my hard work. They told me that if I continued my hard work, my marks would definitely improve one day. Though I prepared well for my exams, due to lack of self-confidence, all vanished from the brain. The reason behind this was the comparison done by my brain itself between me and my friends, classmates, etc. in terms of marks and the way of preparation.
Be mentally strong
My next goal was to make myself mentally strong. For this, I had to think positive to gain some confidence. The nervousness, fear, and anxiety had to be replaced by the appreciation which I got in the competitions of handwriting, essay and even in the paintings. The best way to remove negativity from the brain is to recognise previous achievements. It is not obvious that you’ll always succeed in domains in which others are getting success. Every individual consists of unique talent, we just need to recognise our talent and work on it.
In high school examinations (board exams), I held the third position in the school. I really felt motivated and filled with joy. In 12th standard, I did not join any coaching centre, not even for a single subject despite having opted for PCM. I just wanted to analyse my capabilities and didn’t want to depend on anyone. However, I used to hear of board exams that some year, question papers are too tough. This would create anxiety and stress ultimately leading to lots of queries in my mind about how I would prepare for board exams on my own.
Be consistent
Sometimes I took help from my sister but it did not prove to be beneficial, as the exam pattern, as well as syllabus, changed a lot since her board exams. I solved lots of previous year question papers and standard textbook questions. Due to my constant hard work and dedication, I cleared my secondary school examination with first division. All my teachers, friends, and relatives appreciated me for my determination towards studies and that too on my own.
I remember another incident which is related to my graduation. In the fourth semester, I lost my scholarship by just 0.1 CGPA. The topper of my batch was having 9.3 CGPA and I secured 9.2 CGPA. It happened the previous semester too and at that time the difference was 0.07 CGPA only. I realised how much even one mark matters for your scholarship, securing any seat for admission, and clearing cut-off marks in any competitive exams, etc.
Divert yourself from negativity
I was living in a single room in PG and was very depressed regarding my future. As we know that depression creates lots of negativity and disturbs our mental state, it must be removed as soon as possible so that any mishappening can be prevented. On such occasions, I kept myself calm by giving timing to hobbies and talking to my family. This helped me recognise my previous appreciation and my progress to date. Doing this, I isolated myself from negativity and performed constant hard work which resulted in securing scholarships in my college.
If you analyse your interest then work on it. Keep yourself away from negativity, just remember one thing, you are a unique person consisting of a talent that others do not have. You just need to work hard, have faith in yourself, utilise the time efficiently, rest the world will see the history you create.
About the Author:
Samarth Agarwal is pursuing B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from ICFAI University, Dehradun. He is doing research work on 5G antennas and has published one research paper in a UGC approved journal. He is also a content writer and freelance antenna designer.
