3 Ds for Academic Excellence

By Mukalele Rogers

During the 67^th Graduation Ceremony at Makerere I graduated from Makerere University with an outstanding CGPA of 4.91 in Bachelor of Information Technology – emerging as the best science student of the 67th congregation. I would like to share the factors which led to my outstanding Excellence.

In my opinion, the factors to Excellence in academics can be defined in three Dimensions ‘3D’. In this case, 3D stands for Determination, Discussions and Divine Blessing.

Determination

From the first semester, I started the course with a strong determination to excel. My target was to get above 90% in every test or exam. To achieve this, I had to actively attend all lectures without fail, ask and answer questions in class – there by cultivating a positive impression with the lecturers. I kept focused by reading ahead to ensure I can answer questions in class.  I had to go an extra mile and sacrifice time and money in order to ensure all assignments are done in time right. I desisted from copying other students work or hiring others to do work for me. I believed in myself that I could do it – including writing code for all my programming projects. This Do-It-Yourself attitude even during group work helped me to gain practical skills which many students usually miss out due to negligence. Determination is the key.

Discussions

I realized that reading alone without discussing what you read with classmates does no good. I therefore took it upon myself to teach others what I have read, and this helped me to master the concepts better. During discussions, different views are brought forward and new ways of solving challenges are discovered. I chose the company of focused students who gave their academics priority over other things, and avoided things like betting, unhealthy relationships, movies and businesses which could have limited the time I allocated to academic programs like discussions. Many of the students who could dodge discussions ended up getting lower grades but all group mates who were consistent realized improved results in the end.

Divine Blessings

I couldn’t have succeeded without God’s blessing /Approval.  There are many other factors which were beyond my control as a human, which I had to entrust with God. There is a semester I almost missed doing the final exams because I had failed to clear tuition. I prayed and God used a number of people to bless me, even during those times I was almost giving up at campus. Usually at campus, many students go astray by involving themselves into ungodly behavior such as alcoholism, drug abuse, promiscuity and theft, which puts their life in danger. We started as a big class but a number of students dropped out due to one reason or another. I didn’t reach this far on my own strength, but by God’s will. As it is written in the Holy Bible, If the LORD had not been on our side, …the enemies would have overpowered us. (Psalm 124:2).

To all students seeking to excel, Work hard, Keep in good company and Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).