How I Found Humor in Academics and Became an Unexpected Topper

 

Dear Friends,

Today, I’m writing this post without sticking to a specific topic, just sharing a bit about myself. I like to think of myself as a humorous person, someone who can find the funny side in almost anything—be it situations, people, or even strict teachers. Have you ever wondered why a teacher tends to be strict in class? I sometimes think it’s their way of getting back at us because their teachers did the same to them. Just a little humorous thought, right?

I also love chatting with multiple people at once, usually around four to six. You might wonder why, but it really helps me think on my feet. It sharpens my decision-making skills because I have to respond quickly without making mistakes. This habit has proven to be quite useful in many areas of my life.

Let me share a personal experience from my first year of college. I had a professor who was the head of my department, and she always seemed to believe that I was a dedicated student. Every time she asked questions in class, I would answer them correctly—about 98% of the time. She and the entire class thought I was studying day and night, but the truth was far from it. I did my homework regularly, though sometimes I delayed it. When the first semester exams came around, I managed to score the highest in my class. This only reinforced her belief that I was a diligent student.

Then came the second semester, and to everyone’s surprise, I topped the professor’s subject across the entire university. But things started to change when the second year began. I didn’t feel the same urge to complete her homework, and my grades began to slip. She started scolding the entire class, but particularly me and a close friend. This is when I realized that being a topper comes with its own set of challenges—constant pressure and expectations from teachers and family. It made me see that the burden of being at the top is often heavier than people think.

Now, let me tell you how I managed to top my first year without following the traditional “study 6 hours a day” routine. I never studied daily, and I didn’t start preparing until 14 to 15 days before the exams. My approach was to study smart, not hard. I focused on the syllabus and the question paper pattern, which served as my study guide. For instance, if the syllabus included four essays and I knew that only two would appear on the exam, I would study just those Three essays thoroughly. I applied this strategy to all my subjects. Instead of reading the full texts of poems, prose, or essays, I would study their summaries.

One of my secret weapons was ChatGPT. I would break down the content into smaller parts and ask ChatGPT to create short, point-based summaries. This method was incredibly effective because our brains prefer smaller tasks over larger ones. My first trick is to use small points for understanding rather than full summaries. While searching on Google for summaries isn’t bad, it can be time-consuming and easy to forget. But if you focus on the key points, they tend to stick in your mind—at least long enough for the exam.

I hope you enjoyed my post. This is my first highly personalized blog, and I’m excited to share more like this in the future. 

Thank you for visiting my post!🙏