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Students- Let's Achieve Great Things

An article written for all students, an updated version of the one written for Student Brands.


At this point in the year, many students are unable to see the reason as to why they should pursue the journey of studying hard or doing well. It is the point at which a great amount of students question whether the work ahead of them is worth it- this article aims to explain to such students why it is worth it.

I believe that everything in life is a 50/50. Everything has equal chance to either make or break us, and seeing as the ‘make’ side of it is highly beneficial for us, why not let things “make” us?

A good example to follow and something that I truly believe many can relate to, is my own performance at secondary education level. As a student who loved school and did exceptionally well in certain grades, I still only managed to obtain a matric failing to carry a single distinction at the end of 2013, which made me distraught and highly disappointed in myself. But I knew that I could either let this break me or make me.

The latter was my without-a-doubt choice.

To shorten the story, I am now a second year law student at the University of South Africa and during my first year I obtained 7 distinctions.

This is not something I feel is necessary to mention to gain attention- no, it is something I feel is worth mentioning simply because I know that many matriculants who may be reading this article are in the same position I was in. That being, you love school and you do well enough, but just not as well as you would like to do. Although I acknowledge the amazing support of my family that I had, I would like to be the person writing an article I wish I could have come across and read when I was in matric.

Therefore, the moral of my story is not to do badly in matric and expect to do well in University. On the contrary, do your absolute best and allow the results to show. Accept these results, and have a clear plan of action for yourself. Performing averagely in matric does not limit your ability to perform extraordinarily well in university. Just like one bad hair day does not necessarily mean a following 5 bad hair days.

As for students who are already in university, such as myself-

(High school students should continue reading as well)

It has become clear to me that a great deal of members of society often pose the incredibly illogical question being "why study when you can get a job straight away and never study a day in your life?"

Although you may be, just as I am, supported by your family members and friends 100% with regards to you studying, it is safe to say that many of us will encounter random individuals questioning our academic dreams and goals. My response to the above mentioned ludicrous question is:

The reason as to why we want to study is to, besides the obvious aims of acquiring extensive knowledge in a specified area, secure our futures. Secure the life we will have with a family of our own one day. We study because the ancient saying that makes the rounds via pictures on social media each and every day is something that has found a permanent place in all of our minds- "Knowledge is power"- Sir Francis Bacon. There we have it, knowledge is power, and how else are we supposed to acquire knowledge by drifting through life not doing or accomplishing anything?

The people who ask the question above mostly expect to have careers, be employed by academically qualified individuals and work in specialised fields, all without the one primary prerequisite- knowledge. This idea of expecting to be employed by someone who possesses a great deal of knowledge when you yourself do not have the necessary knowledge does not make sense, now does it?

We are students. We study because we are hungry, hungry to go beyond the text books of secondary education; hungry to acquire enough knowledge to lead us into building our own thoughts and ideas. We want to continue through our studies, building our own ideas with the aim of having these ideas become paramount and valued in our respective fields of study and work. We want to positively add to the world and its knowledge base. We acknowledge the fact that, alone, we do not know everything, but that is why we have been provided with the means to help us learn everything. It is possible. If it weren't, we wouldn't have professors, scientists, and doctors. Primary knowledge is the basis upon which our own thoughts, concepts and ideas can be built. Knowledge builds knowledge.

If it weren't for the individual who came up with the recipe for plain vanilla cookies, the individual who came up with the idea of adding chocolate chips would never have had a basis upon which he could come up with this idea, and so the chocolate chip cookie would not exist.

This is my main answer for those who ask such questions. An answer I hope all who are reading this article will save a space for in their hearts and minds. One that will remind you of why exactly you study. It isn’t a waste; but a provision for your future.

We aren’t here to make a fast buck. The saying we, as students, prefer to live by, is: “You learn, then you earn”- Unknown. We are here to add to the world, not take away from it by embracing mediocrity. We will give our thoughts, our reasoning, our ideas and our knowledge, so that one day we can pass such knowledge onto younger generations.

As 2015 begins to settle in, many need to convince themselves to continue pushing forward through the long studying periods, back and neck pains from typical student studying positions, brain drain from excessive absorption of knowledge and writers block when trying to complete assignments- but we are students, embrace it, it’s part of the territory.

The motivation I can give to you all is to picture yourself not proceeding to your next year of study if you do not make this push. Picture yourself amounting to a lazy individual embodying mediocrity in its entirety- difficult to picture, right? Not something you want to picture, right? That is not you, though, and don't let it become you. Today is just a normal day, you are not lazy; you are not mediocre, if you push through. Today we are one step closer to greatness. The only limitation set for you is what you tell yourself you cannot do.

It is important to remember that greatness is achieved by little and consistent acts and to continue with what I call the 4 P’s: Passion, Persistence, Patience and Positivity.

This is our time, if we make it our time. You may be tired of the studying or assignment completing and dreading the upcoming exam preparations, but the rewards you will achieve will, by far, outweigh and outstay the tiredness you feel now.

 Words I tell myself: The tiredness may last a few hours, but the degree will last for a lifetime.


Instagram: slrgoncalves

Twitter: @SLR_Goncalves

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