Scholarly advice: Etiquette to success

By Tuah Bin Nur Azman

As a student, I look at success in this way: the outcome of a coveted recipe that includes ingredients such as determination, hard work, smart work and even a good social network.

However, as time went on, with everyone vying to be deemed successful, one specific detail has been ignored by a vast majority of our society – The urgency to grab the opportunity before others do.

Now, what exactly does grabbing opportunities have anything to do with education etiquette?

Would you believe me if I told you that the biggest opportunity anyone can ever grab has already been offered to you every single day of your life? 

The opportunity to do things correctly with discipline, integrity and respect in all aspects of your life or in other words, education etiquette.

Determination & Discipline

We talk about having a clear goal and using discipline to work your way to that goal combined with the determination to push you through challenges and drive you to heights you never thought you could achieve.

To make things more clearer, determination and discipline can be broken down into three aspects:

1. Time management
   • Study schedules – aside from organisation, this ensures quality studying as well.
   • Priority list – evaluating and arranging tasks according to the level of importance or deadlines given allows better allocation of time and avoids last-minute rushes.
2. Consistency and focus
   • Eliminate distractions – put your phone aside, sit in a quiet room and let the studying begin.
   • Practice makes perfect – repeat everything that you’ve learned regularly to build up memory.
3. Resilience
   • Staying strong – bounce back from failures, learn from experiences and prepare a new mindset for the next day.

Respect

If one does not respect the people who help them through their journey or the things that gave them an upper hand, success in their shoes is considered useless and selfish. Respect can be shown in multiple ways, such as:

1. Listening attentively in class
   • Ears were made to give us the gift of hearing, so use them wisely and pay attention to the teachers speaking in front.
2. Acting humble and open-minded
   • Lets be honest – no one likes a smartypants. So bring that ego down a slight notch and embrace humility as well as other peoples’ opinions.
3. Practicing favourable manners
   • Place all your study material, notes, worksheets and textbooks on a golden pedestal above all else, and hold on to them as if you’re holding on to a lifeline.

Integrity

Out of all the aspects mentioned, Integrity is the one I favour the most. Not only does it teach me to be truthful, but it teaches me many lessons that push me up in life.

Success earned with integrity is the best type of success. It fills your satisfaction, giving you a glimpse that you did more than enough. On the other hand, something one considers to be a ‘loss’ caused by integrity is the best type of lesson anyone can ever experience.

Some examples are:

1. Say no to cheating
   • Exams can be tough, but that is absolutely not a reason to resort to cheating. No matter what, trust yourself and your own effort.
2. Homework Helper
   • Homework is a hassle, but take it as a learning opportunity rather than a chore. You’d be able to identify your weaknesses and work on them from there on.
3. Accepting reality
   • Success or failure are both valuable lessons one can garner in their lifetime. Not being brave enough to accept reality or rejecting reality holds a person back, crumpling one’s journey to reach their highest potential.

In short, education etiquette is essential for students to rise and become their best selves. Without education etiquette, what would education be?

Do NOT throw away your shot. Grab it and hold on to it, you never know what would come out of it.