‘ My study pattern helped in emerging best graduating student’
With a Cumulative Grade Point Average ( CGPA) of 4.76, Aruoriwo Inegbedion, came tops among 22,174 others to emerge as the best graduating student at the 13th convocation ceremony of National Open University of Nigeria ( NOUN). In this interview with OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, the mother of three shared how she was able to navigate the home front, work, and academics to emerge NOUN’S overall best. Congratulations on your emergence as the bestgraduating student. Did you see it coming?
NOT at all. I was just aiming for the best, not this. I didn’t see this coming. I just wanted to be the best I could be. I didn’t expect it to happen this way. come to this extent.
What did you do differently?
I studied, normally, I’m a book person but I played too. I tried to mix things up. What helped me was that I had a timetable to guide me while studying. Once the semester started, I checked my courses and drew a timetable to guide me throughout the period. I tried as much as possible to study two courses a day to cover five days in a week, while used my weekends for other things- focus on family and other personal stuffs I needed to take of. So, I believe that the study pattern helped me. That is, creating a study schedule and not missing out on that schedule. If at any time I missed out on the study schedule, I ensured that I covered up.
If, for instance, I was supposed to study for two hours but because my baby was crying or one of my children was sick, I could not, I would have to make out time to cover that lost period.
Because the study materials are bulky, it is not easy to just pick and read without coming up with a study pattern. Sometimes you have up to 300 pages, so without a study pattern, there is no way one would study textbooks that are up to 300 pages in a few weeks, and questions are set from page one to the end.
While studying, I took notes and summarised each chapter. So, during exams, I didn’t have to read the full textbooks again. I only read the key points and short notes I developed for myself because they are mainly key points, I could go through within 30 to 40 minutes.
As a mother of three, how did you cope?
It was not easy. I studied at NOUN Fugar Community Study Centre in Edo State. My husband is also from Edo State. There were times I had to be in the rain. There were times when my husband had to take me to school during the rainy season because I had exams at eight in the morning.
There was a time he had to tell the children to wait so he could take me to school. And it’s like a 40- minute drive. So, the children had to stay at home until he dropped me off and came back to pick them up because of the rain. They went to school late that day.
There were times I had challenges in paying my fees, downloading my course materials online or doing my clearance. But despite these problems, I remained focused and refused to be distracted. When I look back at these challenges, I just laugh and glorify God. In fact, there was a time I missed a semester due to a lack of funds to register, but because of the flexibility of NOUN, I resumed my studies when I became buoyant. If you don’t have money, nobody will pursue you. So long as you are a student, when you are able, you can come back to register and continue. I didn’t stress myself or my husband. I allowed the semester to roll by, came back the following semester and continued.
How did you unwind in the midst of this?
I am a movie, novel, and music person. I love good gospel music to be exact. I like dancing and relaxing with my children. So, as much as possible, aside from my academic materials, I tried to stay in touch with the latest movies. I love foreign movies a lot. I cannot read from morning till night. The brain does not work that way. That’s why the saying ‘ all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’
I am not the type of parent who feels that from one term to the end, the children should read all through. No, they can play and watch movies during holidays. That has always worked for them. And I feel it is balancing the learning process. Because learning is not all about reading, you have to study your environment, learn from your environment and do other things as well.