In my past articles I have in many occasions addressed the delicate issue of truancy and how it can be detrimental to one's studies in campus. But I'm surprised at how many people still decided to give me a deaf ear.
In our class for example there are people who can never attend classes even if the lecturer is as strict as a major in the army, and no matter how dire the ramifications are.
For a long time now lecturers have been cultivating a plethora of sly lies in the minds of students that the more often you attend classes the higher your chances of doing well in exams. That narrative however, is untrue, stereotypic and ought to be withdrawn.
You can be a regular class attendee and still fail miserably. Attending class also require high level of attentiveness which many lack.
If you are a perennial class absentee all is not lost for you. The following are the five things you can do to get an easy pass in an exam without stressing yourself into attending strings of lectures.
Attend group discussions
Group discussion is the most potent weapon to guard against dangers of truancy in campus. Simply because what you are taught by your classmates and is discussed in pairs tend to stick better in our minds than what is taught by lecturers in class. If attending lectures somehow burdens you make sure you join an active group discussion composed of geeks alone.
And mark you I said geeks alone because if you join a group where most of the members are jokers, chances of you benefiting will be very minimal. Almost zilch.
It is also advisable that if you are practising truancy you should not stick to one group discussion group. Join as many as you can. Education is a kind of energy flow trophic level taught in secondary school biology. From the time taught in class no student understand a concept one hundred percent. 70 goes to the geeks, 30 percent shared equally among the average minds in class.
Befriend a Nerd
There is always that person who attends all classes, sits in front in class and answers almost every question posed by the don. This is the type of person you should consider forging ties with.
This person probably knows all those difficult calculus sums the lecturer failed to solve in class.
If you make friend with a nerd he will be calling you over to his room from time to time for some remedial classes.
A nerd is a bookwormer and he'll be willing to teach you everything the lecturer taught in class.
Someone once said that "The choice of your friend shapes you." so if you make friend with a nerd you may end up becoming a nerd and stop missing classes.
Transnight like a Night Runner
Here the trick very simple. Borrow notes from your fellow students, copy them and spend the whole night reading them. You will be far much better than the person who just went to class and sat for a two hours lecture wrote notes and never gave a damn to read them thereafter.
Prayers
Seek divine intervention to solve this problem. Truancy is not normal. Idling around university for four subsequent months doing nothing is a matter of urgency.
So make sure you attend revival meetings, morning devotion, every Saturday and Sunday service, don't miss the fortnight keshas.
This will not help bolster your self-confidence but also will allay any anxiety that causes exams phobia.
Cheat (At your own risk)
Truant students are perversely lazy. So if you still find it difficult to practice any of the above mentioned tricks then cheating in exams remain your only option.
Students have devised so many ways of cheating that it even baffles the invigilators. You can scribble a small sheet of 'mwakenya' or sit next to a nerd where you will have an overview of his work, also known as 'giraffing'. Still you can consider sneaking your phone in the exam room. But as you do all these make sure the exam invigilator does not catch you in the act. I bet you know the repercussions. You will not like to be discontinued,will you?
In conclusion I'd like to add that anything short of the above mentioned tricks is nothing but committing academic suicide. It's more like an Al-Quieda suicide bomber trying to kamikaze the white house knowing very well that he will be killed before executing his madcap scheme. Ignore any of the mentioned tricks and we can bet that you will be placing your academics in jeopardy.
Have a truancy semester, won't you?
Written by Ben Mugambi
Well informed
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