Fighting the Second Semester Syndrome: 5 Top Tips for Excellent Performance

Haven’t you noticed that second semester results are usually poorer than first semester results?

Certain factors contribute to the ‘Second Semester Syndrome’, leading to poor results in second semesters.

In this article, we will be giving you 5 top tips to excel in your second semester. Keep reading to learn how to boost your grades by identifying the causes of poor performance and implementing our top tips for excellence. Even if you’re currently not in the second semester, you can read how to experience a juicy semester on the Smartbukites website.

What is the Second Semester Syndrome?

A syndrome, according to Merriam Webster refers to a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality or condition. In the academic context, we will define the ‘Second Semester Syndrome’ as a group of factors that cause general poor performance of students in their second semesters of study.

What Causes Poor Performance during the Second Semester?

Wondering why second semesters are generally characterized by poor performance? The reasons for this could be because Second Semesters:

Have a shorter duration:

While first semesters sometimes span up to 4 months (16 weeks, including exams), second semesters are usually shorter. This results in less time for lectures and practicals…

For some students, the semester is gone in a blink and they find it difficult to write and pass their exams due to this.

Involve many social activities:

In addition to the short duration, it is a common practice in Nigerian Universities for social activities to be organized during second semesters. Events like departmental week, Student Union Government elections and cultural performances are usually held in the second semester.

Hence, some students get carried away and fail to prepare for their tests and examinations.

Have fewer courses:

in most cases, the courses offered in the second semester are fewer than those of the first semester. This results in a heavier distribution of grade points. For example, getting an ‘F’ in 5 courses out of 7 will result in a poorer CGPA than having the same grades in 5 out of 10 courses. Check out our article on the 5-point grading system for a clearer understanding of this point.

You can also watch how to calculate CGPA on our YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Are affected by the results of the first semester:

First semester results are usually released during the second semester, around the mid-semester right? Well, it’s not surprising that Second Semester results are poorer, then!

Wondering why?

Well, 2 types of result outcomes are responsible for this – passing really well and failing woefully.

When a student passes exams beyond expectations, he or she might relax and not study much for the upcoming exam. Likewise, if a student fails badly, he or she might feel too depressed to study much!

How to Boost Performance during your Second Semester

Though not a new year or a new session, the second semester is still a chance to right your wrongs and meet new targets…

So why not make this semester better than the previous one(s)?

The best way to do that is by being smart.

Smart students already draft out a plan for their semesters ahead of time. Have you done that? If yes, congratulations!

If no, it’s still not too late to buckle up. Many students actually have the plan to perform better at the start of each semester, but find themselves retrogressing as the semester progresses. Most times, it’s when sounds of ‘an kafe,’ signifying the release of the previous semester’s results, rent the air that the reality of lost chances dawns on us.

5 Top Tips for Excellent Performance in the Second (and any other) Semester

If you don’t want to be part of the wheezing, fainting group of students at the departmental notice boards, you have to make an effort. Let’s get you started on the pathway to success. Agreed, the release of the  just-concluded first semester results might dishearten or make you ecstatic depending on your performance. However, keep it in mind that it’s  all in the past and it shouldn’t affect your current semester performance negatively. You’re quite capable of being the best, aren’t you?

If you performed well, don’t relax too much. Instead, strive to keep it up.

If your result turns out to be not too good, don’t remain dejected. Instead, buckle up!

For overall success in this semester and the next, here are key action points:

1. Define what Success means to you: what do you want to achieve?

At the start of any project or undertaking, make sure you define what you desire to achieve. It’s good to also have an image of the kind of success you would like to attain. Afterwards, keep the image in sight and never lose sight of it.

It is very important to avoid procrastination and engage in productive studying too!

2. Set The Right Goals. Don’t be Pessimistic or Obsessive

It’s often said that having low expectations helps one guard against disappointment. However, being too pessimistic may make one remain dissatisfied with all outcomes and even drain one of motivation.

On the other hand, being too obsessed with one’s goals might result in too much stress which may lead to exhaustion or even sickness. When you push yourself too hard without adequate rest, your brain could go into overdrive and actually lead to catastrophic results. So why not make things easy and study properly? Check out these top tips for studying right.

3. Prioritize wisely and Plan Actions

As a student, your timetable might not be friendly. Also, your courses might be quite dissimilar, especially at basic levels. Therefore, it’s important to schedule your time and plan your actions wisely. Be balanced; don’t thrive well in an area only to fail woefully in another equally important one.

As you begin this semester, have a look at all your courses and inspect their content. This will help in determining which courses need more study time than others. In case the order of priorities changes, feel free to make your schedule suit your study needs.

4. Review

At appropriate intervals, review your progress. Don’t wait until it’s C.A or Exam time before your understanding gets tested. Learning is a continuous process which needs disciplines. Therefore, try to test yourself even before the examiners do so. That way, you can effectively fix your lapses and improve.

You could even reward yourself for good performance! Such a wonderful source of motivation, right?

5. Keep Going

After getting started on this pathway to success, keep going!

It shouldn’t matter if it’s the First or the Second Semester, or whether the session is long or short. Plus, this applies to all aspects of life, not only when you’re a student at Bayero University, Kano.

Find your unique pattern and follow it, unaffected by unpleasant past or present results or distractions. Don’t be hindered by procrastination. Instead, march your way to excellence.

Smartbukites is ready to help you on your forward march. Even at the very beginning of the semester, reading materials are already available on our website. You can also have access to scholarship news and updates, articles, video tutorials, quizzes and so much more!

Valuable contributions are also highly welcome! Check out how you can become part of our ecosystem here.

Check out our social media handles and pages too!

Stay Smart!