Vedangi Thakkar
Vedangi Thakkar, a Commerce topper from Udgam School, Ahmedabad is here to pass on her wisdom. Though this young achiever considers studies as her priority, you will be relieved and happy to know that she never shied away from watching TV shows and movies. She is a hard core reader and loves listening to music. She loves crime series and romance books. She is very inclined to social work and has volunteered at an NGO for a month. She hadn’t kept up with her co-curricular activities but she strongly encourages everyone to do something outside of academics. She is a true topper in the sense that she has no qualms in accepting her weaknesses of being shy and nervous. She took time to open up. But once she did, this young girl bloomed into a true winner. And now she is here to guide you on your way to success.
What role did your school and parents play in your achievement?
>> The school was the main reason for my success. Often, it happens we hide away from the school authorities and the same was partly true in my case. But, gradually I learnt to rely on the teachers, seek out their help, confide in them, use the help they were so ready to give me. My parents, actually were the ones that contributed to keep me calm in this storm. I am a nervous wreck before exams. They always told me to study to my expectations and to study in a manner that at the end of the day, I could tell myself I did enough. They always told me that if I could answer that, they were fine with me failing too. In academics they taught me to live up to only and only my expectation.
Students consider physical health as well-being but winners like you that well-being is a broad concept which includes good brainpower too. Any specific tips you would like to share for boosting the brainpower and improving concentration and memory?
>> Knowing your comfort zone is the best way to get to your best. Every student has a different way
of studying. It is necessary for us to recognise ourselves and do what feels right for us. For example, Studying maths in a room alone, along with loud music helped me concentrate and figure out things.
Most students label ‘lack of time’ as the main hurdle on their road to success. But your results show that you surely know how to manage your priorities and create a balance in your life. Can you share some tips regarding how you prioritise your life and make the most of your time?
>> Boards and exams feel overleaped at the end. But, they do require their fair share of effort. It takes a lot of your head-space especially in those last few months. My biggest benefit was I knew how to divide my time, I had watched TV shows and movies throughout this period. It turned out good for me because not only was that my comfort zone (something that kept me fresh and happy), but I also had to set my own boundaries to it. Say, I would watch stuff at home not at the theatres, have an exact time on which I should be doing a particular thing. I did not follow the schedule like a perfectionist but, the boundaries were flexible enough that they allowed me to be a little greedy. Priorities should be studies at the time that’s for sure but it is equally important to do something that you like. Everybody needs a motivator or a boost and the biggest mistake we as students make is stopping these things that give us the rush to do something we planned since so long.
How did you overcome exam related stress and anxiety? What were your stress busters?
>> To be truthful, I was that child who cried before exams because of the high anxiety and the need to do good in exams. But, I knew and I accepted this flaw in me before my boards and so I had promised myself not to cry during the exams ever again. I trained myself to control my stress and not burst out for two prelims and finally succeeded with it in the final boards. It was a self decision which I had never shared out loud. It is about having self targets, little things that I wanted to improve in myself. This was a bigger achievement for me than anything else because it matters when you learn to listen to yourself and do something that is not on the paper but a part of you building up. Music and chocolates were the material that helped me be calm. Listening to my family and friends blabber about things and trying to join in the chatter and forget about that tensed voice in your head, laughing for a few seconds and just not think too much helps.
Achievers tend to lead an organised life. How do you deal with clutter and ensure that it doesn’t come in way of your success march?
>> Planning and making a time table at the start of the day was the best way for me. I never could plan long term. I always kept my plans short and achievable. I never consulted or shared my way of studying with more than one person. Always having that schedule kept me on my toes. Even if I did not follow the plan for the day, it motivated me to become a bit better the next day. It pushed me to live up to my plans and expectations. It was all a fight within to do what needs to be done to give you the peace of mind. The clutter is always an illusion I believe in having a checklist in your diary and ticking off things one by one. Its a huge relief to know that once you start, the clutter isn’t what hefty work you thought it was.
Little things make big difference. And exam day is rightly called the D-Day. Any specific things you kept in your mind while giving your exams?
>> I am a quiet person. So, on D-Day I tried talking to my family to feel a little normal and let go. Sitting in exam hall giving yourself a pep-talk that you did all you could, now no going back. Telling myself to never keep expectations and letting it turn out the way it does helped. In the hype of exams, everybody has a habit of discussing what they wrote in the paper. I ran away from such people, because there is no point in beating yourself up for something that is done. I remembered to give myself a little treat after each exam I cleared.
Lastly, I would like to say that nobody’s way is perfect. I was never expecting these results. I didn’t know what lied ahead of me. Don’t try to figure it out this second. Let it go how it does. Just be answerable to yourself and be satisfied with that.
~ Priya Sarin
priya[at]thestudentsdigest.com
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