Vishruti Shah – AIR 3

Vishruti Shah, a proud alumnus of VIBGYOR HIGH, Goregaon West, Mumbai secured 99% and AIR 3 in the ICSE (Grade X) board examinations. Apart from academics, she loves dancing and has been pursuing Kathak for more than 6 years. She has been awarded as the best Kathak dancer in Saroj Khan Dance Academy. She also had the privilege to learn from pt. Birju Maharaj who is a maestro in dancing. She has performed in front of him numerous times, which is a big thing in itself. She was selected for the Marrs Spelling Bee Competition at an international level and received a 50k cheque for a spell bee competition. Her hobbies are quite varied and this enabled her to win many awards at viva for cupcake mania, spello-pedia and cake making and receive medals for basketball including a gold on the national sports day. This passionate young girl loves to paint and is an avid reader as well. She got an A grade in Elementary and B in Intermediate Examinations. In this interview to Priya Sarin, this young all-rounder who follows ted shows and enjoys watching certain motivational speakers like Jay Shetty, guides and motivates you on how make the most of your studies and excel in exams! Let’s learn from the best.

How did your school and parents help you achieve this feat?

>>     Vibgyor High as a school provides a very safe and conducive environment and helps us all bloom. It is a summation of creativity, productivity and knowledge. It tends to enthuse our confidence, empower our mind and enlighten us. It has a played a very significant role in our lives as it’s a nostalgic 14 year old journey. Moreover, all the teachers have been guiding pillars and have instilled confidence and discipline in me. All the teachers have supported me and given me extra practice sums as well as devoted a lot of time for extra lectures to bring the best in me. They had more faith in me than i had in myself. A very important and remarkable role has been played by my parents who have formulated and shaped me with optimism and hope. They have given me strength to attain the unattainable. They always created an ecstatic atmosphere at home without any pressure building up. They pushed me to soar to great heights and they were always there for me. My little brother also cooperated with me.

Any simple tips you would like to share for boosting the brainpower and maintaining mental well-being?

>>     One important tip for maintaining brainpower is eating healthy food especially walnuts and almonds. Learn to exercise for a while. It may be a sport or simply jogging which helps to rejuvunate and keep your mind fresh. Get enough sleep at night and wake up as early as possible. Set realistic goals (for eg-it could even be a scoring full marks in a school test), surround yourself with good company and value yourself and your integrity. You should always have an optimistic approach in life and you should not be affected with the obstacles that come in your way. In case you are facing any other issues it’s advisable to talk to your teachers or your parents and resolve it at the earliest.

Thanks to our hectic lifestyles, nowadays most people find it hard to prioritise their life. But your results show that you surely know how to keep your manage your priorities and create a balance in your life. Can you guide others on the same?

>>     Irrespective of your hectic schedule, you should always dedicate some time for self-study, your hobbies and your family and friends. It’s very important to make a weekly timetable on the first day of the week and allot some time to your family and friends as well as your hobbies maybe half an hour a day. It’s necessary to create a balance in life and manage your priorities. Sometimes you may find it difficult to adjust timings and squeeze in all your priorities but once you start doing it, everything will follow. One more important thing, don’t forget your parents in the midst of your busy routine devote some time for them and value and respect them always.

How did you deal with exam related stress and anxiety? What were your stress busters?

>>     Stress the word itself means pressure and tension which hampers our confidence and results. It’s necessary to deal with it very patiently and not let it affect our scores. We all face exam stress but the ones who overcome it emerge as winners. Even when you are anxious, stay calm and patient. Try to laugh and get away with it. Stressed spelled backwards is desserts so why not just enjoy and eat it up. My stress busters included painting and dancing as those things yielded pleasure to me. You should even treat yourself with things you like to relieve stress. Chocolate was my favourite stress buster. Talking to a friend or listening to songs will help you evade stress. Even playing your favourite sport changes your perspective and mood.

A common complaint among most students is that they find it hard to concentrate while studying. But obviously, you know how to study with focus. Any tips on the same?

>>     First of all, you need to concentrate in school as your teachers are supreme masters, try to stay away from all possible distractions like mobile phones, bad habits and the television. This will keep your mind focused and your concentration power will eventually increase. You can even play mind games like carrom, chess or sudoku in your free time which helps to sharpen the mind. Activate yourself and make up your mind. Moreover, train it in such a way that you don’t get distracted and disturbed by either your phone or a friend of yours who tells you not to study.

Some students are overconfident while others are under-confident. But toppers know how to maintain optimum confidence. How did you ensure that you stayed motivated and confident?

>>     You should be confident of your abilities, neither overconfident nor under-confident. You should be able to control your anger in times when someone tests your confidence. You should be able to know your strengths and weaknesses and work on them relentlessly. My parents were responsible for keeping me confident and my mother’s inspiring words rang in my ears as well as my spectacular mentors who kept me motivated. I would also like to mention that some of my low scores also boosted my confidence and made me strive to do better. It’s very important to be positive during your exams as it will help you write the paper effortlessly.

Good memory is vital for success in exams. How did you ensure that you are able to remember and recall what you have studied?

>>     A sharp mind with the ability to question and be clear helps you to score better. A fresh mind means a better memory so you must keep revising all that you have studied throughout the day as well as give your tests regularly which will help you know how much you know and how much you still have to study. It seems that if you revise the chapter 4 to 5 times you will never go wrong and you must also pay attention to English grammar rules and certain topics that you consider difficult. It is advisable to make a timetable and use your time effectively in revising your lessons and solving extra sums and papers.

Achievers tend to lead an organised life. How do you deal with clutter and organise your stuff?

>>      An organised mind helps you to stay away from clutter and confusion. It’s always a great idea to set your cupboard, and sort all the books subject-wise. Be more specific and keep loose sheets in a file so that they are not misplaced. I am very specific and particular in terms of books and I had a cupboard allotted for books and I used to make sure that I kept it neat and tidy. One should also be very punctual as time once lost cannot come back again. So along with maintaining proper books, sheets and keeping test papers carefully one should also keep everything safely and easily accessible.

Can you share a few study techniques and tips that you followed?

>>     Few most important study tips would be to start studying from the beginning and not keep anything for the end as you would have more time to revise and attempt papers. Do not procrastinate, do not compare yourself to others, do your best and revise your portion thoroughly. Read all your chapters numerous times, stay away from all possible distractions (i.e., mobile phone) and get up early to glance through your book. I followed a few tricks myself like getting up early, revising my chapters and praying to God. You need to be hardworking, determined and focused in order to achieve great feats. I would like to stress on the point that you must follow a proper study timetable and prioritise some time for leisure (i.e., laying, hobbies, going out). Have faith in yourself and give your exams with a relaxed mind. Chase your dreams and inch forward to your goal by each passing day.

Any specific things you kept in your mind while giving the exams?

>>     You must strictly follow the instructions given by your teachers with respect to the paper pattern. You should relieve all the stress and anxiety before the paper and enter the exam hall with a calm mind. You should leave questions that you don’t know for the end rather than wasting time on thinking about it, you should not let the fear of not knowing a single question, let it have an impact on the rest of your paper. Do not study at the last moment, be confident and tell yourself that you know everything and your paper will go very well. Be happy and do not answer questions people ask you before the paper as it might create confusion. Always decide the questions you want to solve if there are options during the reading time itself. Be wise in your choice of questions and calculate the time in which you need to complete your paper. Wear a watch on your hand so that you can keep a check on the time that is left for the paper to end. Do not waste time in attempting extra questions while use that time to recheck your paper and solve your errors. Try not to exceed the word limit in English. Be punctual and regular with studies and it will definitely lead to great results.

~ Priya Sarin
priya[at]thestudentsdigest.com

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