What's your secret to academic success?

The American University of Sharjah (AUS) celebrated the achievements of 435 of its most distinguished students at an Annual Honours Convocation recently.

The students were those on the Dean's List as well as those on the Chancellor's Distinguished List. To qualify for on the Dean's List, students must have achieved a semester grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher during the Fall 2005 semester or the Spring 2006 semester.

For on the Chancellor's Distinguished List, a student must have been named not only in the Fall 2005 Dean's List, but also in the Spring 2006 Dean's List and have maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above.

Notes spoke to some of the high achievers and got them to tell us the secret of their academic success.

Chancellor's Distinguished Student

Name: Lamiyah Zulfiqar
Major: English Language and Literature
Year: Junior

What is the secret of your success in studies?
Secret of my success? Going to classes and paying attention. I think that's 90 per cent of the work down.

How far do you believe your academic success will help give you a headstart in life?
Academic success goes down well with employers because they are more likely to shortlist an applicant with a good academic record. But more importantly, it has made me a more confident person so I'm able to project myself better.

Chancellor's Distinguished Student

Name: Salin Abbas
Major: Finance and Management
Minor: Economics and International Studies
Year: Senior

The secret of your academic success is …
Most of you will hate me for this... but attendance. I try not to miss any classes, since most of my learning takes place in class. If I focus and participate actively along with taking relevant notes, I find it very easy to study for exams, sometimes it is not even necessary to spend a lot of time studying, when you can recall class discussions. Plus for me, university is not just about academics. Being very active in extracurricular activities ensures that I am not bored with university, which indirectly helps me to focus better at academics.

How far do you believe your academic success will help give you a headstart in life?
I just believe it opens doors. Many people have told me that your GPA is not important, but I think a good GPA shows your commitment to academic life at university. Though I too think a perfect GPA without developing your overall personality does not get you far in life, a good GPA does open doors initially.

Chancellor's Distinguished Student

Name: Samyuktha Shenoy
Major: Mass Communication (Public Relations),
Minor: Governmental Studies
Year: Junior

The secret of your academic success is …
I believe that hard work and a systematic approach to studies is the only way to go.

Right from my school years, I have been advised that the harder you work, the luckier you get and that has been my guiding philosophy ever since!

Can academic success give you a headstart in life?
Academic success is a stepping stone to achieving any ambition in life. Grades are not the only indications of success, but working towards good grades and achieving them lays the foundation and builds confidence to fulfill all your dreams!

Chancellor's Distinguished Student

Name: Shabbir Habil Shaikh
Major: Bachelors in Business Administration (Accounting and Management)
Year: Junior

The secret of your academic success is …
Secrets are not supposed to be told! Well, there is not any particular secret to my academic success. It is just that you need to concentrate on what is taught in your lectures and also prepare for the examinations beforehand.

Can academic success give you a headstart in life?
Secrets are not supposed to be told! Well, there is not any particular secret to my academic success. It is just that you need to concentrate on what is thought your lectures and also prepare for the examinations before hand.

Chancellor's Distinguished Student

Name: Murtaza Nanji
Major: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing and Management)
Year: Junior

What is the secret of your academic success?
Nice question. I don't really know the answer but I think it is a combination of hard work, dedication, love for learning and my mom's prayers

Can your academic success help give you a headstart
in life?
I actually do not care about the grades that I get.
But I do believe that academic learning helps you in your professional life.

Specially for me, I want to start my own business and I really believe that whatever I am learning at college will help me in building my career.

— The writer is a business administration student at the American University of Sharjah

High-achieving juniors

Top-scoring juniors in the Measure of Academic Proficiency and Progress exam were also felicitated.

The exam, administered on an annual basis by AUS, is an internationally administered university-level exam that measures students' levels of reading, writing and mathematics proficiency, as well as their critical thinking abilities, in the context of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.

The students honoured had scored above the 98th percentile on this exam.

The six students recognised were Jamal Al Mawed, Abdul Rahman Al Mahmoud, Mafaz Mohideen, Arafah Ghadeer, Asif Javaid and Roland Shine.

Students who won the University of Wollongong Dubai's scholarships for 2006 were honoured recently. UmmeSalma Mujtaba spoke to some of them

The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) recently felicitated recipients of its 2006 scholarships and those who made it on to the Dean's Merit List.

The students were honoured at a ceremony attended by parents, students and faculty at the university's auditorium on campus at Dubai Knowledge Village.
Professor Nick van der Walt, CEO of UOWD, addressed the gathering.

The scholarships are available for the normal duration of the programme, subject to satisfactory academic progress, which will be reviewed annually.
Notes spoke to the winners.

Emirati Leadership Scholarship

Name: Fatima Al Hashemi:
Programme: Masters in Quality Management

"I've been involved in federal e-government projects. My family is very proud of me today. I feel time management is key to success. This scholarship means a commitment to more hard work."

Outstanding Academic Excellence Scholarship

Name: Bushra Yakoub
Programme: Bachelors in Computer Science

"As freshmen I believe this is the hard work of years that has paid off… my secret is… I enjoy studying and I consider myself to be an all-rounder. I think students should focus on an all-round approach and give time to extracurricular activities as well."

Outstanding Academic Excellence Scholarship

Name: Rumana Sadekar:
Programme: Bachelors in Business Administration

"I've always been hard-working, all the way from school. I think competition motivates a person and at UOWD, we face a competitive environment."

Outstanding Academic Excellence Scholarship

Name: Tanja Bornmann
Programme: Masters in Quality Management

"Students should focus on giving their best always. As a matter of fact, in everything we do, we should give it our best."

Outstanding Sports Achievement Scholarship

Name: Ameen Fikri
Programme: Masters in International Business

"I am very excited that finally sports is being acknowledged. But my advice to all students is studies first and sports afterwards. Students must find time for sports and keep to succeed in education."

South African Business Council Scholarships

Name: Waldo Steyn
Programme: MBA

"I am delighted with the scholarship and it would help me with continuing my education. I have received this scholarship because of community services that I was part of when I was in South Africa. All I want to say is try and help people and contribute to your society as much as you can."

Humanitarian and Community Scholarship

Name: Amnah Yalwan
Programme: Masters in Strategic HRM

"I have always been active in community work and I feel as students we should all value our society and be part of community welfare programmes."