Academic excellence is overrated! I said it. Being top of your class does not necessarily guarantee that you will be at the top of life. You could graduate as the best student in Finance but it doesn’t mean you will make more money than everybody else. The best graduating Law student does not necessarily become the best lawyer.

Academic excellence is the  most pursued and appreciated investment in our society today. Yes it is because its reaps are great. But do we know that not everyone is academically gifted.Are we aware that there are very intelligent people who scored low in academics but shine in other areas?

Academic excellence is the most popular way to rank the peoples ability in the society, that why we credited it all the glory. All we need to know is that besides the academics, people are doing well in other areas in the society.

To sum it all, professor Micheni of Maasai Mara University had this to say. I will directly quote his words hoping will serve as an encouragement to a Kid, a Mother, a father or a University student somewhere.

Professor Micheni words

“Academic excellence is overrated! I said it. Being top of your class does not necessarily guarantee that you will be at the top of life.

You could graduate as the best student in Finance but it doesn’t mean you will make more money than everybody else. The best graduating Law student does not necessarily become the best lawyer.

The fact is life requires more than the ability to understand a concept, memorize it and reproduce it in an exam. School rewards people for their memory. Life rewards people for their imagination. School rewards caution, life rewards daring. School hails those who live by the rules. Life exalts those who break the rules and set new ones.

So do I mean people shouldn’t study hard in school? Oh, no, you should. But don’t sacrifice every other thing on the altar of First Class. Don’t limit yourself to the classroom. Do something practical. Take a leadership position. Start a business and fail. That’s a better Entrepreneurship 101. Join or start a club. Contest an election and lose. It will teach you something Political Science 101 will not teach you. Attend a seminar. Read books outside the scope of your course. Go on missions and win a soul for eternal rewards… Do something you believe in!

Think less of becoming an excellent student but think more of becoming an excellent person. Make the world your classroom. Step forward try politics, try business, try an extra thing great person.”

I believe a school provides a platform to lean, not only academics. Following the introduction of new curriculum in Kenya, we expect a more result oriented education than we ever had.