Every session, thousands of Nigerian undergraduates set out to graduate with a first-class degree, and most of them never do. It is not usually because they lack intelligence. It is because nobody ever showed them what a first class actually requires day to day, beyond the vague advice to "read hard."
I graduated with a first-class degree in English and Literary Studies, and looking back, the difference between me and my coursemates was never raw ability. It was a set of habits I built early and kept consistent, even when I did not feel like it. Here is what actually worked.
1. Revise the same day you learn something
This single habit did more for my results than any exam-period cramming session. However tired I was after a long day of lectures, I made time to go over what I had learned before I slept, even if it was just ten minutes flipping through my notes.
Your brain holds on to information far better when you revisit it within hours, not weeks later. By the time exams came around, I was not learning new material under pressure. I was simply refreshing what my mind had already processed several times over.
2. Study the way your lecturer actually tests, not just the textbook
Textbooks are useful, but exams are set by lecturers, not authors. Pay close attention to what a lecturer emphasises in class, the examples they repeat, and the past questions they set. That pattern tells you far more about your exam than a chapter you have not been pointed to.
If a lecturer keeps returning to a particular theory or case study, treat it as a signal, not a coincidence.
3. Find a senior who has already taken your courses
You do not need to figure everything out alone. Somewhere on your campus is a final-year or graduated student who took the exact courses giving you trouble, wrote the same exams, and has notes and insight you will not find in any textbook.
Reach out respectfully, ask specific questions, and be willing to listen more than you talk. A single conversation with the right senior can save you weeks of guessing.
4. Ask questions before you assume
A lot of students lose marks not because they did not study, but because they misunderstood what a question or topic was actually asking. If something is unclear, ask your lecturer or a coursemate. Do not assume, and do not let embarrassment keep you quiet.
The student who asks a "simple" question in class is almost always ahead of the ones too shy to ask it.
5. Protect your rest as seriously as your reading
A first-class degree is not built by sacrificing your health or your sanity. Burnout will cost you more marks than an evening spent resting ever will. Eat properly, sleep enough, and give yourself permission to enjoy university life alongside your books.
Consistency beats intensity. A student who studies steadily for a reasonable number of hours every day will usually outperform one who disappears for marathon sessions and then burns out before exams.
6. Check in with yourself every week
Set aside time, even just twenty minutes, to ask yourself how the week went. Are you on track with your goals for the semester? What slipped? What needs to change before it becomes a pattern?
Small, regular check-ins catch problems while they are still small. Waiting until the semester is nearly over to notice you have fallen behind rarely ends well.
7. Build something outside your CGPA
Grades open doors, but they rarely open them alone. When I graduated, it was an article I had written as an undergraduate, not my first-class result on its own, that got me my first real opportunity. Employers and scholarship panels increasingly want to see what you have actually done, not just what you scored.
Volunteer somewhere connected to what you want to become. Join organisations where you can take on real responsibility. Start building a portfolio now, even in small ways, so you are not starting from zero after graduation.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours should I study daily to get a first class?
There is no universal number. What matters far more than hours logged is consistency and whether you are revising material the same day you learn it, rather than the total hours you spend staring at a book.
Is CGPA the most important thing for getting a job in Nigeria?
No. A strong CGPA helps, especially for graduate schemes with a cut-off requirement, but employers increasingly weigh experience, writing samples, portfolios, and demonstrated skills alongside your result, not instead of it.
Can I still have a social life and graduate with a first class?
Yes, and you probably should. What separates first-class students from burnt-out students is rarely how much fun they had. It is whether their study habits were consistent enough that they did not need to sacrifice everything else to catch up.
