Name: Nethra Natarajan Student of National Public school Secured: 98.2% Marks : 491/500 in Grade 12 School topper
Nethra is a very calm, quiet and composed girl. She is an amazing singer and mesmerises everyone with her voice.She has given solo Carnatic vocal performances in All India Radio and in temples. She plays many sports, watches and follows many international sports. Like music, she has a flair for learning languages.
Outside school curriculum she has been writing French exams at Alliance Francaise. She has cleared B1 level in French. She was the vice-captain of her house voyagers in grade 11 for the entire school which gave her an opportunity to groom her leadership skills.As house vice captain she guided her house to win the school championship trophy in sports and cultural .She is an allrounder and stands as an example of a great team leader.
Nethra’s Answers:
1. Have you set any goals during your 10th or 12th? If yes, do you write down your goals? Were your goals yours’s or your parents?
Yes, my goal in 10th was to do my best in my board exams. My goal in 12th is to do better than what I did in 10th.No the goals were mine but my parents always motivated me towards it .
2.What’s your insight on Hard work Vs Smart work?
I feel that one should always have the right balance between the two. They are mutually dependent. One must strive to work hard but in a smart way depending on their strengths and weaknesses.
3.How did you Manage exam stress? How did you handle your fears?
I always made sure I prepared for exams before hand and only kept revision to the last minute. Prior preparation helps me handle exam stress.
4. How many hours did you sleep during exam time?
I sleep for not less than 8 hours during exam time.
5..Were you allowed/permitted to use gadgets? If yes span of time?
Yes I was permitted to use gadgets. I used to use my gadgets for half an hour a day during exams and about an hour a day otherwise.
6..How conscious were you towards accessing it?
I never let the gadgets distract my study schedule. I only used it during break times and made sure I accounted for the time I spent on gadgets while planning my study schedule.
7. What was your self-talk/mindset when you faced challenges
I love taking up challenges in general. However, sometimes I used to get overwhelmed and intimidated by the challenge ahead of me. During those times I used to tell myself that whether I like it or not I have to get past this. So instead of worrying about it I should find a way to overcome it.
8. What’s one thing that motivated you to bounce back?
My parents have always been my constant source of motivation. I always share all my problems with them. They have always given me suggestions to improve and have been with me through all my challenges. Thus, the confidence that I have my parents and friends by my side to support me during all circumstances helps me bounce back.
9.Were you independent in studying, framing your time schedule or your parents guided you in the process?
I have been independent in studying from grade 3. I make my own study schedules as well but I ask my mother to go through it once for a second opinion. She has always guided me in this regard.
10.How many hours in a day did you spend towards preparation for board exams? Did you practice mock test and previous years papers?
During regular school days I spent about an hour or two a day. During the last two months of preparation I used to spend close to 8 hours a day on an average.
11.Are you an early riser? Do you have a physical exercise routine? If yes What is it?
Yes, I am an early riser. I am much more productive in the morning.I did not have a very regular physical exercise routine during my 10th, which I really regret now. I used to go for a jog once in a while and I went down to play badminton or TT with my friends whenever I was free. I plan to start a regular 30 minutes jogging routine from this year.
12.How did you manage your overwhelming feeling sometimes?
I always made sure I chatted with my friends and had fun regularly. My friends were my constant source of entertainment and talking to them helped me forget about all the stress I had with regard to studies.
13.What mantra or approach that you believe and follow in achieving your success path?
I believe that efforts speak louder than anything else. Results are not in my hands. Thus I always believed that I should put in all my effort and be satisfied with the amount of work. If I know I’ve prepared well that helps me write my exam confidently without any fear about the results.
14. How do you overcome focus, concentration and Memory issues?
I think having a goal from the very beginning is very important to ensure focus and concentration. I always aimed to do well in all my school exams as well, irrespective of how significant they were to my overall grade. I wanted to be consistent throughout the year so that I could build my confidence for the final exam. I think the short term goals of doing well in my unit tests ultimately helped me focus the entire year. With regards to memory issues, the only way to overcome it is to keep revising. But if you need to have time to revise, you need to finish studying earlier. I always planned my schedule in a way that I have my last week before exams just to revise. That really helped refresh my memory. Revising at least once or twice before exams is extremely important not only to ensure you remember, but also to build your confidence !
15. How did you handle your distractions i.e common issues?
I definitely did get distracted during many occasions, for eg texting friends, watching YouTube, etc. My parents noticed this but did not confiscate my phone because they told me that self control is extremely important. That’s when I realized that if something is taken away from me then I only tend to seek it even more. So when my parents left it up to me to overcome my distraction issues, I allocated some phone time everyday and made sure I don’t use it beyond the allocated time. If you sincerely follow a consistent schedule, there’s always time to relax and do other activities. I was on whatsapp even during my board exams. I think it’s about self control and knowing where to draw the line. There’s no need to completely shut yourself from every kind of distraction if your consistent with your studies. In fact it helps in providing a good relaxation. Just make sure it doesn’t let you slip from your schedule.
Priya Speaks about her experience
Nethra manages her academics on her own from a very young age. Initial few years was a struggle which reflected on her scores. As a parent, kept encouraging and motivating her to do better year after year. By the time Nethra reached high school she was a confident young teenager scoring very good marks in all the subjects with a strong foundation of the basics.
I am a socially active person in the community we live and this has never stopped or deterred Nethra from performing well in both academics and co curricular fields. As parents we ensured that her decisions are not influenced by our main stream profession. Economics, statistics and mathematics being her favourite subjects, she chose commerce stream in grade 11 and doing extremely well.
She is pursuing her passion – Carnatic music and French language learning along with her demanding academic schedule. She has cleared the junior grade Carnatic vocal music exam conducted by the state government. We sincerely wish and pray that she continues to work hard and achieve greater success and happiness blessed with good health and peace in life.
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