Final exams evaluate students' studies in class. If you don't study hard the whole year, you will have to cram for your exams in just a few days. And you might fail. Fortunately, you can retake your exams again and again until you pass.
But in real life, we may not be able to redeem our past. Life's exams may pass by and never return. We feel bad if we don’t do our best.
We know that life isn't usually easy, and it's not like a school exam. It may be a lot harder, and most of the time we have no time to prepare.
What should we do? The answer is to always do our best.
Kawiya Veerasethakul,
Udon Thani
That sounds like a good philosophy to me, Kawiya. It's true that life is tough and not always fair. It's also true that we're far less likely to look back with regret at the things we at least tried to do — even if we fail. Failure is a natural part of life, and how we deal with that is equally as important as how we deal with success. You see a lot of terrible people who have never learned what it's like to fail. The best people you'll ever meet are the ones who try their hardest and keep going even when they're not as successful as they might have hoped. Keep working hard. — Editor
DECISION MAKING
My nickname is Tee. This year, I have to start making decisions for my IGCSE options for next year.
Sometimes deciding and making up my mind is quite difficult, especially when advisers suggest that I can choose whatever I want. The best thing for me is to reduce the options.
I'm not going to go with the ones I dislike in particular. That way I'll finally go with my favourites or the ones that I feel OK about.
Teera Siribunsuk,
Bangkok
Well, the process of elimination is as good a method as any I suppose, Tee. If you know what you don't like, at least you know not to waste time studying that. But I'd advise you to think about what you like the best — rather than what you don't like the most. Pick the thing you're most likely to be passionate about. If you're really interested in a particular subject or field, the less likely it is that studying it will feel like work. The luckiest people around are the ones working in fields that they like so much that their work doesn't feel like work at all. Good luck. — Editor
SOPHOMORE SENIOR
Next semester, I will be a sophomore. I feel a bit nervous because I have to mentor freshmen who are new to the university.
I will give good advice to them when they have problems with university life. And I'll actually take care of them. I'm afraid that I won't do this very well, but I will try to do as much as I can.
Phanatha Wanjan,
Bangkok
Don't be nervous, Phanatha. You've obviously given this a lot of thought, which lets me know that you'll do well. Just do your best to make the incoming freshmen feel as safe and at ease as you wanted to be when you started out. You're at the "pay it forward" part of your university experience. Hopefully you had people who were kind to you when you started out, so return that favour to the new kids when they come in. With any luck, they'll pass that on to the next batch of freshies when it's their turn. Don't worry, I know you'll be a great mentor. — Editor
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