so you want to be on the dean's list

Many undergraduates strive towards the Dean’s List, believing it to be vital to secure a high-paying job of their choice. We will explore some strategies to help you make the exclusive list or in the alternative, other ways to help you land your dream job!

How to get on the Dean’s List

First, as long as you are still an undergraduate, it is never too late to aim high and attempt to be on the Dean’s List. Every semester is a fresh chance to prove yourself. Forget past mistakes and look only to the future.

Getting on the dean’s list is a mixture of hard work, brains and strategy. It is not a coincidence that deans’ listers can be seen to be regular fixtures at the library. Hard work is necessary but strategy is often equally as important. A few tips to maximize your chances of scoring well include:

• Choose your classes carefully (including your personal aptitude and interest, seniors’ feedback, the professor and grading format etc.)
• Find out the grading criteria at the start of the class and work towards fulfilling every aspect
• Practice past year exam questions (as far back as you can find them!).
• For group work, make sure you choose your members well and if they are random, make sure everyone is organized and on the same page from day 1. You may also find that many things can be settled without in-person meetings (which are often huge time-wasters).
• Before the mad rush before the exams, it is a good idea to schedule a consultation session with your professor mid-course to address any questions that you have as well as pick his brain on grading methodology and expectations. Also by speaking to your professor early, you form a good impression early on and you can easily change tactics if you find out that your understanding of certain concepts are wrong.
  

• Instead of forcing yourself to a strict or arbitrary schedule, find out which time of day that you are the most productive and try to block out that time for studying or finishing important assignments. Being a student means that you can take advantage of your night owl tendencies to get the job done.
  
• Consistency is the key. Rome wasn’t built in a day.  
• Choose your battles. If this assignment is only worth 10% of your grade but is taking you an abnormal amount of time and effort, it may be better to focus on acing another assignment.
  
• Take advantage of your university’s policies e.g. you can choose certain modules to exclude towards your cumulative GPA.
  

Ultimately, have a goal-setting and achievement mindset is the most important. If you have the motivation to do well and continually put effort into achieving your goals, you will succeed. Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you’ll at least land among the stars!

Alternatives to the Dean’s List
It really isn’t the end of the world if you find yourself unable to get into the Dean’s List. Students are getting more and more competitive and you may find it a thankless task to continually work at something with only a slim chance of success. It is good advice to pick your battles. If you find yourself a small fish in a big ocean, pick a small pond where you get to be the shark.

If you think about the employer’s perspective, being on the dean’s list is important because it is an indicator of academic excellence. Breaking it down further, academic excellence shows that a candidate is self-motivated, hardworking, organized and possess strong analytical skills (amongst other skill-sets).

First, there are many other ways to show that you have these same skill-sets. Second, in a world full of academic qualifications, there are better ways to stand-out.

Some alternatives that we propose students to consider include:

·         Competitions and awards
o   If you can’t make the Dean’s List, find another “list” to rank on. Universities often offer academic prizes for subjects and there are a multitude of awards available. If you are very good at 1 subject, you can try to muster all your effort into winning that prize. There are also full-range of academic related competitions sponsored by companies and government agencies alike. For management consulting, placing in case competitions are extremely valued as they are a great way to test students on their ability to excel in a high-pressure environment. Similarly for mooting competitions for law students.

·         Language skills
o   Another skill-set that is highly valued is language skills. Take a Business Mandarin Course or take up a new language. The world is an inter-connected marketplace and a language boost may just be the differentiating factor to help you secure your dream job.

·         Volunteering
o   Volunteering allows an individual to develop a whole host of skill-sets and is a very meaningful way of gaining exposure to the world. For instance, volunteering overseas as a team leader kills 3 birds with one stone. You have an opportunity to give back to society, develop leadership skills and gain international exposure.

·         Work experience
o   Above all, employers really value work experience. Being book-smart can open doors but work experience is highly valued by employers. Try your best to secure internships, be open to doing an internship part-time or off-season to maximize your chances. Open your horizons if you don’t immediately get the prestigious company. Often times, a small opportunity will lead you to a bigger opportunity and everything snowballs to you landing your dream job.

If you need any assistance in looking for internships and improving your resume, please email us at [email protected]