What Winning My University's Academic Excellence Prize Taught Me About Learning

When I completed my BSc in Economics at Queen Mary University of London, I was fortunate enough to receive the university's prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement. I later continued my studies with an MPhil in Economics at the University of Cambridge.

Since then, one question comes up surprisingly often:

"How did you do it?"

People are usually expecting a secret revision technique or the perfect timetable.

The truth is: there isn't one.

Every student learns differently. Some grasp concepts immediately, while others need more time. Some thrive under structure, others prefer flexibility. Because of that, I don't believe there is a universal recipe for academic success.

However, looking back, I can identify a few principles that completely transformed the way I approached university. They didn't just improve my grades — they made learning far more enjoyable and much less stressful.

Learn to make mistakes

One lesson changed everything for me.

During my second year, I had an econometrics midterm that I had prepared extensively for. I knew the material well, but halfway through the exam I encountered one question I wasn't completely certain about.

Instead of moving on and returning to it later, I became obsessed with finding the perfect answer.

I remember staring at the clock, telling myself I'd figure it out in thirty seconds. Thirty seconds became five minutes. By the time I forced myself to move on, I'd lost a third of the exam and most of my composure.

Walking out of that exam, I felt incredibly disappointed. At first, I blamed myself for not knowing enough.

Only later did I realise that knowledge had never been the real issue. My mistake was believing that success meant getting everything right.

Once I accepted that mistakes are not evidence of failure but opportunities to learn, everything changed. I attended my professor's office hours, worked carefully through every misunderstanding and, perhaps most importantly, learned how to stay calm when faced with uncertainty.

When the final exam arrived, I scored almost 90%.

It wasn't the paper that had changed — I had. I developed the confidence to deal with the unexpected.

University isn't about proving that you already know everything. It's about gradually understanding what you don't know yet and improving because of it.

Success is built long before exam season

One misconception I often hear is that high-achieving students simply revise harder in the weeks before exams.

From my experience, that's rarely the case.

Good results are usually the consequence of hundreds of small decisions made consistently throughout the academic year.

I attended lectures and tutorials regularly, and if I ever missed one because I was ill, I made sure to catch up immediately instead of letting the content accumulate. Whenever I encountered a topic that didn't quite click, I booked office hours with lecturers or teaching assistants rather than hoping it would eventually make sense on its own.

Those conversations often saved me hours of confusion later.

I've always thought of university as climbing a mountain. Nobody reaches the summit by sprinting from the bottom. You pace yourself. You take breaks. You adapt when the path becomes steeper. Most importantly, you keep moving.

Studying works in exactly the same way.

Small, consistent progress almost always beats occasional bursts of intense effort.

Never be afraid to ask "why?"

One habit that helped me enormously was becoming comfortable asking questions. Not just what the answer was, but why it worked.

• "Why does this model rely on that assumption?"
• "Why do economists often simplify reality?"
• "What happens if those assumptions no longer hold?"

These questions often led to fascinating discussions that went far beyond the lecture material.

At university, it can sometimes feel intimidating to ask for clarification, especially when everyone else seems to understand. But appearances can be deceptive. In reality, many students are wondering exactly the same thing.

Lecturers aren't trying to catch you out. They're there because they enjoy teaching and sharing their subject.

Remember: no thoughtful question is ever a bad question.

Passion makes the hard work worthwhile

One quote has stayed with me throughout my academic journey:

"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion." — Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

For me, this perfectly captures what sustained my motivation over three years of university.

I've always loved economics because I enjoy discovering how seemingly unrelated ideas fit together to explain the world around us. Take opportunity cost, for example: whether we realise it or not, we weigh trade-offs every time we make a decision.

Of course, not every lecture is fascinating and not every assignment is enjoyable. But developing curiosity changes the way you experience learning. Instead of memorising disconnected facts, it becomes like solving an intricate puzzle while simultaneously painting a picture. Every lecture adds another piece, every question another brushstroke.

Whenever possible, read beyond the lecture slides. Connect what you're learning to current events. Ask questions that aren't going to appear on the exam.

The more curious you become, the easier it is to stay motivated.

What I'd tell my first-year self

Looking back, I don't think there was one defining moment that led to my academic results.

Instead, they were the product of many small habits repeated over time: embracing mistakes instead of fearing them, asking questions without embarrassment, staying consistent throughout the year, and maintaining genuine curiosity about the subject I was studying.

There were difficult exams, disappointing results and moments when I doubted myself, just like every other student. The difference was learning not to see those moments as obstacles, but as opportunities to improve.

Academic success isn't about never struggling. It's about continuing to learn, even when learning feels difficult.

And if there's one piece of advice I'd leave any student with, it's this:

Don't aim to be perfect. Aim to improve a little every day.

Those small improvements accumulate far more than you realise, and one day you'll look back and be surprised by how far you've come.

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All those lessons have become the cornerstone for my teaching philosophy at Axiom Tutoring. I make sure our students have the space to ask questions, make mistakes and build their foundations through understanding, continuous practice, and consistently creating habits that help them when all the deadlines are knocking.