The truth of life. You would find the same in all walks of life, no matter what stream you are into. There are various reasons and many of those are just common sense.
- Toppers want people to believe that they have some natural talent or insanely good luck
Hard work is not at all glamorous. Even if it is it’s much less than what we consider natural smart or inborn talent (though research has repeatedly denied the fact or at least was able to question it). Doing very little work and still topping is what find people find out of their league. So they don’t attempt to give their best whatsoever. If everyone believed in hard work and hustle rather than talent and luck, then everyone has the potential to become toppers but that’s not going to happen in reality.
Michelangelo once said: “If only people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem wonderful at all.”
- Studying is never enough
No matter you started studying from Day 1 or one week before exams, everyone has their weakness. No matter how well you study you would never feel a hundred percent prepared with full perfection. So, that naturally comes out of toppers that they feel there is still a lot more to study.
- Toppers want to look cool
Coolness is a very relative term upon which trait you put emphasis upon. But as most people believe, being studious is never cool. On contrast, being a topper is so cool. So they want to be a part of the group with common interests and not just be in groups where nothing else is discussed except books and exams.
- Some of that is real too
People learn at different rates. Hence if someone learns very fast and could work with maximum focus then he or she could manage it with little devoted time which others may not believe. Would you believe your university topper if she came and told you that she had just studies for four hours the day before the boards? Only she would know the truth.
- Toppers don’t want to show off
Well, it may not come naturally to every topper but this is one way of practicing being humble and more grounded arguing that they are just like everyone else.
- Diplomatic way to reduce competition
Toppers have competition. if they go and announce to everyone how much they have studied it would hurt their chances of winning. Why not play a little safer?
- Avoid bullying or abandonment from the gang
This one comes from previous points as well. If everyone in your group is a slacker and procrastinator when it comes to working, you definitely would not criticize their behavior on a daily basis. Pretending in such cases seems the best option than to lose friends and companionship.
