I made friends with the best students, and they pulled me along with them
I had a couple of friends like this too. I had a challenge studying in group, so I chose one person to study with. She was a very smart person, and unlike me, went to class frequently. So she was the one I relied on to get me up to speed when exam was nearing.
but I think I graduate 7 or 8th best out of 140
140 students? Your class was huge. My class was I think 50 something students, and it was one of the largest in our program’s history so far.