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Quick Question: What does University experience mean to you? Is it just the perfect opportunity to finally run away from home and be free from your strict parents’ grasp? Is it just all about the fun, partying and all? Or is it about getting to know yourself, striving towards becoming a strong, independent individual? It’s so …

Succeeding in University Part 4: Your Past Educational Experience It is important to understand how the university is different from secondary school and how well your own past educational experiences have prepared you for what you will find in a university. This is another way in which entering university “with your eyes wide open” will …

Being an introvert, bad with the public or any other valid excuses you could come up with is not going to prevent the fact that as a student, you’re going to have to deliver a dozen public presentations in school. It’s inevitable. So the sooner you get used to it the better. You’re going to …

Once you gain admission into any Nigerian university, it is not difficult to start noticing the flaws in the system. Some things that are not right the way they should be will make your soul boil. You’ll be filled with the urge to do something, to fix this, to effect changes. Sometimes, you may succeed. …

Imagine this: The university admits thousands of strangers from all over Nigeria and even abroad. In your first year, you meet these strangers. These are the people you’re going to be spending the next four to six years within university as classmates. They’re going to be your family and your foe. What kind of strangers …

Succeeding in University Part 5: Liking Yourself as a Student and Why That Matters Of all the factors that affect how well one does in university, attitude is probably the single most important. A positive attitude leads to motivation, and someone who is strongly motivated to succeed can overcome obstacles that may occur. In other …

In Nigeria, we often like to pretend that we don’t understand mental illness. We don’t like to talk about the various forms of mental illness like depression, anxiety etc. But, our denial doesn’t erase the factual truth – that mental illness very much exists here. And among students, its effects can be devastating because there …

I remember when I used to call my parents a lot in school. They never quite understand why I’m always in constant need of money. It doesn’t matter whether your parents just sent you money last week. There’s always something that demands extra cash in school. Whether it’s a new textbook or assignment or paying …

In a previous article, I wrote about the types of female roommates one is likely to find in University rooms. This is another list for the type of male roommates you’re likely to find in universities. Have you ever been to a male hostel on campus? It’s a chronically disorganized, chaotic theater. It’s almost comical, …

Lecturers’ teaching methods differ and so does their grading styles. In uni, you’ll probably take a lot of courses in each session. It is paramount to get to know the teaching and grading methods of each lecturer for all the courses you’ll take. Building a good relationship with your teachers is not just for the …

To achieve success (high grades) in universities, you have to do the work. And doing the work entails studying really really hard. Back in most secondary schools, students move on to the next class automatically when they fail any subject. Universities do not run in similar styles. Yes, you might move on to the next …

On Extra-Curricular Activities As you must have heard a million times, school isn’t just about classes alone. Just a little heads-up: the world is not as obsessed with degrees/certificates the way it used to be. The world needs more skills than it does degrees. In the olden days, civil service was the real deal. Everyone …