Letter To The Newly Admitted Students
BY: GENESIS ADEBAYO
Dear freshers,
I welcome you all to this prestigious institution of higher learning, one of the most sought-after state universities in the South West, a top ranked university in the country.
Congratulations on your admission!
You can be proud of it. Your journey into another phase of life has just begun!
Whether you’re a fresh secondary school leaver or a long time friend of Jamb it doesn’t matter. You’re probably feeling somewhere between being incredibly nervous or extremely excited.
I write this piece because life as a fresh student is no playground. It’s a jungle out here and if I’ve done my job right, this piece can serve as a compass to help you navigate through it.
Let’s dive in
Guides To Having A Beautiful Stay On Campus
We all wish life had come with a manual to navigate through its struggles and uncertainties, maybe we wouldn’t have taken the steps we took or made the decisions we made. But that’s how mother nature would have it!
16 guides I’ve written to you to serve as a pathway to a gratifying stay on campus.
1. Accommodation
Now is the moment for you to decide if you will be staying in the halls of residence or off campus. There is nothing more pitiable and regrettable than finding yourself in an environment you totally dislike.
Staying in the halls of residence could be the greatest experience of your life or a living nightmare. You need to know that the male halls of residence is located in Ikare-Akoko while the female halls of residence is on campus.
And if you’re going to be staying off campus, know the kind of accommodation you want, this might however be depending on your purse, be it a single room or self-con. And it is very advisable you start looking for apartments now. Make sure you inspect the house, plus the environment, ask questions on the area to see if it’s really suitable for you. If you can’t travel down to Akungba to see for yourself, you can ask someone who you trust his/her sense of judgement to do that for you.
A single room ranges from 18k-40k while self-con is within 35-70k, depending on their proximity to campus and how sophisticated they are.
2. Having a roommate
Having a roommate’s got it’s own pros and cons, it’s a personal decision you need to make. A big advantage of having a roommate is the ability to split cost of rent and utilities and there’s likely little chance you’ll feel lonely. But if you love your privacy, need to be alone to relax and recharge, living with someone else can cramp your style and may even cause stress.
Don’t just pick anybody online, make sure you know the kind of person he is before agreeing to live together.
3. Setting up your apartment
Getting the necessary stuff for your apartment. You might be wondering just what do you need to resume with, note that the University environment is a place where you strive daily to make good grades and not a place to live a luxury life. You can always get the luxurious things later on.
Don’t start heaping loads of problem on your parents just because you are resuming school.
Let me suggest a few things I feel is of high necessity;
•Chair and table
•Lamp
•Bed
•Extension box
•Backpack
•Spoon/cup/knife
•Pots
•Broom
•Bucket/kegs
•And food (whatever you eat)
Don’t be so concerned about properties, it’s not your permanent house, spend more on books!
4. Start your bio-data registration on time
Don’t take this with levity, get the needed documents ready and as soon as you resume, start your registration on time before lecture starts so you won’t be queuing under this scorching Akungba sun when your mates are receiving lectures.
Important documents (scanned in JPEG image format) needed for upload to complete your registration are:
•Birth certificate
•Certificate of origin,
•Attestation letter,
•JAMB admission letter,
•Passport and O’level result(s).
5. It’s perfectly normal to feel homesick
Moving away from family and friends, it’s only natural to feel homesick every now and again. Remember, everyone is in the same boat and will be welcoming of one another. The best way to counteract homesickness is to find a balance. Stay in touch with friends and family and familiarise yourself with the University environment, it will soon feel like home.
6. This Boyfriend-Girlfriend thing
On campus, you will most likely be surrounded by more members of the opposite sex than you have ever been in your entire life. The choice whether or not to enter a relationship as soon as you get to school is yours. But bear in mind that you should get your priorities right, right from the start.
7. You need a smartphone
The smartphone is one of the blessings of the Internet age, talk about having minicomputers in our hands with access to the entirety of human knowledge!
Having a smartphone could actually make you a more productive student!
With data subscription on it, so much opportunities beckons you. You just can’t afford not to have a smartphone as a 21st Century student. Reasons – updates and information released in the die minutes on social media, classes cancelled, venues changed, events scheduled, engaging in intellectual discussions with peers online, taking online courses, knowing what’s up and staying up-to-date with happenings on campus.
With just Facebook and WhatsApp subscription, you’ll be abreast of happenings on and off campus. Duta, campus bloggers and journalists are there for you.
My friend, get a smartphone!
8. Strive for good grades
Within 2 months of resumption, exam is already knocking.
Attend classes, thou they might be inconducive and overpopulated. Don’t take advantage of your freedom by boycotting class activities. Be punctual, take attendance, ask questions, get materials, read, don’t wait till it’s bulky, take it bit by bit. Don’t procrastinate, do your assignments on time.
Study with the aid of past questions. Believe me, the real exam would be as easy as the past questions you solved.
Do not be afraid of test and exams, they are there to test your knowledge in what you’ve been taught.
And hey, we are in the era where hardwork doesn’t necessarily mean success. Be very sharp and smart!
9. Set targets
It is necessary to maintain your CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) in the University, you must know that grades in each course, be it a 1unit or 4units course matters alot in your overall CGPA, so you have to study all courses with same effort level. Maintain your attendance up to 75% in each course and set targets.
Your department might not have produced a first class graduate for like 10 years!
Believe you can break new ground. Do not settle for less! The difference between an ordinary student and an extraordinary student is the little ‘extra’! If you want to make an impressive result, be ready to give the little extra!
10. Socialise And Make Good Friends
Things get easier when you have friends, you can’t do it all on your own. No matter how, you’ll always depend on someone for something, that’s how we’re wired.
You can’t hang out with chickens and expect to soar like eagles!
Connect with like minds. Keep an intelligent circle of friends.
11. Join Groups Or Organisations That Are Helpful
I mean, those that’ll develop your personality during your stay on campus, visit the Students’ affairs and get a rundown of them.
Enactus AAUA, Google Developers Group are just some of them…. You’ll always get one that suits you.
12. Have Fun
Yeah, that’s just it! You know of the age long saying which says “all work no play makes Jack a dull boy”. Do whatever makes you happy. Hangout with friends, take selfies, watch movies…football, go on an outing, go talk to that crush of yours… Whatever it is jàre! Learn to have fun!
13. Your Health Matters
Stress is inevitable! Roger that? Don’t wait till you are about to breakdown before you visit the health centre for check up, it’s there for you.
Learn to live a healthy lifestyle.
14. Cultivate Frugality
Don’t spend on what you can’t afford simply because a girl is giving you some attention, they are doing it to save their small pocket money at your expense. Learn to spend your money wisely and be contented with what you have. You can’t have everything. Remember, only NEEDS, not WANTS! There’s a difference between the two, one you can do without, the other you can’t! Wear what you have and dress well.
15. Be Active
Don’t just be an onlooker, get involved! Be the voice in class, when things aren’t going the way they’re supposed to be, voice out! Agitate for your rights and do it with sense!
If you know you have the wherewithal, passion and capability to lead, go into politics, don’t just talk about how this person ain’t doing it right, meet the person, tell him/her. Don’t just highlight the problems, come up with solutions.
16. GOD
This is the most important factor. Àbí you think gaining admission is your own doing? 1.2million out of 1.7million candidates who sat for JAMB Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) this year won’t be admitted! In all your endeavours on campus, don’t ever neglect the God factor! Let He who began the good work finish it.
Join a fellowship and worship the Almighty. There’s nothing worthwhile you can achieve on campus without His backing!
And at this juncture, I drop my pen!
Congratulations once again!
I wish you the very best as you strive to make yourself proud!
Your friend,
ADEBAYO TOSIN S. “GENESIS”
Department of Computer Science, 100L
Adekunle Ajasin University.
0 Comments