5 Hard Lessons I’ve Learn’t in 3 years of College
You never really get over the tension that accompanies the submission of results. You’d suppose after a few years of being in college — I’d have winged the emotion but No!
It still finds a way to freeze your chest, while slowly extinguishing whatever flame of excitement you have in the moment. Depending on what the actual content of your report sheets do report — that could dictate how much of your excitement returns, if at all it returns.
Three years completed of a required four year degree and I am many steps behind my own expectations causing me to reflect how well (terribly actually) I have handled my college experience. I’m just being dramatic.
College has been fun, a lot of sore-fun and as much as the system isn’t perfect, I don’t judge myself to be at the extreme end. So, I do not blame the system for my setbacks — as genuine as they could seem.
Its my final year now. The “one-shot,one-kill” moment of this entire experience which means, I have a little margin for error particularly with my grade.
Grades! Those always seem to be the main thief of joy while being the most important metric.
My grades are better, yet still not good. Not good enough for me. Albeit, there is a whole lot more I have learnt with myself, my grades and college in general.
So, here is what I’ve learnt
1. The fun is temporary
Yes, college is fun. A whole lot of fun as you can afford — or is possible depending on if your college isn’t in the middle of a farmers settlement with no real point of attraction. Again, it is fun!
With friends, lovers, whatever, whoever, whenever — the freedom allows you create your own schedule regardless of how many classes you’ve got through the week.
Albeit, that fun, whatever fun — will crumble when its the season to put in work particularly during exam periods as you can still have fun with CA tests and take them with levity. However, when you begin to calculate how much you need to escape a carry-over — body go tell you.
I’m not saying let go of all the fun and grind on your studies — as that’s what’s expected. I’m saying find YOUR balance. Play and work! Don’t get lost into a routine that has no real work ethic else your grades will suffer — and you’ll learn the hard way
2. You can’t escape the work
Except your premise is summed up with this meme —
Then you can’t escape the work!
If you must have good grades, you must put in the work.
If you slip through the first few years on average grades, as I did — You’ll be faced with a hard reality of doing a ton of work, to meet up with the expectations you’ve set.
One advantage could be, you already have a solid understanding on how things work — but you see that work? YOU NO GO WORK KE?!
3. Circle are important, Triangles also
I know, its cliche to hear when elderly folks tell us to keep the a good company of friends. As the collective influence of your peers will have some effect on you regardless of your perceived sense of self-confidence.
Now, you can’t blame your friends — you’re not a child who can’t make decisions. Which is why you need Triangles.
Triangles are a thoughtful routine that allows you get through on what’s also important to you. Routines can be boring, and you won’t always complete your shenanigans but you need them as much as you need your friends. If you have a healthy routine that balances your social circles, you’ll find it easier to transition through your time in college.
4. Everything is possible
A fine excuse I always made, was I had to sacrifice one thing for another. The biggest one I allowed myself believe (out of sheer laziness) was to make money, my studies may need to take a back seat.
Did my studies take the backseat? Yes!
Did I make more money? Lol!
It wasn’t until after my third year I let myself see the truth I have been evading — which is, people have excelled with less privileges than I have. It is a fairly uneasy truth to accept but true nonetheless.
I do not claim ease. Of course, you’ll need to struggle through it. Still, the balance is possible. You can hold the center like prime Sergio Busquets sabi ball.
5. Complacency is a good as laziness
At all at all na im bad pass — na im actually bad pass
My biggest flaw, in regards to my grades has been my complacency.
“Make I just write am. Anyhow e be. Make we just run am”
And that’s how I ended with less sufficient grades than I could have attained. Its one thing when a course is difficult, so your expectations aren’t through the roof and another when you under perform in an easier subject — that sucks! E dey pain!
You’ll have relatively easier courses from time to time — those should take as much priority as the ones you consider difficult, as the simpler subjects are quite easy to fail — but dem no dey tell person.
Conclusion
Your college experience will be unique to your environment, internally and externally. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to handling your own college experience and fulfilling the expectations you have for yourself. Still, this is a standard template advice to hold in mind either as an aspiring or active college student.
