Embracing The Opportunities To Expand Knowledge As A Student

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School is an interesting journey filled with laughter, joy, ups and downs. A place where people embark on a journey of self realization and dream actualization. Life as a student can be extremely draining and tiring. To be honest, most times when things get choked I feel like running away or disappearing into thin air. I don’t know about other countries, but here in Nigeria, my country, being a student is a whole lot of work.

Being a student comes with a lot of challenges. On one hand you’re balancing school work; classes, tutorials, tests, presentations, and you’re also burning candles every night, and on the other hand, you’re trying to balance your social life. Some lecturers are so mean that they make life as a student unbearable.

However, there are perks to being a student. Recently, I saw a hilarious tweet, “There’s food at home while there’s freedom in school.” Although this tweet is 100% accurate, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing when I read it. At home, we are under the watchful eyes of our parents, but in school we are free to do anything. This same “freedom” has led to the death of lots of people.

Freedom is one thing I enjoy as a student, but it is not the first thing on my list. Life as a student also gave me the opportunity to learn new things everyday and expand my knowledge. “School is a scam, education cannot open doors.” I can’t count the numbers of times I’ve heard people say this. I understand where they are coming from and to an extent, I believe them. Well, it depends on your country and the course you’re studying. Again, using Nigeria, my country as a case study, if you’re a student here studying a course that is outside the jurisdiction of health and engineering (and some other few courses), then there’s a high possibility of being among the “school is a scam” click.

I’ve spent more than two years in my university and I’ve come to understand that some of the things I know today is as a result of being a student. I’m not only talking about the confines of my school, but also in all other areas. I learn new things everyday from my coursemates, friends and even hostelmates. Today, I know how to tackle pressure and meet with deadlines, thanks to being a student. Being a student requires you to be sharp! What would you do if a strict lecturer pressures you to submit an assignment within a short period? How would you handle the situation? My parents didn’t teach me how to do these things, but I learnt them when I got to school. Life as a student also requires you to plan and make sacrifices. Understand the importance of opportunity cost. As a student, you have to agree with the theory of “you cannot eat your cake and have it.” To succeed in something, there are so many things you have to sacrifice.

Being a student is not limited to textbooks. Yes, I agree that school has taught me lots of things when it comes to reading, writing, and books in general, but it has tali’s help expand my knowledge on a lot of other things.

Thanks for reading.