Campus Life Expectations and the Realities
When it comes to school; higher institution particularly, it's mostly an interest of every high school graduate. Maybe because we were told a lot about these institutions, triggering the desire of many. Funny enough, these triggers are mostly not on academic premises, or activities tied to it, which is the reason for going there. Rather, it's the flares, fun and more that make for such. I must also say that some of our local movies made things worse. You watch those movies and you want to go there too, to enjoy and do some of the things.
For some, it's more than the above-mentioned. It's also about freedom and having their space. The idea is, you won't have family on your neck to do this or not do that. Such is another reason for the desire for campus life among high school graduates. Perhaps, people already there should have told of how that wasn't really the case. And Nollywood shouldn't have misled us the way they did. When some of us got there, we realised it wasn't as portrayed and we wouldn't have it the way expected, wanted or desired. Well, maybe we had a pinch of it.
Like many, I fancied the idea of being in a higher institution, a university precisely. I've watched others go and come home on holidays. I imagined what it was really like. It wasn't hard to imagine because there were people there who told a lot of things, and there were movies to give us a glimpse. This obviously produced a reality from my expectations that school would be like this and like that. Well, I'm glad to say it wasn't really as imagined or expected. For me, it wasn't something totally different from the expected.
I had friends and people from my area of residence who attended my school. Through them, I got to know some of how things are specifically in my school. Initially, my idea was vague and general in terms of what was portrayed and presented as campus life. But when I got admission, the reality of my school in particular was unravelled to me as I made efforts to know what to expect and how things really happen there. Some were unsolicited opinion though. I guess they still helped.
Nevertheless, it didn't take away that curiosity and the general expectation of a bubbling and “happening” environment. I think my school was much of the unexpected, because unlike many schools, it was far from what one would expect or imagine. I'll say it was restless efforts from the time I got in till when I finished. The first year was quite friendly. Rightly, I was told so when I came in. After that, it was one presentation after another, group work or assignment, tests, lectures and more. The realities and the imaginations were different.
I had also envisioned doing some extracurricular things and taking some financial action steps too. Most of which didn't happen because it wasn't totally what was expected. A lot of unexpected spending, time consumption and just barely anything or time for oneself. How then did I think otherwise about campus life? I guess it's something you're not told till you get there, and then you experience it. And well, it isn't always; mostly even, as expected or imagined. The realities vary.