SOME THINGS NOBODY PREPARES YOU FOR ON CAMPUS

By Mercy Ojegbola 

Campus life is often romanticised in movies and social media, the freedom, the fashion, the friendships, the fun. I remember watching all of these Nollywood movies where you find different funny representations of campus life, from the clique of fashionable girls in their dazzling attires to the big boys who can walk out on any lecturer and many more. These, I wouldn't say is very far from the reality, you can have all of the freedom you want here, everything appears to be glittering but behind the Instagram posts and hot gists you hear from egbon adugbos and siblings, there’s a different story entirely, things nobody really warns you about until you’re right in the middle of it.

Here are some things nobody prepares you for on campus.

How expensive “freedom” really is.

You dreamt of independence, freedom from the house chores and countless errands but the moment you step on campus, probably after the first 4 weeks when the congos of food stuff you brought remains few cups or probably when impromptu tests starts to choke you like a tiny bone of sardine you swallow mistakenly and mummy is not around to talk some senses into you or remind you that you have to read, unlike when you were at home preparing for JAMB. That is when you'll realise that freedom here comes with a lot. Some don't even get to realise until those alarming fire emojis start appearing back to back on their class groups (release of results).

How fast time flies

Campus is where you'll get the full understanding of the childhood rhyme, “Tick says the clock, tick tock…..”. You will swear you just resumed last week, then suddenly, it’s another semester gone. The days feel long, but the semesters are short. Blink, and your exams will be staring at you, you'd be left wondering where time went and what you did with it. 

The real meaning of “broke”

Being broke on campus hits differently. Food, transport, materials, time mismanagement, data, even sachet water adds up. Accounting student or not, you'll learn budgeting especially if it's your first time away from home, you're not a “Nepo baby” and you don't have a side hustle. But it's okay, these are moments that teach contentment and creativity (with garri).

The friendships that fade

You’ll meet people who feel like family in your first year, study together, stay together, do almost everything together then one day, you’ll realise you haven’t spoken in months. Life happens, timetables clash, priorities shift. Campus teaches you that not every friendship is forever, and that’s okay. This doesn’t happen all the time, people build life long relationships on campus but if it does happen, it's part of (campus) life.

Balancing academics and passion

Between lectures, assignments, and extracurriculars, balance can feel like a myth. Yet, it’s here that many students discover their calling from fashion and photography to politics, public speaking and so on. Campus is where you learn to build yourself, not just your CGPA.

Campus life is a beautiful paradox, chaotic but meaningful, draining but deeply rewarding. Nobody prepares you for it completely, but maybe that’s the point. It’s in the unpreparedness that you grow, learn, and finally become the person you were meant to be.