My college experience

by Johnrufus Precious (Nigeria)

I didn't expect to find Nigeria

I had finished high school and was happily waiting for the college admission list to come out,before this my jamb result was already out and I had no doubts I would be accepted into college.Before i forget I grew up with my siblings in a town with over 100,000 residents and my parents were very protective of my siblings and I inclusive. As a young child,going to college and leaving the protective arms of my parents was something I dreaded, I haven't been far away from home before so I was somehow scared of what I would be meeting outside home plus the continuous warning of my teachers kept ringing a bell in my head and it added to my fears.As a young girl of about 15 years old,I and my fellow students were constantly reminded of how life outside highschool wasn't easy and ho we had to remain focused and not miss the opportunity of becoming like d elites of the old.we were constantly reminded of how students who lost their focus ended up miserable in life while those who did well wore a crown of glory at the end.we were told it wasn't going to be easy but if we kept looking on the bright side we would be okay at the end.other fun stories about college was told and I couldn't wait to gain admission because I felt I would be free to live my life,lol. Fast forward to the day the day the list came out,I rushed to my,filled up the log in details and waited with my heart almost in my mouth for the loading process to end.it finally ended and I saw you haven't been admitted boldly displayed on my screen,I was pained and lost words,I cried all through the night and finally went to bed.I told my friends and parents about it and they assured me that another list would be out and that hopefully I would be admitted when its out.I kept on praying to God to help me secure admission and finally when the second list came out,my name was there.the process of my going back to school started and finally when we conclided, I was told I would be leaving for school the following week. My joy knew no bounds and I almost caught myself screaming aloud. D week came and I packed up my stuffs and left for school. College life wasn't how I had envisioned it,we were not given full details of what we were to expect, I felt betrayed and equally unprepared for what was ahead of me but still I had to wake up every morning,prepare for school.sometimes the lectures were boring,at other times I enjoyed it.I got to understand that being in college wasn't an easy task like I lost weight due the stress during my first few months,the struggles of going to class early and almost fighting to get a seat at d front row was really telling on me,at times we had to stand and receive a full lecture and other days we would wait in vain for the lecturer to show up.......I missed home badly ,life on high school wasn't like this,they didn't tell us what we were going into .it continued like this and towards the end of My first year i started adapting.I started enjoying the special moments and started seeing college in another light .once I was done with my first year I had to leave the main campus back to a smaller campus where I would stay till I finally graduated......life in the second campus wasn't easy,we wore whites to school as we were In medical field,had lectures almost everyday but I assured myself it would be alright at the end.I started making new friends as I left almost the other ones behind,I promised myself I wasn't going to be the way I was in the other campus.I joined some social groups, made mistakes,realized them and made amends.I started enjoying college and was happy I did.I hadn't envisioned it like this but I was happy I experienced it.Being a college student comes with a lot of responsibilities,i have experienced it,was glad i did and I can gladly tell my story.