By Samson Adejoro

FEAR NOT LADS, IT ALL A LIE

Friends, you are moving into the next chapter of your life. And I would be surprised if on some level, you are not afraid. The unknown can be scary. Fear during a transition is natural, even expected. But don’t let fear factor into your decisions. Move as if you cannot fail. The odds may be stacked against you but you can beat the odds. People beat the odds every day, why not you? Let your dreams be the driver, taking you to places you have only been in your head. People ask me if I consider myself fortunate. Yes. I have been fortunate to be bold. Fortune favors the bold.— Oluwafemi M.T, Ph.D

Freshmen would be resuming in some couple of days from now. New faces would be on campus. Grins would be on newly admitted students faces for obvious reasons.

As we all know, in a country like ours, gaining admission into the university is not a mere feat—whether by long leg or short leg.

At last, bye to WAEC, NECO, JAMB, and post-JAMB exams.

Excitements about being offered admissions can’t be far from disclosure, as it is conspicuous, even to the blind(pun intended).

But the interesting fact to behold about these freshfolks is: the rate at which they dissipate grapevines within conversations among themselves.

Different students with different perspectives about how the university runs its calendar, usually getting their informations from unconfirmed sources. Some would tell you the duration and timeframe for studying Medicine is 10 years. Some would say the university in which they are just being offered admission into is the best university, while a freshman like him, would retort and say, “No, you are not correct.” Arguments would sprawl up. Actually, none of them have ever been in the system, but by the virtue of being privileged to listen to a beer parlour rumor sometimes ago, he stores it into his brain and misinform other students. At this time rumours are at best in full disclosure.

Minds ready to study hard, shatter records, attain unimaginable milestones are being spoonfed with sad news about how lecturers in the university would never give A’s to students. How a dream of having a first class is a mirage.You hear things like–lecturers would never give you first class, even though you deserve it. They tell you things like–even though you work like an elephant; your reaps would come in a sparingly manner.

I had almost once fell victim to this menace during my freshman years.

We had just resumed and we were about taking a course with code PHY 101 ( Elementary Physics).

Though I am a Computer Science student, and as such; I am not a student in the department of physics. But, being a science student, I am required to take my O Level courses, and Physics happened to be one of such courses.

And so rumors started flying out that no matter how hard you study, grade “C” is awaiting you.

You hear rumors like: “You better stop reading, don’t you know there is a long existing beef between your department- department of Mathematical science and the department of Physics.”

Shivers went down my spines.

“So you mean even though I got all the questions correctly, I would still be failed?” I asked a friend of mine.

Curiously, I asked myself, “can this ever be true? ” Though as a freshman, one who is a Johnny Just Come ( JJC), I have no choice than to believe this hearsay. I believed it when I was told but I never let it affected my study pattern which is to study hard for exams. When the result came out, I had a B in the course. If I had not prepared and depended on hearsay, I would have had nothing other than a grade of “F” in the course, which is a carry over and a carry over is not a thing of joy to have in a 4-unit course.

Freshmen, you would be scared with doomsday stories. Fallacious tales which have no historical facts would be chanted as chorus to your auditory nerves. They are nothing but lies. They are far from being true. Those stories are fallacies concocted in the lab of those who want nothing but academic damnation for you.

And as I conclude this piece, I leave you with another quote from the same author as the one above:

“Look, your dreams will always exist side by side with your fears. Both of them are a product of your rich imagination. And you have the power to make one or the other a reality. To have life, to have liberty, to have happiness, you need to feed your dreams and starve your fears. What will prevent you from living the life you want is not lack of money, or lack of time or lack of talent. What will prevent you from living the life you want is a lack of belief in your dreams. You have to believe your dreams to make them real.”

To your very success, guys.

Source: Myths You Should Not fall for as a Campus Jambite

cc: Lalasticlala, Mynd44

Yes i agree, but no matter how exposed and pre oriented you are onto campus levve, if you aren't smart, you go always fall their prey