₦airaland Forum

I entered one Nigerian University till just 200lvl. And one thing I noticed is that my confidence level started dropping and my low self-esteem! When I came home, I just isolate myself and be on my own all the time. Wasn't long till I noticed that it's this Nigerian University that's doing this to me. Cus before I entered I was full of life, but as I entered this Nigerian school, my life became a nightmare. Can anyone relate to this?

Na only you Bros!

Easy, drop out and go to Harvard.

Not to mention the mediocre education on offer at such glorified secondary schools.

360clips:
I entered one Nigerian University till just 200lvl. And one thing I noticed is that my confidence level started dropping and my low self-esteem! When I came home, I just isolate myself and be on my own all the time. Wasn't long till I noticed that it's this Nigerian University that's doing this to me. Cus before I entered I was full of life, but as I entered this Nigerian school, my life became a nightmare. Can anyone relate to this?

Nigerian institutions are not close to the best when it comes to impacting knowledge. But saying they take away your self confidence and make you more withdrawn when dealing with fellow Nigerians is, in my opinion, far reaching. From an academic perspective, I do not see how our poor education system would make you have low self esteem when dealing with people are products of the same system. From a social perspective, I think the reverse is in fact the case. Dealing with people of different backgrounds (as is the case in most federal universities), having to speak before fellow students, etc. should make you more outspoken than you were prior to gaining admission. They, at least, make you know yourself and your limitations better.

On that note, here is what I think (hypothesis): I think you are on a journey of self discovery. I think the university did not change who you are, I think the university actually revealed who you are. Perhaps, you were used to the company of familiar faces and personalities and then the school yanked you out of that comfort zone and exposed you to an unknown territory full of people of different types; some good and others, very vocal and unwelcoming. You withdraw to your shell. You didn't know you had this withdrawal tendency cause you had never been in a situation that called for that. Now, seeing how withdrawal (action) has helped you scale through (reward), you adapted and learned to apply it even outside school. Now, it's logical to think the school made you this way but the truth is, any such huge institution could have had the same impact.

If my theories are right, then the school is actually doing something good for you, it's making you self-aware and that's the first stage of personal development. The next is to be able to manage your shortcomings and consciously make efforts to change the undesired behaviours that can be changed. When you make efforts to change them (action) and you get a positive feedback (reward), you'll will adapt again and for the better this time. This is natural process.