If you’ve recently gained admission into the university or you are working towards the goal, it would be a good idea to prepare for University life in Nigeria.
The University is a world of its own but life in a Nigerian university is even more peculiar and requires adequate preparation to give you some leverage and enable you to succeed in your academic pursuits.
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Below are 7 tips to prepare you for life in a university in Nigeria.
Gaining admission into a university in Nigeria is no mean feat. To be able to survive, you have to be prepared for all that university life will throw at you. For this reason, you have to learn to be a lot more organized than usual.
This is because, in the university, you are no longer under the eyes of your parents or beneath the careful guidance of your teachers. There could be no updates on tests and there could also be no reminders for assignments and deadlines.
There are other social activities you might want to be a part of and other educational activities that are constantly thrown at you. So, it would be good for you to learn how to be more organized.
You could practice marking deadlines in your calendar. This could be a physical calendar or an online calendar like Google calendar and setting reminders. It would also be wise to figure out what works best for you before your resumption at your preferred tertiary institution. You should also practice setting monthly and weekly goals and using to-do lists. This will help you start each week and each day with purpose and get things done.
If you want to prepare for a university in Nigeria, one of the ways to do so is to spend time getting a better knowledge of your chosen career path.
There are a lot of resources online that can help with your research. Peruse as many books as possible and try to have a broader view of your chosen career. This will help you better understand your courses in the university and put you in a more prepared stance.
Another advantage would be that it could also reveal to you several career opportunities that you would otherwise have overlooked. This will give you a better sense of direction and help you take academics more seriously.
Before resuming at your chosen institution of learning, a good idea would be to adjust yourself to a daily reading schedule. This will help you continue the habit even while in school.
This is because you are responsible for your academic success within the four walls of the university and the courses are bulkier than what you would have been used to in your secondary school.
For this reason, having a set reading schedule would help you slowly chip away at the huge reading you have to get done and help you achieve the best grades at the University.
As a student preparing for university life in Nigeria, you have to decide on where you intend to live during your academic pursuit. Will you be staying on campus within school hostels or would you be staying in a rented apartment in the surrounding environs of your university?
You also have to put the cost into consideration and if you would be able to meet up with the relevant demands. It’s usually cheaper to stay on campus but that would require you to pay your school fees early so you can apply early enough to get space. This is the usual routine in a Nigerian University. Therefore, if a school hostel is your preferred choice, you also have to plan towards it.
One of the ways to prepare when starting a university in Nigeria is to create a list of items you will need upon your resumption. This list also depends on your choice of accommodation. If you would be staying in the school hostel, you might not need a lot of things as there would be no space to keep them in the first place. You should also make a list based on how much your budget could cover.
Due to the fluctuating price of items in Nigeria, you should keep in mind when making your budget that prices could increase. You should also begin your shopping early enough so as to avoid rush hour preparations where people often forget to purchase items or purchase fewer quality items for lack of time.
One of the best ways to fully prepare for life in a Nigerian University is to seek help and ask questions before you resume at your university of choice.
If you know someone who is already in a tertiary institution who has graduated, it is a great idea to ask them questions on how they coped and how they were able to manage their time. If you know a lecturer or staff at the university or any university at all, you could equally ask questions in regards to how to be a great student and how to read and pass for examinations.
These people are more often than not, usually willing to help and will give you a whole load of good counsel. It will help you also be more prepared emotionally, mentally and academically. It could also point light on areas you might have missed in your preparations.
Knowing a senior colleague in your chosen field of study would do you amazing benefits. You could ask him or her for materials and tutorials to help you be better prepared for school.
In Nigeria, a lot of students discover after and before even graduating that life does not completely revolve around their certificates.
In such a competitive world, it would be in your best interest to learn a self-employable skill. With online courses and videos online, it’s easier to learn a skill than ever. Apart from being an alternative life career and being a good use of your time. A self-employable skill will be of massive help for you financially while in the university.
A lot of students in the university support themselves by working part-time or through using one skill or the other. Learning a self-employable skill preferably a digital one will set you apart and help you support yourself financially during tough times while at school.
Studying at a university in Nigeria is no small feat. It requires a lot of concentration and determination to come out strong and successful in your academic pursuits. Despite this being the case, preparing for university life in Nigeria would go a long way to help you have a smooth sail while in your chosen academic institution.
In a world of its own, learning how to stay organized, preparing early, asking questions and seeking help and also learning and self-employable skills could help you massively while living as a university student in Nigeria.