Before I gained admission into the university, there were many things I admired about life on campus. From everything I had heard, read in books, and watched on TV, I was convinced it was an experience I needed to have myself.
One of the things I looked forward to was interacting with different kinds of people from all the geo-political zones of the country. I believed it would help me make less harsh judgements, as well as broaden my perspective on different cultures. I also remember watching movies where the girls on campus wore heels to lectures under the hot sun and partied every weekend like it was what brought them to school.
Some even became responsible for supporting their families financially while still in school. I'll admit that the media never made these things look completely easy, but it also did not show how difficult they could be in reality. None of that was concerning to me at the time because I wanted to experience campus life both as an observer and a participant.
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Personally, I was never obsessed with freedom because my parents raised me in a les restrictive way. They allowed me to go out with my teenage friends and visit their homes during holidays. They were only strict about timing. Each time I stepped out, I was always expected to return home before 6 p.m. This made me curious about experiencing campus life where leaving for a party at 6 p.m. was not considered late and night time was often considered as the time when the real fun started.
I also looked forward to becoming more independent since I would be living away from home. I believed that being on campus would help me build an income stream because I had heard many stories about students who learned skills and earned money while in school. Another thing I anticipated was exploring my style better, just like the girls I watched on TV. I have always loved looking good, and I thought university life would influence my taste in clothing and teach me how to style myself better.
Fortunately, some of these expectations and desires was fulfilled. I bought more clothes and shoes and gradually understood my personal style. I also learned some useful styling tips from my friends on campus. Away from fashion, I made casual friendships that exposed me to different perspectives and helped me connect more easily with people.
However, when it came to attending parties that lasted until dawn, I failed woefully. I realized I did not have the luxury of time to attend them unless I was willing to let my academics suffer, which I was not. Even when I could go out, I often preferred to sleep in than attend those late night parties.
This made me wonder how the girls in Nollywood movies and even some people around my neighbourhood seemed to live such lively social lives while in school. From the outside, it always looked like they were balancing everything finely. Maybe their academics suffered too, who knows?
I also discovered that combining school work with running a business was not as easy as I imagined. I had heard many stories about students who managed both successfully, but it turned out to be too demanding for me. I realized I would either burn out or constantly pause the business just to stay focused on school. So, I gave up on it.
Looking back, the biggest lesson I learned from living on campus is that what we hear or watch about university life is not always a reflection of reality. People often show the enjoyable parts but rarely reveal the true difficulties that come with them.
This is why it is best to take such stories with a grain of salt until you experience things yourself. Whatever seems too perfect or too easy is often missing an important part of the story. In the end, everyone’s campus journey is different, and the most important thing is finding what works for you.
This blog post is a response to the Hive Student's weekly prompt, which you can find HERE. I invite 
