Most first-year university students are poised to join various universities across the country. As a peripatetic speaker in several schools in over 40 counties, I received an avalanche of messages from Form Four leavers and parents expressing their gratitude. Some of the students in that cohort of gratitude I spoke to while in high school. Some were in our Penman Online Programme. Some of them benefitted from our What Next After KCSE Programme.
Now, the young adults are going through a serious transition in their education. They are matriculating into public and private universities: to pursue degree and diploma courses of their choices. I also congratulate them for making it to that lofty level of learning. Transitioning from secondary to tertiary level of education is no mean feat. It is a great achievement worth felicitation.
Ideally, life at that level of learning is rife with freedom. Therefore, every ‘fresher’, as first-year students are described, must know that every freedom comes with responsibility. Absence of sense can plunge them into immorality, drug abuse, crime, gambling, gang membership and all forms of anti-social behaviour. In universities, first-year students may meet ‘gold-rush’, a dangerous phenomenon where continuing comrades may attempt to take advantage of ignorance and innocence of the newbies who are ‘fresh’. First-year students must remain alert and vigilant. For in pagan rituals such as ‘freshers night’, it is where some ‘freshers’ are introduced to drug abuse, sexual immorality and orgies.
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It is important for ‘freshers’ to know, people go to university to increase their chances in life, and to be open to oodles of opportunities that follow competent and confident people. Likewise, there will be acquisition of hard skills or technical skills. The number of years taken in university will depend on the course and programme pursued. Then, at the tail-end of study, they are conferred with certificates in commencement ceremonies, which enable them to secure gainful employment or to create jobs through entrepreneurship. But before that, as a ‘fresher’, how do you survive and thrive in university?
Yearn to Join and Learn
As ‘freshers’ join universities, they must yearn to learn and be open to oodles of opportunities available here and there. Every first-year student must know, minds of men and women are akin to umbrellas. Minds work well when open. Meaning, to survive and thrive in university, first-years must yearn to join and learn. Universities are true fountains of knowledge. They will meet and interact with books and polymaths. It is instructive to note. Universities are not like high schools where bells blare to mark breaks in line with Pomodoro Principle. Therefore, to survive, every first-year should develop a strong sense of self-drive and self-discipline. To thrive academically, they must attend all lectures as stipulated on the timetable. Likewise, there will be Term Papers and CATs to be written; that will contribute to the collective course work. Additionally, in those Temples of Knowledge, there are libraries replete and complete with heroic books of all variety. Therefore, it will be important to create more sessions to visit the library to read, research and write right.
In 2 Timothy 2:15 Apostle Paul of Tarsus admonished Timothy. Just to paraphrase the sacred script. He instructed him to study and show yourself approved. A good workman that needs not to be ashamed of himself, but rightly divides the Word of Truth. In that context, Paul the Apostle was trying to save a young pastor from shame that follow preachers who are not serious in searching and studying scriptures the way Bereans did it in Acts 17:11. Preachers who do not spare some time to study, can easily slide and sound heretical. Likewise, a ‘fresher’ who will fail to study will suffer shame. How? By failing in exams at the end of the semester. In some instances, a comrade will repeat the unit. Maybe, comrades who have not read will attempt to cheat. At this level of learning, consequences of compromising exam integrity will be dire. It will be disgraceful to be suspended due to lack of exams integrity. It will be a sad state of affairs to have missing marks or leave the institution with weak papers that cannot give you a competitive edge or advantage.
Upskill: Lift Your Gift
Proverbs 22:29 asks a quality question. Then, it offers an apt response: “Do you see a man skillful in his business? He will stand before kings. He will not stand before mean and obscure men. That portion of the scripture talks about being able to Upskill: Lift Your Gift. Therefore, apart from discovery of in-born talents and God-given gifts, ‘freshers’ should hone multiple skills, which will help them while in college and beyond. Again, universities and colleges will equip them with hard or technical skills. Moreover, they must strive to thrive by honing other skills such as soft skills, employability skills, transferable skills, 21st century skills, people skills, life skills, et cetera.
Still in the debate about Upskilling, while still a ‘fresher’, it is important to start thinking about how to make money through legit ways. Advisedly, ‘freshers’ can thrive when they discover, nurture, develop and make wise use of innate talents. Likewise, they can thrive when they fan their God-given gifts. Proverbs 18:16 tells us, “A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.” Aptly put, while in university and college, you can learn a new skill that can help you make money for fees and upkeep. This will help you survive and thrive. Some simple skills that can enable you start making money include can be writing and public speaking. For instance, at Penman Programmes, we give university and college students opportunities to hone their writing, editing, speaking and training skills.
Submit to AIM Programmes
AIM is an abbreviation of Apprenticeship, Internship and Mentorship. University life can be challenging, but with submission to AIM Programmes, a ‘fresher’ can survive and thrive. In internship, a learner submits to a master in a certain trade. As novices carry tools of trade of experts, they learn the ropes through observation and imitation. In a heroic book titled The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, John C. Maxwell says that in the distant past, an apprentice was a name given to someone who selected a specific trade, then find a master in his village to teach him useful skills needed in his chosen vocation. After learning all he could from the local master, the apprentice would then travel to broaden the scale and scope of knowledge. Why? Because life is a journey, not a destination. Life is a journey of self-discovery and recovery. Therefore, in case you want to know the road, you ask those who are coming back. For every course, there is time set aside for internship. In the Careerpedia Volume 1 and 2, a publication of Story Moja, Muthoni Muchemi posits that in a laboratory, people put into practice what they have learnt in class or books. Therefore, she equates internship or attachment to laboratory of world of work. It precedes job placement and employment that brings enjoyment. The practical work experiences and connections that are made, are useful than money. More so, when you believe in the statement: Your network is your net worth.
Finally, let us discuss mentorship then conclude. A mentor leads by showing a true example. A mentor does not tell you what to do, but shows you how to do it. In life, you are either a mentor or tormentor. Just like you can be either a warning or an example. You have the latitude to choose who you want to be. In a page-turner titled Unstoppable: Achieving Excellence and Beyond, Rosemary Kibui and Timothy Kipchumba contend that a mentor is a trusted person who is more experienced in life that can inspire you to achieve your dreams. A mentor determines your mentality. What you fail to learn through mentorship, you will learn through experimentation. There is an extraordinary book from the Centre of Creative Leadership titled The Lessons of Experience. While researching, they established: 50% of what we learn, we earn from experience. We learn 20% from mentors and coaches. We learn 20% from failures. We gain 10% from formal education.
By Victor Ochieng’
The writer talks to students on how to survive and thrive in universities and colleges.
vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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