A Kenyan career coach has urged students to adopt simple, professional, and easy-to-remember personal details—especially for important academic and financial portals—warning that unnecessary complexity often leads to avoidable delays and frustrations.
Dr. Mercy Igoki, who has been assisting students with applications on the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) and Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) portals, said that poor memory of passwords, email addresses, and examination details has become a widespread challenge.
“Sometimes, we complicate our lives for nothing. Keep your details simple, sweet, and smart,” Dr. Igoki advised.
According to her, the problem is not limited to struggling learners, but is also prevalent among high-performing students.
“Shockingly, many 2024 candidates can’t remember their own KCSE and KCPE index numbers—these are exams they just did or completed four years ago,” she noted.
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She explained that KUCCPS requires a KCSE index number and either a KCPE index number or a birth certificate number, while HELB requires a valid email address and password.
“If you can remember 11 football players in six teams, surely a password or index number should be a walk in the park,” Dr. Igoki said, adding that memorising key personal details was a life skill every young person should have.
In some cases, students have provided inappropriate email suggestions that cannot be used for formal applications.
“One student even proposed an address like ‘iamcrazy666@gmail.com’—it didn’t even exist. However, even if it did, that’s not the kind of email you want to use in official applications,” she recounted with disbelief.
Dr. Igoki emphasised that simple, professional emails and securely stored passwords are essential for smooth applications, whether for higher education or funding.
“The goal is to make life easier, not harder. Avoid embarrassment and keep things professional,” she said.
Her experience supporting over 500 students this season has given her valuable insight into the patience required to guide young people through the application process.
“Out of every 100 students I help, only about 20 make the process easy. The rest keep you awake past midnight trying to retrieve basic details,” she reflected.
She urged students to take personal responsibility for their academic records and online accounts, saving time, reducing stress, and enhancing their chances of success in competitive application systems.
By Joseph Mambili
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