By Muhammad A. Adedokun

It’s another milestone in the life of seekers of knowledge. The premier students in the premier university. Being admitted into the “first and best” is by no means a small feat. Making it to this stage is worth congratulating you on. Congratulations, the best freshmen in town. Of course, to qualify the freshmen of the best university as the best is not an erroneous claim. Anyone who thinks otherwise can consider picking up the Unibadan Post UTME form—that won’t only make you know it’s not a piece of cake, but also make you see the reason you have to join me in welcoming the freshest freshmen in the city of Ibadan to the home of giants.

If you may ask me, “Have you been a fresher before?” I won’t think twice to give a “Yes” answer to the question. Gone are the days, when moving from one unit to another to complete the accommodation registration process seems interesting, when sorting Jaja registration is both stressful and exciting—despite having to work few kilometers under the sun to get my X-ray done, when moving from one department to another to get my course form stamped was like the definition of a university student, when sitting down in front of a professor to receive lectures in a big lecture theater was as though I was on top of the world, when working under the trees of Heritage Park was to me a scholarly lifestyle. You won’t argue that having a variety of food is part of what gives freshmen internal joy that is better experienced than described.

This is the period when registrations seem unending. When a supposedly 10-minute registration exercise can take the whole day. You’ll always find yourself having to go from one printing shop to another, printing a couple of documents and making photocopies of some others, as well as from making copies of passport photographs to getting to meet your course mates one after the other. And as a fresher, whose blood is still fresh, all these, despite being stressful, you’ll find them exciting. You’ll have plans set for the day, but only to find yourself trapped in the long queue. This will continue “make it rain on your parade,” but due to your being new to the system, you may not realise early that you’ve wasted a lot of time. It’s not your fault though; it does happen to freshers, I also faced something similar. To not fall into that trap, you need to pay attention to this piece of advice that you may not realise until your third year in university.

Let’s start with the one most freshers do: not asking “how to” before doing things. One of the mistakes freshmen make is enjoying their time trying to embark, without having the knowledge, on what they could have simply asked those around them how to. This is not condemning self-discovery or shunning figuring out something yourself. In fact, in the university you’ll have to learn how to figure out things as no one may be there to help when everyone has their own business to mind. Nonetheless, you should be careful, especially as a fresher. Some mistakes might cost you a session!

The next is what some freshmen (not all) do: waiting until their friends are ready before doing the needful. Just like unnecessarily delaying what you’re expected to do within a time frame, probably because your friends are not yet ready to do theirs. That’s you right? As much as it’s encouraged not to do some things without having like minds around to avoid falling into an error others could have called your attention to, it’s also important for you to be time-conscious and also to be careful not to allow that waste your time unnecessarily. This is a university; once some decisions are taken, there may be no room for appeal. Therefore, be careful!

Another mistake, which is common among freshmen trying to maintain their so-called “steeze” is not doing what’s expected of them until the last minute as well as not getting ready on time, the required documents needed to complete their registration process. Don’t wait until the deadline before proceeding with your registrations to avoid casualties.

Let’s conclude this with the one thing freshmen, even returning students, do a lot and it recurs over and over. This can cost students their admission: not speaking up on time. Several cases of this are always heard and seen in different forms. This includes, freshmen, even returning students, picking the wrong course combinations, not paying the required fee on time, attending the wrong classes, and so on. These mistakes now become more costly when you decide not to speak up on time immediately you realise you’ve made a mistake. Some try to keep it to themselves with the intention of avoiding being blamed or being perceived as a novice. Although you don’t have to complain about your conditions to everyone, don’t hesitate to seek help when you’re stuck!

This is one of my ways of welcoming you to the universe in the city of Ibadan. I wish you a productive stay on campus and a successful academic sojourn.