My Entry | July 8, 2022 | Campus Connect Engagement Contest Week 3 - My Experience On Campus As A New Student In My University

I remember walking by my father's side and looking at the voluptuous ladies that stood by a sidewalk chatting. They were so beautifully dressed and had this air of confidence that I did not have at that very moment. I looked at the males walking past in cliques. These people looked like they knew where they were heading while I felt lost in the crowd. I was that terrified child tagging along with her father and wondering if I fitted into this different world. It felt like I stepped into another world entirely. A world filled with more focused people. Nothing was compared to the playful and carefree life I knew as a child. Do you want to know what day this was? I'll tell you. It was my first day passing through the entrance of the campus to explore the life that awaited me. My dad was my guide as he showed me where my department was located, and how I could locate other essential facilities. I even got to know most of his friends and acquaintances. The goal was to keep me prepared for my first day at school.

I do not know what day others consider as their first day but mine had already started that sunny day in 2018. The next time I visited the prestigious University of Uyo was during my screening exercise. As expected, I was dropped off at the school's gate as per ajebutter pikin wey I be. This time, I could easily locate Onyema Ugochukwu Hall effortlessly which saved me the stress of roaming or missing the screening exercise like some aspirants. The hall was filled to its brim and I heaved a sigh of relief when they invited aspirants for the department of English to move to another hall. I hurriedly packed my file and water bottle and then joined the bodies that bumped into one another while trying to pass through a tiny door. You know what happens when there is an influx and outflux of human beings. Okay... let's continue. I could not keep pushing for fear of breaking my glasses. As a result, I got lost in the crowd and when I found my way out, I had to start asking questions. No one could be of help to me since they didn't get the name of the hall mentioned earlier. Who would in this rowdy arena? I was surrounded by jambites and jambitos like me. All clueless and never ready to give up.

This was a moment I so much dreaded. After a while, I met an old friend of mine who suggested that I looked around a block she called SCE. I didn't know which one she was referring to and neither did I know how to locate the building. Seeing this, she offered to help me out. To the glory of God and the shame of the devil, I spotted a familiar face I had spotted at Onyema Ugochukwu. "That should be one of the screening officers." I thought to myself and so was it. The man was perspiring as he screamed the instructions, "IF YOU HAVE GOTTEN A BROWN ENVELOPE, ARRANGE YOUR DOCUMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER...". Whatever he said next was drowned in the noise that only 400+ mature humans can make.

As I got seated, I felt sad for the man who has been shouting for God knows when. He had to repeat an instruction that had already been stated before but he was doing his work anyways. It would have been better if he was using a public address system. However, I was there to attend the screening exercise and not to pity anyone who was a victim of the failed system. The man must have sensed my thoughts and then proceeded to invite aspirants who scored within a certain range to move to a part of the class. I happened to join the first group since my score was one of the highest. Soon, I felt a tap on my back. Someone was calling my name softly and it was another of my classmate from secondary school. I did not know her since we were never in the same section back then in school but she knew me due to my popularity. We exchanged pleasantries and I invited her to sit by my side since there was a little space left. The screening process went on smoothly from there.

If I need to be candid, I'll tell you that there was nothing eventful about my first week of commencing school fully as a student. I only spent my days roaming like a sheep that had lost its shepherd. All other major registrations like paying acceptance fees, the second screening, obtaining authority to pay and lectures took place after some weeks. But the event that took place before this time changed my life forever. It gave me a friend who never stops reminding me why we are in school. Her daily counsel is the reason why I'm still maintaining a good CGPA. As I stated from the start, my first day as a student at the University of Uyo started right from the days I was only an aspirant.

Your turn. What was your experience on campus as a new student at your university?
@mfonchelle and @tonyboss.