[color=blue] Tips for Present and Future Undergraduate Students [/color]
[b] If you are a student currently in a higher institution; University, Polytechnic or College of Education, I want to share with you a few tips that will help you have an interesting experience in school and prepare for your career after school.
The country isn’t so friendly with graduates. And just hoping for a better life after school is not enough.
They say, it gets easier after school but from what we see around us, you’ll wonder how true that is.
There are said to be currently over 19.7% unemployed graduates in Nigeria (I personally doubt the near-correctness of this figure); some taking to odd jobs just to find their daily bread, hoping for a miracle, others trying so hard to find a better life with little results.
Well let's quickly look at the tips;
[color=red]Choose the Right course to Study[/color] Yes this is the first thing one ought to take serious and put into consideration **clear throat** .
If you ask most students in higher institution today why they chose their course of study, most will hardly give you a reason. For some, it’s the name; Industrial Chemistry which just sounds good. Some might say a rich uncle is making a good living from the profession. For others it’s either the profession sounds high-paying or they just don’t have a clue.
If you are a prospective undergraduate students, ask yourself;
Why do I want to go to the university or college?
Do I really care about becoming a Microbiologist?
What is the point in spending four to five years learning to become something I have no interest in?
Do I accept to study a course hoping to fit into it? How employable or self employable is this profession considering the economic situation in the country?
How equipped are our universities to train me on this course?
Before you fill a course in your Jamb form, be sure to talk to at least two professionals (online or offline) in the field. Ask them questions on what the profession involves and it’s applicability in the country.
[color=red]Get prepared for the Higher institution[/color] It's normal that when you leave secondary school; the next is to attend the university. That’s the right thing to do. But the wrong thing is to go there for the wrong reasons.
I wouldn’t blame any secondary school leaver for being so excited about gaining admission to the university. It’s about the desires that go with that age group; to leave parents and guardian and have some freedom for once with peers.
Some Parents can be hindrances to growth and socialization sometimes, I agree to that. But don’t make living home, your number one priority to get into
higher institution. If knowledge and experience is not your main reasons, it’s not worth it. Do it for the right reasons.
[color=red]Fight for Certificate you can defend[/color] Many people do buy results today, you may not know what I meant but those who have been there could understand...
For most of us, going to a higher institution is all about graduating with good grades. With the believe that once you have a good result, every other thing falls in place after school. Those with no good result can go mourn their loss. But things are changing these days.
Gone are the days when parents should advice their children to go to school and mind nothing but their studies. Some graduates degree certificate has never earned them a penny since they left school, but I wouldn’t say that your certificate is useless; that will be going too far and totally selfish of me. You need to work hard on your studies and get good grades you can defend in the field if you manage to secure a job, don’t devote the whole 4 or 5 years in doing that alone.
Your certificate is worth, whatever you qualify it to worth.
If after putting in your best effort, you end up with a second class lower, you can still prove that you are worth more than a third class citizen. It’s totally up to you.
[color=red]Start Making After School Plans[/color] There is no better time to start planning for your future than now that you are or about to get into school.
One major false impression we create as students is that we still have time to prepare. You are fresh into school and four or five years seem like a long time. How bad can things get by then? Probably the Federal Government might have created 355,000 jobs by that time.
That’s all wishes that may never come true in your time. Don’t go waiting till four or five years drain into your degree chasing career before you start making further plans. Questions to ask;
Where do I anticipate to take my profession after acquiring Bachelors degree?
What extra skills can I blend with my course to become irresistibly employable or self-employable?
How can I earn extra income as a student?
[color=red]Learn at Least one new self employable skill outside your course of study[/color]
It is said that 60% of students read prescribed textbooks only during examination period; that browsing and watching television have taken most of students’ time for reading, and that only 21% of students buy novels and self-help books to read for knowledge and pleasure. This isn’t a surprising statistics; it could be worse.
There is indeed a steep decline rate in the reading culture among students in the tertiary institution. Other activities like partying, watching Television, playing video games, ‘aimlessly’ browsing the internet, being a die-hard Chelsea fan; which are supposed to be secondary are taking over most of the students’ time. The best most of such students would do when things don’t go as wished is find redemption in blaming the government and the Nigerian Society for their demise. This is where most current graduates began their plan for frustration after school. They thought it’s all about the certificate. Don’t make that mistake.
During your four or five year’s period of study, there are series of holidays and breaks in between. Devote this time into learning a new skill; Computer programming, web design, Java, Oracle, digital photography, video editing, sewing, fish/poultry/snail farming etc. Read how-to books, attend Language schools teaching foreign languages like French, Spanish, and Chinese. The internet has made it easier for one to learn and know about anything at little or no cost.
By sitting and reading this article, you are already taking a positive step; one that very few take.
The importance of good reading culture cannot be over-emphasized. It enhances the chances of success at school and beyond. Reading is not just for school but mainly for life time growth.
[color=red]Worry less and Take more actions[/color]
One silly mistake we make as students is spending most time worrying about our grades. “Oh, each time I remember that carry-over my heart skips”. “Oh how am I going to pass this lecturers course”? You end up getting programmed in worrying and wasting your energy rather than taking action to make sure whatever you fear never happens.
If you so fear carry over, read to avoid them. If you already have a carry over, you can’t change that can you? Except your scores was wrongly graded and you want justice, a carry-over is not the end of your career. Even after you have done your best, stuffs happen in campus and you don’t meet your goal. You may encounter lousy lecturers, fall sick during a test or exam or just have a not-so nice week. Think of managing the situation as a great college experience.
The point is, take more actions to solve your school problems than worry. Think of it as one of those things.
[color=red]Manage your Time It’s Precious[/color]
The life in higher institutions is all about time, 4-5yrs seems very long but when you're there, people at home will be surprised you have spent almost 2yrs out....
Above all decide how you want to use up your time. Being in every single class will not guarantee you an A.
Also be at alert for unprecedented lectures and tests.
[color=red]Invest your energy where it’s worth it[/color]
Let’s face it, some academic stuff we learn in school are not worth the time. Some classes will rather drain you psychologically than add to your knowledge. They are just pointless courses with large abstract materials to read. You’d rather be reading stories of arrogant politicians from the national dailies.
What am i saying; Some lectures should be taken more seriously than the others... That is the point...
Your motivation towards choosing a course of study will greatly determine how much effort you put to it along the way. Well unless you go with the intention that “it’s my academics or nothing else, whether it interests me or not”. For some classes, it’s necessary to attend as you’ll have something new and useful to learn, for others you just need to get the note and textbook, and read them up. If you what to toll this path, be sure to use your time for something useful and not just being out of class for the conformity reasons. Use this time to rest your nerves, do assignments, cook your meal... [/b]
Here I chose to end on the Educational topic "Tips for Present and Future Undergraduate Students", until we meet again next week to give more insight.... Thanks for reading all the way
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[b][i]The Intellectual Writers[/i][/b]
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[color=purple] Positive Enrichment through Neo-classical pieces (PEN) [/color]
