FREEDOM AT LAST

Not many feelings beat that of freedom. All your life, you may have felt like a bird in a cage. Every morning, you look out through the cage bars and see other birds flying freely in the sky. And you just chirp to yourself in a melancholic soliloquy, “Why can’t I be like those other birds? I can’t wait to leave this cage. I want to explore, I want to try out new things, and I want to be able to do what I want. I want to be free.” And in all honesty, your yearning to be free during those times wasn’t out of place because it was as if everywhere you turned, there were constraints. Constraints at home, in school, and the neighborhood There are too many rules to abide by: go to bed, don’t do this, don’t say that, don’t go there, don’t… don’t… don’t! Aarrggggghhh! Can you people just let me be?

We’ve all felt that, right? Yes, we have. And then, as the end of your secondary school days drew nearer, an excitement began to bubble—freedom in view. You look out through the cage bars again; you see the other birds flying freely, and this time you sing to yourself, “Very soon, that will be me.”

And then it happens. You can’t forget that day. You remember every detail as if it were yesterday. The day you saw that you gained admission You remember the date, time, where you were exactly, the clothes you were wearing, the size of the toothpaste you used that morning, and how many times you went back to the JAMB portal to make sure the “Admission in Progress” was still there. You remember it all. But amidst the whole agog feeling, there’s a distinct whiff in the air. You can catch the fragrance of it. Like the distant smell of an oasis in a desert. Is that the scent of freedom in the air?

Finally, D-day comes. The day you finally leave home You wake up to the sound of keys and locks. Your cage doors swing open. You draw a quick gasp as reality hits you. Slowly, you hop out of the cage. You look up, and the world is yours for the taking. You unfurl your feathers and stretch your wings. You flap your wings and feel yourself rise from the earth. You gaze at the sun and take flight. And then there’s a singular thought in your heart. I am free.

Leaving home and stepping into the university walls doesn’t feel far from this. You’re in another world, and you get to call the shots yourself this time. No one wakes you up; no one tells you when to go to bed or when to eat or read. You get to decide everything yourself. You do what you want when you want to, and how you want to. In essence, you become the architect of your own life. And the pencil you use to construct your life and future is something called choice. Only sometimes is it not a pencil but a permanent marker, as not every choice you make can be erased.

The university is a place full of choices, and the choices you make are what determine whether you make or mar your life in school. See it as a supermarket you enter, and many things call your attention. Everything seems to scream “Pick me!” into your ears. There’s the good, the bad, and the ugly. First, there’s academic excellence, which is what your parents sent you to buy, and they pay for it with your school fees. All you have to do is go pick it up. Next, social activities are beckoning for you. Sports, games, social clubs, religious gatherings, and the like These are good for you, so long as you know what you’re doing. Then there are friends. Pick with wisdom, not out of peer pressure. And of course, there’s the others. Wild parties, clubs, drugs, drinks, and the like. These can end your life. And you don’t want your precious life to end untimely, do you? Of course not.

To survive in this seemingly new world, you’ll need to arm yourself with some key guards. Some of them are:

1. Focus

Never forget that you’re in school for a reason. Many come to school, pick other trivial things, and don’t get the main prize. You need to keep your eyes on the prize in order to stay focused until the end.

2. Responsibility

This new phase of your life is not one of enjoyment but of responsibility. You need to be responsible for yourself. Know the right things to do and the right times to do them. Know when to sleep, wake up, eat, study, have fun, and rest. You can’t run your life anyhow and expect it to turn out well. It’ll only turn out anyhow.

3. Discipline

The first law of discipline is to know that while you have the freedom to do many things, you set boundaries for yourself to not do just anything. You do away with anything that can affect your studies, regardless of how enticing it may seem. Your mind needs to be higher than many things that other students may be dying for. You decide to pay now so you can play later.

4. Accountability

If there’s no one you’re accountable to, you’ll live anyway. First of all, be accountable to your parents. Call them regularly and let them know how you’re doing. Let them know the progress you’re making and any challenges you may be facing. When your results are out, tell them about it. Be completely open to them; it’s your duty as a student. Be accountable to those ahead of you as well. Your lecturers, department seniors, and roommates Let someone know your whereabouts at any time. Listen to people and make corrections.

5. Finally

There’s one more important thing you need to arm yourself with in order to succeed in your academic journey, but we won’t be telling you that here. We hereby invite you to our freshmen’s night program coming up at the Chapel of Christ our Light. We’ll share this final secret with you there.

Now that you’re free from the cage, you have the whole of the sky to explore. But if you fly too close to the sun, you’ll be burned. Set boundaries for yourself, and be disciplined not to cross them. We wish you a successful academic journey at the University of Lagos.