University is a training ground for character development
It still feels surreal. Absolutely. It still feels as though I entered University of Ibadan just yesterday. But it wasn’t yesterday; it has been five years and more. Here I am today though. I’m now in my final year, and I’m still trying to contain the excitement, honestly. Lol. You might be wondering what’s there to be excited about. Well, na only me know wetin my eyes don see for uni.
I’ve been trying to get into that general idiosyncrasy of final year brethren — how they (should) talk, act, walk, or even conduct themselves, but I think it is not much different from the previous levels. Laughing out loud. My life has incredibly changed in the last couple of months. I now know that I’m no longer the me that entered Uni in 2018. I’m not sure this is particularly related to being a final year student. But I think the most significant part of my university days began towards the end of my penultimate year, where I learnt so much of emotional intelligence, character development, my triggers, and where I can efficiently and conveniently function.
Over the past few weeks now, I’ve gained clarity, garnered insights from my course mates and close lecturers alike, confidently confronting some of my biggest fears. However, I’ve also struggled with impostor syndrome and with that outlandish feeling of self-doubt, worry and and existential angst of what life will be after getting out of here. But I’ve always been tempted to believe that that feeling is not unusually normal.
Speaking of this my final year further, I think some realities are just beginning to dawn on me. University education is never overrated. And by university education, I do not mean where you go to cram a shitload of books and concepts, pour them down and get out, pass the courses and where you keep doing that till you graduate. No! University education is more than that, in fact much more than that. University education is more about character development, excelling as a man, in all areas (financially, relationship wise, emotionally, physically, and you name it) coping with demands, stresses and vicissitudes of life, meeting new friends or connections, breaking new bonds, joining fellowships and organizations, volunteering, and appreciating one’s failures and weaknesses.
In no uncertain terms, your character MUST be a testament of your university education. And writing about character, I’m writing about honesty when dealing with others, the integrity to say the truth and stand by it, patience or resilience that one can achieve success if one remains focused, the ability to fight for the oppressed and women’s rights, promotion of religious tolerance, the sheer expression of love to strangers and acquaintances, dispensing kindness that affects humanity, and the desire to make this world a better place for all to live in. When someone’s university education is devoid of all these, then the essence of university education becomes distasteful.
In the long run, acquiring education, and let me be specific about university education, should be about making you a better man: liberal, open, and welcoming of diverse beliefs. Knowing that there is nothing like absolute truths, but there are our biases and these are what many of us hold as truths.
