BACK TO SCHOOL

Do you see that picture of this fine girl up here? That's exactly how the majority of students feel about school. 

There's this popular noodles brand in Nigeria called Indomie. They once made a jingle that goes thus:

♪♪♫♪♪♫

We are back to school again,

Smiling faces everywhere

With Indomie and I

School time is full of fun...

I think the real lyrics in most students' heads is:

♪♪♫♪♪♫

We are back to school again,

Frowning faces everywhere,

My piles of books and I,

School time is full of work... 

School!

Both the joy and trauma of every student. Especially if you're schooling in Nigeria.

Am I the only one who feels both exhilarated and slightly terrified about resuming back to school?

After, hmmm... Let's see. Close to 8 months of staying at home because of the notorious ASUU strike that smothered public universities in Nigeria. 

But there's been some perks of this break period. I know you can attest to this too.  

For example, I was able to improve my writing and design skills. I took some courses, partook in some challenges, got some remote jobs, and earned some perks.

One major project I completed and I'm so grateful to God for was the publishing of my debut novel. A Pastor's Daughter's Diary was launched in early October and is now available on Amazon, Goodreads, Selar and Okadabooks.

It's up for a token discount but in case you want to read the first draft for free on Wattpad, feel free to click this link to check it out. 

Enough of my shameless self-promotion. 

We're here to learn how to not only survive but also thrive as we begin the school journey again. 

Let's dive in:

School Survival Tips

You have to learn how to balance a lot of things. Especially time.

No one aspect of your studentship life should suffer for the other.

1. Put God at the forefront of everything.

As a student, you might think your number one concern should be books. While that is correct in its own right, there is a bigger scope of things. 

God created you and made all the lines fall in place so you could be in the school where you currently are. 

You might think, "Pfft! God is up there in Heaven doing more serious stuff. He doesn't have time to bother about me, a little kid in school." 

I'm here to give you good news. Jesus came to earth and grew up as a normal kid and also went to school, so He knows how it feels. Besides, that's why we have the Holy Spirit. To help us in ALL things. Including school. 

Don't leave God out of the picture. 

• Make Him number one. 

Schedule time for personal fellowship with God. 

• Join a group of believers who will help you grow in your Christian journey if you haven't, yet. 

• Reconnect with your student fellowship if you are already committed to one. 

You'll see that school life is so much more amazing when God is in the picture.

But a relationship with God isn't all you need to survive in the university. This leads us to the next point...

2. Tighten your quality friendships.

Here I'll chip in a very strong note that this is the perfect chance to cut off all links with those toxic leeches that call themselves friends in your life. 

But the valuable friends? Keep them.

I know many of us, due to one cogent reason or another, had to momentarily cut contact with our friends at school. 

After all, the very thing that binds us together was on a compulsory sabbatical. 

Well, I won't judge you for not reaching out to your long distant friends during the space of the break. All I'm doing here is to encourage you to connect back to them.

• Call that course mate.

• Chat up that roomie.

• Become active on your school groups again.

It won't hurt to re-establish the valuable connections that will determine your success in university. 

Good friends will ease your stress, help you in studying and tackling your projects and assignments, and cover up for you when your supplies run out... You know what I mean.

Talking about food, slide into the next point...

3. Dump the junk

Don't let your mom catch you as you begin your sporadic binging on fast foods, cereals, and noodles. 

Please eat well. Your brain needs the right kind of glucose to be able to process anything you will be taught and to also help you manage the stress that comes with school.

Don't be too lazy to cook o! And if you don't know how to cook, here's the time to learn for the future. 

Go to YouTube. Watch when friends are cooking. 

Do this so that you can not only eat well but also snap correct meal pics to send home that'll make your mom proud and your siblings jealous.

But don't break the bank. So you won't eat Fried rice like a king at the beginning of the semester and then be managing your Garri (Cassava flakes) during the exam period. 

I'll say more about that in the next point...

4. Manage your budget

As a student, you have to learn how to manage your finances. 

Unless your father is Dangote or Elon Musk, don't go on shopping sprees just to keep up with the latest fashion trends to impress your friends. You'll just cry like a church rat at the end of the semester. 

Monitor how you spend and don't forget to save and invest too.

Also, talking about having an extra source of income. For those with an entrepreneurial mind, go ahead and use those hard and soft skills you learned during the break. This is so you can ease the financial burden off your parents and maybe even send them a thank you gift. But be careful not to let your involvement in a business gulp the time you're supposed to use for studying. 

About studying, the next tip is very important...

5. Create a study schedule and stick to it

Now to the real student stuff: reading, studying, assignments, lectures e.t.c.

 

Maybe you were already shivering as you read that subtopic. 

It's been months since you last picked up a book, not to talk of an academic-related one, to read, and your brain is rusty. Don't worry too much. 

All you need is a tangible strategy and support system to bounce back to study mode. If you want more tips on how to go about reading, check out my blog post on how to fall in love with reading here. 

As an extra tip:

6. Create time for relaxation and fun

Yes, being a student doesn't mean you deprive yourself of the joy of life. The university system was conceived in such a way that allows for diversity and culture. Take advantage of that.  

If you smashed your set goals for the week, treat yourself out.

Go sightseeing. Watch your movie. Read a novel. 

Life is too short to allow yourself to die because of work, abeg. 

Probably you're already in school or you're packing your luggage to head back. I am wishing you the best of God. 

And in case you're interested in easing tension off your neck, consider chillaxing by reading about how a young lady tackled the challenges and perks of college/university life in my story, A College Seeress' Diary, which is available for free on Wattpad. 

Also, I love making friends. Let's connect here. 

Perhaps you want to rant about your feelings about the resumption, feel free to do so in the comments section.

And if you found this helpful, please share the blog post with your friends. 

Thanks for reading. God bless you.