LIFE AS A FRESHER

By AFOLABI E. Simisola 

Life as a fresher comes with a lot of surprises, the exhilarating experiences from cultural shock, to change in environment coupled with adaptation and adjustment to a new system. The academic calendar of the 2023/2024 session took a different turn as the calendar stated freshers were to resume even before the end of the previous academic session. However, the freshers commenced with virtual lectures for six weeks before the resumption of physical classes. 

Experiences and challenges with virtual classes

It is no new thing that the school system has adopted the use of virtual classes since post covid, while some departments and faculties ever since have normalized virtual classes integrating them with physical classes. For a fresher who is new to the university setting, virtual classes might come with hurdles and experiences. Ifeoluwa, an Arts and Social Sciences student from the Faculty of Education said she did not join the classes and expressed that school was supposed to wait till physical resumption before classes begin. In her words, “I could not join the classes because I did not have a functioning phone and I had issues with Zoom because it made my phone hang”. She also stated it was data-consuming. Another fresher, Esther, from the Department of Human Kinetics shared her experience stating she wasn’t consistent with the virtual classes. In her words, “I didn’t attend the virtual classes and connect with them because everything was just so confusing”. Some freshers did not attend virtual classes because of the technicalities of network glitches and the newness that comes with taking courses that were newly introduced to them. Esther found the classes so confusing because, in a board and marker setting, it might be difficult to understand physics or chemistry talk less having to understand it when it is being taught on a screen. Another challenge that cannot be neglected is the expenses that come with data to attend classes which Esther expressed was an issue for her and the intentionality that comes with not being distracted in a virtual classroom. 

Photo Credit: WTOP News

Both virtual and physical classes have their pros and cons but when weighed on the scale of balances, virtual classes seem to come with more cons for a large per cent of the student population from data expenses to the erratic power supply of the country which is enough to make learning unbearable for both students and lecturers and network glitches comes with its cup of cold tea. 

Dealing with physical classes.

While freshers have expressed the challenges faced with virtual classes, there is no doubt that physical classes, yet different from virtual classes have their perks as freshers have experiences to share about their physical classes so far. Adeyeye has been enjoying the physical classes, she says her roommates are the best, stating that the first person to wake up in her room, wakes everyone regardless of the time of their classes. She also added that physical classes have been going smoothly for her compared to the virtual classes.

Queen, a student of Special Education stated that while the physical classes are preferable, she has issues with the fact that she must move from one location to another to receive lecturers and prefers the virtual classes because it is more comfortable. 

Resumption for a fresher requires juggling registration with attending classes which is stressful at the beginning of the session. Responses from our correspondents were met with the fact that time management wasn’t practised as they were sometimes rescheduled for their registration. They also attested to the fact that the number of freshers having to register is a lot which lead to having them being rescheduled. This has caused some freshmen to stall their registration as some cannot juggle the back-to-back classes with the hurls of registration.

Being a Queenite, what does it feel like?

As a UITE, it is considered a privilege to be a Queenite as the motto of the hall says, we teach others where to tread. Ifeoluwa expressed her excitement when she found out that she was giving Queens Hall. In her words, “I had to spread the news because I felt opoor, I was really happy, but the girls here are not friendly, except my roommates’’. 

Mistura went on to express her displeasure about the state of the kitchen because some residents mess up the facilities by clogging the kitchen sink and not leaving the toilets and bathrooms in good condition.

Queen says the rules are strict and there are many restrictions, “the rules are meant to keep us in order though, she further added. I love being a Queenite because my name is Queen.”

Where there are no laws and order, the people perish. Rules are made for order and structure and the management of Queen Elizabeth II Hall has from time immemorial taken the well-being of her students with utmost priority. The management in its capacity is ensuring that all residents are comfortable and ensuring Queens Hall is home. 

As freshmen tell their tales and experiences of what it feels like to be a student at the University of Ibadan., it is imperative that this is the beginning of many experiences and stories to share.