Diary of a Typical Unilag Student

in Hive Naija8 months ago

I am a final-year student at the University of Lagos in the department of actuarial science. The University of Lagos is a public institution in Lagos, which is the economic hub and financial center of Nigeria.

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Faculty of Arts car park

As it is, we are opportune to be at the heart of the country and your best shot at accessing opportunities. We call our prestigious university the university of first choice and the nation's pride. Even though I might have some contradicting opinions about that, let's dive in.

I agree with it in some way, and I disagree in some other way. The way I agree with it is this: Being in Lagos, you can access opportunities like scholarships, internships, interesting office visits to prospective firms you would like to work with, competitions to win prizes, workshop sessions, case study sessions, essay writing competitions, volunteer experience, and many more.

With these opportunities, you can support yourself as a student at this prestigious university. And also alongside work towards bridging the gap between school and industry. This is the big upside of studying at the University of Lagos, and a very important one at that.

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Adetokunbo Sofoluwe Park

And getting into this university is not an easy feat either. Before one can get into this university, their grades must be top-notch in all areas (there are three areas), coming from their secondary school.

These three areas are your JAMB score, your post-UTME score, and your WAEC grades. These are three areas in which you are required to show your competence in order to get into a university, such as the University of Lagos.

JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board) is a body that conducts exams for those who want to go to a higher institution.

Generally, they say you have to get a 200 JAMB score to get into the university, but for the University of Lagos, you need to have at least a 250 to even stand a chance. For top-tier courses like those I mentioned earlier, you would need at least a whopping 325.

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Senate Building

I don't want to go into all the nitty-gritty of getting into the university. But what I mentioned earlier gives you an idea of what it takes. And to show the difficulty level to some extent of getting into a higher institution like the University of Lagos.

After that is set and done, you get into the university and start witnessing some surprises and shocks. First, it is the condition of the hostel accommodations. How do I even start with this? It is terrible! Should I even say the worst there is? A room of eight would be occupied by about twenty eight students.

We sleep like sardines on the floor. The room is choked with people and luggage. There is such little space that some luggage is moved from one place to another every day just to get things done, like dressing up for the day, sleeping, working or studying, and all such things. The bathrooms are in bad condition and would even be worse on the rest days of the cleaners.

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A pretty picture of the hostel

One other thing about the hostel that gets to me is where we spread our clothes after washing. You might get back in the evening after a long day attending classes and studying and not meet some of your clothes you spread after washing. That gets to me because I am really particular about my things, and I hate it when one goes missing.

Lastly, I will talk about the classes. In my department in particular, they are not serious about our classes. My course, Actuarial Science, is a very interesting and promising one, but our lecturers don't make the profession look like an enticing one.

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Faculty of Arts from another angle

In actuality, it is. Thank God for our student initiative that has connected us more with people in the industry in the form of office visits and events that invite professionals in the industry.

The Actuarial Body, NAS (Nigerian Actuarial Society), in Nigeria also started an initiative that assists students studying or interested in Actuarial Science to pursue professional exams and qualifications.

Thank God for these wonderful initiatives, or we would have just been totally ignorant of the prospects of our course.

You just read about the life of a typical Unilag student, me. 😁

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A pretty picture I took in Sofoluwe park

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A recently built structure in my school I thought to add


All images belong to me

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First of all, your course sounds like a very interesting one and I had to look it up. Thank goodness other programs have been put in place to help you to pursue the course professionally. Unilag looks so beautiful, but I guess not all that glitters is gold, the state of the hostel is quite discouraging and I am sure the price of staying off campus will be on the high side.

Yes it as an interesting one.

Staying off campus is way on the high side and in some cases might not be worth it.

Lagos is overrated, sorry.

 8 months ago  

Being in campus hostel is mostly challenging and inconvenient, but I don't think I had it as bad as you are having it. The sleeping like sardines is another level of discomfort.

But then, there are a lot of bright minds that came from UNILAG. I guess gold does pass through fire, but it doesn't have to be like this.

What's one thing that you can say you love being a UNILAG student for?

Lovely images, by the way, brother. Reminds me of certain places of your school that I have walked.

Yes. Bright bright minds from UNILAG. Especially because they select the brightest minds and most times they don't relent regardless of the challenges in the school.

That's a great question! The number one thing I will say is the level of exposure. Because it is very important. Being in Lagos grants us more access to opportunities.

 7 months ago  

Nice. Lagos isn't the center of exellence for nothing, and you're in the heart of it. I wish you all the best with all of your endeavors in school and in your final semester.

 7 months ago  

Nice. Lagos isn't the center of exellence for nothing, and you're in the heart of it. I wish you all the best with all of your endeavors in school and in your final semester.

Thank you brother

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