I had never thought of writing a blog post concerning university until..well..now :p
I believe there are tons of YouTube videos out there that already give you a brief idea as to how university life proceeds. There are thousands of articles on how to juggle assignments, tests, exams & all that jazz as well. To be honest, I really like reading those, even if i do not apply any of the tips or advice :p However, I never really read any article about how life was going to be at the University of Mauritius in particular. There are not that many videos out there. You do get all the gossips from Facebook..though the amount of posts can get overwhelming. You cannot trust each and every post either because it is all subjective. Not that you should be trusting this post completely, but I thought I would share some basic tips, etc etc :p
Now, on the University's website, it is clearly mentioned that any kind of information that administration deems inappropriate will result in sanctions. So, do not expect any kind of 'juicy' bits and pieces. Mauritian newspapers and Facebook are appropriate for that :p
My post will be an innocent one - to people who are actually aiming for something in life.
If you are still reading up to now, then great, let's get started.
Firstly, do not be trusting of ANYONE or anything, except for university deadlines :p
(The university may not respect its own deadlines but if you do not abide by them, you will be bankrupt by the end of your degree)
If you thought there was too much pressure for your A-levels, uni is worse. You will be ambushed by the amount of assignments, lecturers, modules and people around you. There are mentors there to help you in the beginning but they will not tell you everything.
Be observant and communicate with the people around you. Do not restrict yourself to the first person that you speak to (I did that and turns out I was lacking tons of useful information). The minute you step into that auditorium for you induction, you need to be attentive. Listen and try to grasp as maximum as possible. Engage with your class mates as well. You will undoubtedly be spending a lot of your time doing group projects with them so there is no point in keeping your distance or trying to be superior than the others.
Of course, do not trust anybody because you really have no way of knowing people..not until you've actually spent a few weeks with them. Do not believe every tiny thing that your hear. Rumours are way too common at the university. I spent a year there and till date I cannot really distinguish between what's true and what is not sometimes.
If you think your lecturers will be your safe haven, then please scratch that out of your brain. Respect them, attend lectures, keep you head down and you will be good to go.
Make sure to attend the INDUCTION !
I did not want to attend the induction for various reasons but I am glad I did. Most of the speeches will be boring. You will be congratulated upon your admission to UoM far too many times. It will get annoying. Remember to deep breathe.The induction becomes 'interesting' post the speeches. Your batch will be assigned mentors who will give you a guided tour of the campus and tell you a little about the latest happenings. They will bitch about lecturers as well. My advice is to ignore that part. Form your opinion a few weeks after you have actually met with the lecturer. It is not right to judge them before experiencing their classes yourself.
Aside from that, there is a lot of helpful information that will be given to you, about modules and module registration.
Do listen to whatever they have to say as the university website is not that user friendly :p
Atleast to me it was not ! I really struggled to register for my modules and without the help of the seniors, I'd probably have ended up with tons of fines.
You will be told where to collect your bus pass. Where to print stuff. How to look for books at the library. Laboratory protocols. other very useful information.
Be yourself.
You really have to be, especially if you want to make genuine friends. There is no point really in faking who you are. Unlike college, uni people are not that forgiving. They will leave you stranded. In a place like Uom, where most people really need to expand their perspectives, you really need good friends to survive..
Your friends will make the experience less painful, in the sense that they will go through more or less the same troubles as you do. They will understand, and sometimes going on rants and having someone say : "I GET IT !" at the end, is simply what you need.
Trail Blaze
Do not try to copy what everybody else is doing. You already know your hopes, dreams and ambitions. Focus on them. Remember to study, work hard and do not let UoM get to you. It can be a very harsh place - you will unveil that for yourself.
I have witnessed people who went to school/tuition with me undergo drastic changes, some for the better but most for the worse.
It is okay to be your own self. It is okay if you are not the most popular girl/boy on campus. It is okay to a nerd. It is a okay to be a geek. It is okay to be all fun and outgoing. It is okay to be anything as long as you study.
Do not get engulfed by all the 'fun' that will come your way upon entrance to uni. Many focus on the fun and not the study part. This in turn reflects on their final year transcripts. Fortunately I had a lecturer who groomed us since the very beginning and warned us about how difficult acquiring a degree can be. It may seem easy. but IT IS NOT ! After all, there has a to be a distinction between a degree holder and a non degree holder. Likewise, someone who scores a first class degree cannot be viewed same as someone who scores a third class degree.
Do not judge
As simple as that. Being judgemental will get you nowhere :p
Keep holding on
Now, I know a lot of you out there are not very pleased with the idea of attending UoM. You were probably aiming for something else, maybe you wanted to go abroad or wanted to attend another institution... or maybe you did not get your first degree choice at UoM.. or maybe you are going through financial situations..any problem or issues you might be going through..
Be strong and keep going !!! There is nothing more rewarding than hard work. It is the sole thing that pays off. Earn a first class degree and chase your dreams afterwards !! It is okay if your path is not exactly how you had imagined it to be... it is the destination that matters. Do not be bitter or unpleasant..it will make things harder.
Keep an open mind. Be patient. You are not the only one. You may find people exactly like you and well, connect etc.
Anyway, that was it. Maybe I will do another post on how to organise yourself for university later. For now that is it. Attend the induction. Be friendly, not judgemental. Make your own opinions. Have an open mind. Grab all the information you can get as it will help you adjust faster and better.
Enjoy yourself and STUDY ! Work hard, play hard, right?
xoxoxoxoxoxo,
BusLady
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