Your time in university is one of the most fun periods in your life – to start with, you finally leave home.

Freedom
In the four or five years there, you will make new friends and do things on your own terms for the first time in your life.

But nothing prepares you for the switch-up that happens when you get to final year.

All of a sudden, nobody wants to flex anymore. Even your most playful friends are suddenly serious. It just feels like life increased the difficulty level to “Very Hard”.

Take it from someone who knows. Your final year in University is the first year of the rest of your life.

final year in university - be scared
After years of evading it, you finally have to confront the thought of what comes after school. Getting through university is no longer the focus, you now have to decide what comes next and what you intend with the rest of your life. Congratulations, shit just got real.

Everyone expects you to have a plan for your future.

Every single person in your life, from the OPC guy at the end of your street to the Ibadan uncle who has no intention of helping you, will ask you questions like ‘Where do you want to work?’ ‘Do you want to do your masters?’ Nobody cares if you’re still thinking. This life is really just a pressure-cooker and guess what? Someone just turned the power on and poured jollof rice ingredients on your head.

It’s when all your hens come home to roost.

It’s one long year of living with all the decisions you’ve made through the last three or four years. Remember that time you skipped a test to go on a road trip? That’s why your CGPA looks like it needs a blood transfusion. In the immortal words of J.Cole, “choose wisely”.

You will work your ass off in final year.

Be Prepared
From projects and trying to boost your CGPA, to trying to maintain and build important relationships for the world outside, your finals will be pure, undiluted stressss. Be prepared.

If your parents are like mine, final year is when they’ll first tease you with independence.

You may first notice it when you ask for 10,000 naira and they send you 8,000 because life is hard and it just is what it is. If you think that’s cruel, wait till you start collecting allawee.

Final year is where friendships go to die.

See you in the future
As you begin to figure things out in the final months, you’ll notice that you and some friends drift apart and you don’t know why. Most times, it’s because you have your eyes set on different paths and it’s difficult to focus on anything else. And that’s fine. Make new friends, figure your path.

But it’s not all savagery and work.

Respect me
You’re in the top echelon of the school now and with that comes a special form of respect. Freshmen will look up to you like a young Pete Edochie, someone who has arrived at the final stage of an experience they’re just getting into. You have great power in your hands. Use responsibly.

Odds are you are around that time in your life and need help, like I did.

If you are, you should fill this form. No promises, but we’re here to help you figure things out.
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