COPING WITH UNCONDICIVE CAMPUS LECTURE HALL

Many freshers prepare for campus with utopia expectations; imaging that they are going into a world where everything is perfect and all that happens is learning in a conducive environment. I also did. Unfortunately, what we expect in many of our campuses way farther what is obtainable. On Freshers’ Mentor this week, my focus in this post is to draw your attention to typical Nigeria campus and help you with guidance on how to make progress despite its peculiar challenges.

Ideally, the lecture room is one of the cardinal places in grooming you to be worthy in character and learning. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, many lecture halls are not good enough to groom students in learning since they are either poorly designed or stuffed with more students that they can contain comfortably.

As I start this series of posts on coping with the challenges of studying in Nigeria, I like to talk about the lecture hall.

The lecture hall is not as good as your classroom school because even though it may be bigger in size, the lecture hall is not convenient for learning as much as your classroom in secondary school where you have your locker and stool/chair to yourself and can see and hear your teacher.

Therefore, know that you will go for lecture sometimes and can neither see no hear the lecturer, who is your primary reason for coming to the lecture. And even when you succeed in seeing the lecturer, you may be suffocating as other students who desire to see him will be thronging you.

Many times you will and stand up for an hour in  a lecture hall without air conditioner or good fan; not because you are late but because the sitting facilities are not sufficient for the people who are supposed to take lecture with you. And some of your classmates ran faster than you or even failed to participate in your last class because they don’t want to miss the next one.

Naturally, the temptation to give up may come up. But don’t give in to it. When you feel like giving up in the pursuit of the ultimate mission you came on campus for, settle down and take inventory of your mission on campus.  Reflect on what you stand to get if you persevere and refuse to give up.

Don’t forget that thousands of students have passed through that lecture hall, seating and standing while receiving lectures; yet they excelled. Some people gave up as a result but they resolved to continue in pursuit of what they until they get it. Don’t also relax your drive to ensure you get the best training in character and learning. Many of people went through the same dysfunctional lecture halls and are positively shaking their world.

Here are a few practical tips that can help you cope with the situation:

For your fist classes, be punctual. Do your best to be in class on time. After a class, run if you can, to get good sitting position. On campus, you are not a big boy unless your grades say so. Run to get good sitting position for the next lecture. Don’t mind those that will tag you overzealous.

Do your best to hear your lecturer. Even in the crowded lecture hall, there is usually a public address system. Try and listen to take note. If you can, place your smart phone close to the speaker to record the lectures; especially if the lectures do not involve graphical representations or calculations.

Compare your notes to ensure you got the points made clear. Do group discussion with your classmates who came to class. Your complementary discussion make up for whatever you may have lost during the lecture.

Please don’t give in to complaining about the situation. Complaining magnifies the situation making it a big challenge difficult to tackle.

Keep a date with us next Wednesday on Student Groove as we serve you a super package.

Editor’s Note: Your questions, comments, corrections and commendations are welcome. Kindly, scroll down to see the comment box and drop yours. We will love to hear from you.

You can now connect with us on social media:

Facebook: Brojid World I Twitter: Brojid World I WhatsApp: 0810 550 4664.