Campus Life: Maximizing Your 20’s

 Campus is fun, no doubts about that. You are in your late teens and early twenties. It’s the time to make the most out of your life. You’d probably never have a second shot in life (literally speaking) so why not live it in the best way possible. Well, Captain Obvious is here to give you pointers on how to achieve this. Thank me later J

Loosen Up:

Most of us were raised in uptight and conservative families that did not care much about the freedom of expression. Campus may just be about the only place left where you can speak, eat, dress and behave as you wish so long as you don’t break school rules. It’s the time to try out new things; experiment with new hairstyles, change your dress code and maybe even draw whatever you want on your skin. You may never get another chance in life to rock an afro like Makmende’s or wear torn jeans without attracting curious onlookers. Besides, it’s all a phase of growing up and you might as well try out new things while you’re in your twenties or you’ll end up looking like a confused adolescent in your thirties, midlife crisis, aye?

Create Connections, Make Friends:

You meet people from all social circles while in campus. Do not make the mistake of joining cliques as they have the effect of constraining your social life. Socialize with all and sundry, get to know the different personalities around and how to handle them. Mark those people whom you are close with and strive to create friendships that build you as a person. Campus is afterall the place where lifelong friendships are constructed. Build networks, this will be very helpful when you graduate and begin looking for a job or internships.

Indulge Responsibly:

St. Josemaria Escriva believed strongly in the virtue of moderation. No harm can ever befall him who lives a moderate life. Learn the value of self control; having a balanced life.  Play and work have to be mixed in the right proportion to avoid brewing disaster. If you must partake of alcohol, do it in moderation. You don’t want to turn into an alcoholic who will drown all their month’s salary in buying liquor. Remember, old habits die hard, especially the bad ones. It won’t be easy to let go of the bottle once you’re done with campus. Keep yourself safe, if you must engage in sexual intercourse, always use protection. Pretty much obvious, huh? You don’t want a baby coming into the picture while you can hardly sustain yourself. Neither do you want to get infected with some diseases that could cost you your life. Eat, drink, sleep and have fun responsibly. That’s moderation for you.

Manage your Finances:

Well, most guys in campus receive the much anticipated HELB loan from the government at the beginning of the year. Remember, it isn’t FREE money. While this money may be barely enough to see you through the semester, learn to manage and budget for it efficiently. You will have to pay back every cent of it once you become employed. For those lucky enough to derive their keep from generous parents; learn to be thrifty in your spending to avoid overexploiting your them. The culture of managing your finances will follow you even when you leave campus. Again, remember habits are hard to change once they’ve sunk in and it’s always the best option to invest in the good ones.

Explore your talents:

In primary school, teachers tirelessly hammered in the point that each individual was blessed with a unique gift or talent. While high school may not have given students a neutral podium on which to explore their various talents, Campus does. There are absolutely no barriers that could hinder one from venturing into whatever activity they deem best fit for them.

This is the best time to wring the talent out of you. Try out all sorts of things till you finally discover what you are extremely good at. It’s all really a trial and error kind of thing, keep trying till you stumble on the path that best suits you. Sing your heart out, go for play auditions, write and send out your work, become an activist, take pictures and let the whole world see how good you are. There are really no limits to the amount of talent that you may possess yet you’ll never know if you just sit there without trying.

Develop a reading culture/ Study:

While reading books may seem so 1950, you have no choice but to read them, whether you’ve been forced by circumstances (i.e. exams) or out of your own volition. With all the other seemingly fun activities around, studying is often the last thing on your mind. It may be a drag but remember that earning a degree is what brought you to campus in the first place. So long as you’re stuck in the Kenyan education system, you have no option but to excel academically. It wouldn’t hurt you to grab a book once in a while and peruse through the contents. Also, the library isn’t just a place to go use high speed internet, the dusty books on the shelves are there to be read.

Collect as much media as you can:

This last item sounds a bit farfetched, but yes, there is no other place where you’d get as many movies, series and music as you want all for free. Keep a database of all your favourite stuff, collect, collect and collect some more and enjoy it all while it lasts.