Prior to the challenge for this week which is themed "being a new kid" in #ladiesofhive. I would love to share an experience that happened to me few years ago before I entered college.
When I graduated from high school which is O-level program, I went ahead to do an A-level program which requires to write an exam JUPEB meaning Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board. It is a type of exam slated for all universities in Nigeria that conduct an A-level program. It is a one year program which after doing it, when entering college, you continue with the second year. In the course of this program, the orientation and lifestyle I got from here really shaped me but I wasn't prepared for how different it would be in college.
When I got into the college, the first culture shock that happened to me was the fact that students found it normal to stroll in for classes late when the lecturer is already inside the class. I felt it was a bit weird because where I'm coming from we get to the class an hour before the class and if for some reasons, we happen to be late then we would be seen running towards the venue for the class which was a lot different from what I was seeing in the college.
The second culture shock I got was the manner of dressing which was a lot so different. The first day I went to class in college, I can remember someone asking me "Are you in this department?"I replied "yes,why do you ask?" She said that my outfit to her made it seem like I was in the wrong venue for class that I was too corporate for the class. She went ahead to ask if I just concluded my A-level program which I affirmed that I did. She quickly apologized and moved away. Unluckily for me, literally all my clothes as at then was corporate so I couldn't meet their standard of dressing.
The third culture shock I got was the ability to have new friends. The first year I joined college,it was hard to have a friend because it seemed like everyone had formed a group of friends before I came hence the difficulty to add the "newbies". Luckily for me, I had a group of classmates from highschool in my department the same level who I became friends with and they were of so much help to me. They helped me navigate the various areas in the school environment and helped in my social relationship with other course mates of mine.
Lastly, what I wasn't prepared for was the manner of teaching which was a lot different from how I was taught in the A-level program. The method I was taught in college required me to go back for further research on the topic taught for better clarity and understanding of the course. This was made possible for me as I had a group of friends which were also serious minded and ready to share their ideas after carrying out their different research on the topic that was introduced.
In all, I can say that my experience as a new kid though it was surprising but I enjoyed every new thing I got to learn from it.
