All of us at one point of time have thought about how chilled out our lives would be once we head start for college. Alas! The myth is busted, college is not all fun. The reality is nothing like we imagined or were told. And special thanks to some of the movies we grew up watching which made us thing colleges were all about fun, trips with friends, music festivals and a lot of sports. Apart from that, the beginning of the terms is extra annoying and the pressure is tremendous. Here we are talking about some of those frustrating and confusing things which happen in every new term. (let us know which you relate the most).
- Getting started
Getting started the new term is the most frustrating thing we all agree, with all the anxiety on the mind, previous years grade, the subject to choose, deal with that one irritating classmate or complete the assignment and the overall performance for the year while planning for your career ahead.
- Having to go for lecture early
How many cups of coffee do you need to reach the class on time? And why are the first classes early at the break of the dawn (8 Am) and how are we expected to or arrive all fresh and active for the class with on-point focus.
- Finding the right classroom
This one is for the new students at the university. You will find all the classrooms easily except for the one where you are supposed to be. Better keep a map (sadly the lecturer might not believe you).
- The struggles to get the books from the library
Getting the library card, if you don’t have one or getting the card renewed if you haven’t done it before, is not a good option at the beginning of the term. Getting the important books on time and even before someone else does it is a struggle. And over that, the book you want will have only a limited number of copies.
- Getting your scholarship approved
Do you have a scholarship, are all your paper works done, or are you still stuck in the queue, in all your brake and free minutes instead of hanging out with your classmates? We know managing the finances are priorities after-all it covers your college expenses. But how long does forever means?
- The timetable
Who designs the timetable, how is someone supposed to reach the other end of the university in just five minutes? Why are the schedules so tight to not incorporate the minimum walking time from one classroom to the other that are on two different ends of the campus and takes around 15 minutes to the cross the crowded passageways!
- Keeping a track of all the new people
Keeping the track of all the new people from the different classes, the friend in the library, the one you met in the gymnasium and most importantly the new lecturers. What can be more embarrassing than getting the name of the lecturer wrong?
- Dealing with the break hangover
After a long and comfortable term break, starting with so much pressure is not easy. The hangover period is yet to get over.
- Breaking the vow of not being late
In your entire term break you decided not to be late for class, the vow is brittle and we know that. Unless you want to give it one more try!
- Group assignment
Group assignments are one of the worst things, whether the group is assigned by the lecturer or you get the opportunity to select your own team the pressure is no different. The struggles remain the same. Co-ordinating with the team, doing all the work yourself, completing the assignment and giving credits to those who didn’t contribute.
Despite all of these we can’t deny that we all love going back to the unis. More so as the times we are in we surely wanted to experience all the excitement, meeting our friends in real-time, changing looks in the classroom when the lecture is on, and walking in the classroom late with the cup of coffee.
The classes have been moved online and we are not yet certain when can we walk on the campus. Though online classes might give us the comfort of the home and make the schedule a little less hectic we all are waiting to get back in the campus and crib about the pressure. And even though the online classes have its own frustrating moments, the beginning of the class, everyone getting connected, the mute and unmute issues, the dozing off while the lecture is on, the background noise, missing out the important point due to poor connectivity and so much more. Also, group assignment remains the same.
Though universities and colleges have left no stone unturned during these tough times to make sure our education doesn’t get interrupted and we can complete our terms right from our home. On that note colleges like Cavendish University have taken every possible step to make the education accessible and less frustrating, be it admissions for the new term. Online classes or even the online graduation ceremony. It has made study material accessible for the students with its easily accessible library. All the Cavendish University programs are available online and the admission for the new intake is also made easy.
Not just that Cavendish University has crossed a milestone this year, by becoming one of the universities to be approved by NCHE to teach online. This approval means all the accredited courses offered by Cavendish University are available on the online teaching mode. The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has approved Cavendish University Uganda (CUU) to conduct Open, Distance and E-learning (ODeL). The achievement is particularly commendable because, at a time when colleges and universities in Uganda and many even across the world struggled to set up a system quickly and efficiently to continue teaching and conduct classes, this college was awarded approval of ODel due to its preparedness to cope up with the situation. this for sure makes Cavendish one of the best universities in Uganda.
