Fresher Drama: 40 Documents, 3 Hours Away

When Freedom Turns into "Chaos"

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You know that phrase we all heard in secondary school?

"When you finish your WAEC, you can play as much as you want!"

It was basically an anthem in every typical Nigerian school, especially in SS3. They made it sound like freedom, like the moment you step into university, all your problems would magically disappear. That idea of university life being a paradise, free from the constraints of secondary school, was a big scam that most of us fell for.

But, yeah we all know how that turned out, right?

Today, I caught up with Marvellous, who shared the story about one of her first few days in university as a fresher, her first taste of “freedom.” As you'd expect freedom came with a little chaos.

Marvellous VS Uni: Episode 1

Going to University felt like stepping into a whole new world. You know that vibe when you relocate from Nigeria to the UK or US, how everything feels so unfamiliar, exciting and big, that’s how I felt.

My secondary school teachers didn't let us rest with all their talk about uni life and the freedom that came with it. “You can enjoy as much as you want,” they said. I anticipated that freedom.

So, me at that time? I was just excited to finally leave home and experience “The University”

I got to school on this particular day, ready for my registration only to realise that I had forgotten every single document I needed at home.

Yes, every. single. one.

To give you context, we are talking of up to 40 documents, from Waec result, Admission letter, Jamb result, everything. These documents were comfortably chilling at home, while I was 3 hours away, staring at the registration desk, completely clueless and lowkey wishing I could teleport home.

My first thought? ‘What am I going to tell my parents?’ After driving for a whole 3 hours and I forgot the very things I needed to register for school? Omo! I started cooking up all kinds of scenarios in my head about how they'd react. But I didn't tell them right away, I started fake-searching my bag like the documents will magically appear.

Eventually, I had to tell them. I couldn't keep pretending. At this point, I was more concerned about how they'd react than the fact that I forgot my documents. I mean, after taking me on a 3 hour trip, this was the last thing I wanted to admit.

But to my surprise, they were actually chill with me. No shouting, no lectures, just calmness. I was shocked, to be honest but they were more focused on figuring out what I should do next.

Funny enough, I didn't feel completely defeated while everything was happening. In fact, while we were still figuring out what to do, my parents got me something to eat. My big brother had to drive all the way to Ibadan to pick up the documents from home and my sister stayed with me, at some point, we were even laughing about the whole thing.

Some documents had to be reprinted and that pained me small because money just went like that but honestly, it wasn't as bad as the dramatic scenario I had cooked in my head.

Looking back, I can't remember much but I remember that my parents stayed with me till the next day. There wasn't any tension, no stress, it felt like the whole thing just passed and everyone moved on.

That experience? Definitely one of my unforgettable moments on campus and it taught me that Uni life is not for the weak.

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Stories like 'Marvellous’ remind us that sometimes the beginning isn't always cute. Welcome to Campus Chronicles, where we collect the chaos, moments, laughter, and big lessons that shape our campus journey.

Have you ever had a “Marvellous” moment, that one fresher mistake you still remember, drop a comment below and who knows you might just get a feature!

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