The freedom trap: what every level 100 should know before it's too late

To every Level 100 just finding their feet - welcome to UPSA.

I know how it feels to be where you are now.

You arrive on campus with excitement, expectations, and probably a little fear. Everything looks new. The lecture halls are unfamiliar, the faces around you are strangers, and suddenly, you have this strange freedom that comes with being a university student.

Nobody is standing behind you, asking whether you have attended class. Nobody is checking whether you have completed your assignment. Nobody may even know where you are.

And that freedom can either build you or distract you.

Looking back at my own Level 100 experience, there are things I wish I had understood earlier. There are things I did well, things I could have done differently, and lessons I only understood much later.

That is why, as I watch another group of Level 100 students begin their journey, I want to say this: do not be afraid.

You will eventually find your way.

You will find your lecture rooms. You will learn the campus. You will make friends. You will discover the lecturers whose classes you love and the courses that require a little more effort. You will have days when university feels exciting and other days when you simply want to go home.

It is all part of the experience.

But while you are enjoying it, use your time wisely.

University can make you feel like you have all the time in the world until you suddenly realise that a semester has passed. Do not spend your Level 100 years only moving from hostel to classroom, classroom to hostel, and waiting for the next social event.

There is so much you can become here.

Join a club. Join an association. Volunteer. Attend programmes. Write. Speak. Learn a skill. Meet people outside your department. Put yourself in spaces that challenge you and help you discover who you are.

Some of the most meaningful parts of my university experience have happened outside the classroom.

And please, make good friends.

The people you surround yourself with can influence your university experience more than you realise. Find friends who can laugh with you, study with you, encourage you, and remind you of who you are when you begin to lose focus.

Not every person you meet has to become your friend, and not every friendship needs to last forever. But make sure the people closest to you are not taking you further away from the person you want to become.

There is also something I wish more people would talk about when welcoming freshers: your spiritual life.

For many of us, home came with a spiritual routine. Maybe you went to church every Sunday with your family. Maybe you prayed before leaving the house. Maybe there were people around you who constantly reminded you of your faith.

Then you come to university, and suddenly, nobody is checking.

You can decide whether to attend church. You can decide whether to pray. You can decide what kind of people you allow into your life.

And that is where you have to become intentional.

Please, do not let the university become the place where you lose your spiritual grounding.

If going to church was part of your life at home, find a church and continue. If prayer was important to you, maintain it. Keep the values that mattered to you before you came here.

University will expose you to different people, beliefs, and religious communities. Be respectful and open-minded, but do not allow yourself to be so carried away that you lose your own spiritual foundation. Be careful about the religious groups and influences you allow into your life, especially those that pressure you, isolate you from others, or demand unquestioning loyalty.

Your university journey should not cost you your values.

Academically, please do not wait until Level 300 before you realise that your grades matter.

Take your first assignments seriously. Go to class. Ask questions. Read beyond what is given to you. Learn how to manage your time.

I have seen continuing students look back at their Level 100 days and wish they had done certain things differently. Some regret the friends they chose. Some regret the opportunities they ignore. Some regret how carelessly they treated their academics or their time.

That should not be your story.

You have the advantage of hearing from people who have already walked this road. You do not have to make every mistake yourself before learning the lesson.

And please, don't forget to enjoy university too.

Make memories. Take pictures. Laugh until your stomach hurts. Celebrate your friends. Explore. Have experiences that you will remember long after graduation.

Just remember that there is a difference between enjoying university and allowing university to consume you.

I always say this: freedom will expose your weaknesses more than your strengths.

Many of you are probably excited about the freedom that comes with university life, and rightly so. But as you celebrate that freedom, make sure you also have the wisdom to utilise it.

Freedom without wisdom can easily become a distraction.

You now have the freedom to make your own choices, but remember that every choice has a consequence. Use your freedom to become better, not to lose yourself.

And to those of you wondering whether you chose the right university, give it time.

I believe you are in the right university, and with time, you will understand why.

One day, you will walk across campus and realise that the place that once felt unfamiliar has become familiar. The faces that once looked like strangers will become people you know. Before you know it, you will be the continuing student welcoming another group of Level 100s.

You will realise that the journey moved faster than you expected.

So, to every fresh face on campus, welcome.

You are not expected to have everything figured out.

You are simply expected to begin.

Begin with courage. Begin with purpose. Begin with good friends, an open mind, a serious attitude towards your education, and a spiritual foundation you refuse to abandon.

Make your Level 100 story one you will be proud to tell.

Because one day, you will look back.

And when you do, may you have more memories to smile about than mistakes to regret.

Welcome to UPSA. Your story has just begun.