By Mohamed Bangura(Intern)
Campus life among other things is one of the most important and memorable years of one’s life. It is entirely different from school-life. Campus life exposes one to new experiences and things that we were unfamiliar with during High School. Interestingly for some people, campus life means enjoying oneself to the fullest and partying day- in-day-out.
While for others, it is time to be serious about their career and study thoroughly for a brighter future. Fourah Bay College, which is located at Mount Aureole, was founded in 1827 in West Africa. It was named the anthens of West Africa.
As a student residing in the East-End of Freetown, I usually woke- up early and tirelessly, reaching at Model Junction most times, I could stand over hours waiting for the university bus.
Effortlessly, after classes, if I don’t want to use the canal route, I would have to join my college mates. Fighting to board vehicles is something which has always been lingering on my mind. Sadly, fighting for transportation is a daily routine at FBC, and it is part of the campus life. During the raining season, things become very difficult for us. We normally wait for private cars to take us to campus. Sometimes, we used what we normally called the carnal route.
If truth be told, registration on campus is another major problem, which all constitutes the campus life. The Art Building for example, which since time memorial is always queued with students, who go to do their registration process. Registration process, which is normally done after students had paid their fees either at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank or Rokel Commercial Bank, respectively since the process is a must for every student on campus.
Since registration is so stressful, most students find it really hard to cope with it. Thanks to the university administration for implementing the online registration. The worst thing is that, lectures and classes hold at the same time. Sometimes we woke as early as 4am just making sure that we register at the right time. Having spent two years on campus, I transferred to hostels because of the transportation problems. Most students decided to stay on campus because of this.
On campus, while staying on the hostels, you have to know how to deal with your room-mate. Having a college colleague room-mate is most people first experience living with someone who is not related to them. It comes with both benefits and challenges. Getting along with colleagues teammates can enhance your college experience. When I stayed at the hostels, I got an instant friend, someone to confide in and keep my company during my first time away from home.We engaged on something especially against clubs on campus. He is like a brother to me.
Furthermore, the issue of elections on campus is also another lives style on campus. Sometimes we enjoy the drama of black and white on campus. You cannot enjoy the beauty of campus without experiencing the electioneering process on campus. Fourah Bay College, the oldest institution in West Africa is still struggling for learning environment. Most of the departments on campus do not have enough classrooms. Mass Communications Department, the only private school on campus is now struggling with sitting accommodation. We often fight to sit in front. You can agree with me that you cannot write about life on campus without mentioning the issue of missing grades. Most of the students on campus are bound to it. The issue of missing grades is serious on campus.
Additionally in schools, we view our teachers as our mentors, and sometimes even our parents. We respect them and keep a distance with them. However, with campus life, the lecturer-student relationship becomes a bit informal. Lecturers become more like our friends. We share our happiness and troubles with them as we did our friends.
The most common memory people have about campus life is going around with friends. They remember how the group of friends walks around them.
Finally, I always look back at the time I spent on campus canteen, which was considered as the hub of every student, where we enjoy eating and chatting with our friends.
Surely, that is the dream of every student, who makes his or her way to the University of Sierra Leone, specifically on FBC campus.
