My First Experience

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE

My first experience in SBRS was one I will never forget. When I first got admitted into the SBRS at AFIT, I honestly did not know what to expect. To me, it felt like I was going back to secondary school, but this time, it was a more advanced version. Some people even jokingly called it “SS3 promax” because of how similar it felt to secondary school, except there were no uniforms and some things were obviously different.

Honestly, I was embarrassed to tell people that I had gotten into SBRS. Most of my mates were getting admitted into different universities and preparing to begin their 100-level journey, while I was about to spend another period studying in what felt like another SS3. The situation was even more painful because I had missed my post-UTME requirement by just 0.5 marks.

Just 0.5!

It was one of those moments when you keep asking yourself, “How did I even get here?” I had imagined myself entering university with my mates, meeting new people, starting a completely new chapter, and finally leaving secondary-school life behind. Instead, I found myself in SBRS, wondering how everything had turned out so differently from what I had planned.

At first, I didn't really enjoy the experience. It was difficult watching people around me move forward while I felt like I was standing still. However, as the months passed, I began to realize that SBRS was not completely useless. In fact, it taught me many things that I probably would not have learned if everything had gone according to my original plan.

One of the biggest things I learned was how to deal with different kinds of people. I met people with completely different personalities. Some were kind, friendly, and easy to get along with, while others were difficult to understand. I began to realize that not everyone thinks, behaves, or treats people the same way. Some people's personalities can honestly make you wonder, “What is going on here?”

However, meeting different people taught me how to communicate, tolerate differences, set boundaries, and understand that I cannot expect everyone to behave exactly the way I do.

I also learned how to manage myself and my resources. The economy is honestly not smiling at anybody, and SBRS gave me a better understanding of how important it is to manage whatever you have. I learned to think carefully before spending money and to distinguish between what I needed and what I simply wanted.

Most importantly, SBRS taught me patience. Waiting for almost nine months while watching others begin university was not easy. There were moments when I felt disappointed and wondered why things had to happen that way. But eventually, I got my admission into the university.

Looking back now, I realize that missing my post-UTME requirement by 0.5 marks was not the end of my story. It was simply an unexpected part of my journey.

My first experience in SBRS came with embarrassment, disappointment, new friendships, difficult people, lessons about money, and many crazy experiences. It wasn't exactly the experience I wanted, but it taught me things I will carry with me into university and beyond.

Sometimes, life doesn't take us where we planned to go. Sometimes, we take a detour before reaching our destination. And sometimes, that detour teaches us lessons that the original path never could.

SBRS may have felt like “SS3 promax” at first, but looking back, I can honestly say it was a chapter I needed to experience.