Academic Disappointments: When Life Teaches You A Lesson
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/ai-generated-graduation-man-male-8369776/
I remember all the fantasies I had while in secondary school about what I would achieve academically after I left Secondary school. I pictured myself getting a university degree. After that, I would get my Master's and then a PhD. But I wouldn't end there. I would go ahead and get degrees in other courses like Psychology, Computer Programming etc.
I remember the time I was preparing to take my pre-university exams or JAMB, as we call it. I entered law as my first choice. I had wanted to make English my first choice but changed to law after some persuasion from my parents.
https://pixabay.com/photos/conference-workshop-iphone-3677032/
I remember the excitement the day we walked into the hall for the exams. I remember my excitement when the results came out. I had performed well. I was finally going to enter the higher institution and pursue my academic dreams.
But I was unaware that Providence had other plans. There's a saying that Man proposes, God disposes. The admission was withdrawn because I didnt have a C in a crucial subject in my WASSCE. The subject in question was mathematics.
https://pixabay.com/photos/medicine-pills-medication-bottle-8287535/
One of the reasons I failed Mathematics in my WASSCE was because in my final year in secondary school, I suffered a medical condition that affected my neurological activities. Before the medical condition, I had always passed mathematics while in secondary school, with a B or C at worst. When I visited the hospital the doctors prescribed some drugs which I'm still taking today. I've been on the drugs for almost 15 years.
After my first disappointment of failing to secure an admission into the higher institution, I tried to get Mathematics in my WASSCE. But it turned out to be one disappointment after the other. I remember one of the exams I wrote, when I went to check and print the results, all the subjects were “withheld” for some unknown reason.
I finally landed a higher institution admission without mathematics being required. After 5 years in the university, I was awarded a degree in English Language Education. But that's still a far cry from the dreams I had about my academic life back those days. If things had gone my way I'd had obtained my PhD by now and reading the other courses I'd wanted to read.
https://pixabay.com/photos/lawyer-law-justice-man-office-7384762/
These experiences of disappointments in my academic dreams has taught me a lesson that we can't have our way all the time no matter how hard we work. They say there's a silver lining in every dark cloud, who knows maybe these disappointments are a blessing in disguise. No matter what disappointments I encounter, I'd never give up on my academic dreams.
Posted Using INLEO