Joining university is a quest that yields into a glorious future, so we believe. It is a path to self-discovery and breaking the chains of parental restrictions and family pressure. We are always so hopeful and optimistic at the beginning but as the saying goes, nothing comes easy.

Students face a lot of challenges which influence them to dropout due to the mental burden and the prying eyes. Seeing a friend leave without an explanation must be the saddest thing ever. We always ask ourselves why our colleagues leave in the middle of the journey but then it clicks that they would have been suffering in silence with no one to turn to.

One of the common challenges is financial constraints.  University tuition is high compared to fees paid in lower levels of education. Some parents are biased when it comes to catering for the needs their kids after secondary since they are considered to be of age. In this case, working while studying remains the only option for survival yet it also has its downside.

Transitioning to University life can also be challenging to most because this is when one has to embark on a path of self discovery and figure out what to do with their life. It can be confusing at times and a lot of unwise decisions are made due to being independent for the very first time.

A video of Najjemba Shanitah a student of bachelors in medicine at IUIU

It is when students start experiencing life fully, staying out late, partying, dating, meeting new people with good and bad intentions and a lot more. This kind of life has consequences most especially to the girl child and one needs a lot of discipline to come out of it safe and sane.

 After joining university, students “forget” that they actually have to study or put effort into academics, this results into poor performance hence getting retakes, dead years, low CGPAs.

A video of Kiyemba Ronald a student of mass communication at IUIU

Seeing your colleagues graduating while you have to redo exams is where most students draw the line and decide to dropout. One needs to be disciplined enough and always remember his or her goal in the first place.

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ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY IN UGANDA KAMPALA CAMPUS MR. ABDALLAH MUTYABA

According to Mr. Abdallah Mutyaba, the challenges students face are academic, social and financially related. In the Islamic university in Uganda (IUIU), a student is not allowed to proceed if they have five retakes. They have to sign up for a dead semester or a dead year and do the papers they are missing in order to continue.

He says, one should have enough courage to fulfil what they missed and be committed to their goal. Engaging in group discussions is also important because getting ideas and explanations from different people can make things easier. Personal revision is also important because of its flexibility.

University tuition rates are very high and that is challenging to most students but that can be overcome by choosing a course one can afford. Everyone wants a good career but at times the courses can be expensive for example medicine and law. It is best for students to first check their sources of income see if they will manage the tuition. If not, they can opt for cheaper alternatives to avoid giving up in the near future because of tuition.

There are organisations which sponsor students for example Direct Aid, International Islamic Charitable Organisation, Madivan Foundation and Mandela Group of Company. Students apply to such foundations for chances to be funded.

One should make a lot of friends but choose wisely on who to bring closer, peer pressure and having friends who are not studying can be misleading especially for girls, seeing them make money and enjoying laugh always leads students into making bad decisions hence unplanned pregnancies and bad life choices. The consequences lead to embarrassment and judgement among colleagues hence losing motivation so one has to be really careful.