This one is not news. It is the practical stuff that keeps coming up in the groups on here, written in one place so you can send it to somebody instead of typing it again.

1. Money: know the three routes before you need them

NELFUND is the federal student loan scheme and it is real — but read the eligibility and repayment terms yourself, not from a WhatsApp broadcast. Both NELFUND and the University of Benin have publicly denied a circular telling students to start repaying, which tells you how much false information moves on this subject. Go to the source.

Scholarships — state, federal, corporate and foreign — have deadlines, not vibes. Put every deadline in one calendar in September and stop chasing them in panic.

Skills that pay this month beat skills that pay in five years when rent is due. Writing, design, video editing, running socials for a small business, tutoring JAMB. Boring, unglamorous, pays.

2. The calendar is not your friend, so build a buffer

The Presidency declared in August 2026 that ASUU strikes are "now history", citing three uninterrupted academic years. Even taking that at face value, branch-level actions have still shut individual schools and stalled exams this year. Plan as though your calendar can move by a month, because it can.

3. Protect yourself online

Most students who get scammed are not careless — they are rushed. The pattern is always the same: urgency, a small "processing fee", a link, a deadline that expires tonight. Slow down and it collapses. Nothing legitimate needs your BVN over WhatsApp.

4. Your sanity is part of your CGPA

Sleep, food, and two people you can call. That is the whole system. If you are struggling in a way that will not lift, talk to somebody — a school counsellor, a lecturer you trust, a friend who will not gossip. It is not weakness, it is maintenance.

What would you add?

• What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you in your first semester?
• Which scholarship or grant actually paid out for you?
• What is the most common scam running on your campus right now — name it so others can dodge it.

Loan and strike references drawn from allAfrica, Premium Times and NELFUND/university statements as reported. Practical advice, not professional financial or medical guidance.