Kenyan Wits

This past weekend I visited a friend at Kenyatta University and was wowed by their new smart card id implementation. They use their IDs to pay for fees, for meals in the mess and even to save money. This kept me thinking, JKUAT the epitome of technology in Kenya, can’t we implement such a system? Imagine a campus life where with the swipe of a card, you can eat dinner, photocopy notes, attend premium functions, and open locked doors, just to mention but a few. Wouldn’t it be wonderful? Well, it’s rapidly becoming a norm in developed countries’ institutions. Students don’t have to walk with money everywhere so as to buy stuff or access services, neither do they need to carry bunches of keys to access buildings. A smart card is all they need. What’s a Smart Card? So, what do I mean by a smart card? Simply, this is a card which is smart. Ha-ha! Gotcha. That was so rude of me I guess. A smart-card is a pocket-sized card with an embedded microchip that can be loaded with data and...

There comes a time while on campus when you send your parents a please-call-me text because you are very broke and they reply with the same text because; either, they are just as broke as you are or they are evading because you’re always asking for money. Then you begin to seriously consider your money options. Online writing is the easiest gig a student can do for money. As long as you have a laptop, Internet connection and can construct a sensible paragraph, you are eligible. You will need to find clients. It’s seasonal employment for the spring break or whatever break period you need to find a different hustle. Ask someone in your class, your roommates and call the advertisers who display their business contacts on the noticeboards. For a beginner, for whom this article is intended, you will want to stick to 3 pages or less. Ask for papers with a deadline of four hours upwards and slowly build your confidence. If your employer is nice enough (mine was) you can meet u...

Most of us college students take sports for granted. We stay ignorant of the fact that these sports can create future success paths. For those who had passions and great skills in some of the sports, then chose to drop them when they came to college, it’s even more unfortunate because they are losing more than they can afford to lose. So, before you graduate then look back into your past and wish you had taken sports seriously, go through these several reasons why you should take sports in college. 1. Build relationships and connections : When people who share a common passion come together as a team to better each other, strong bonds are created. Sports connect such people who develop deep friendships and these connections open doors for each other in the future. Humans are social beings and spending so much time together having fun is what we desire most. In addition, what if the person of your dreams, the one you want to spend your life with was your sports enthusiast, wouldn’t it b...

As a college student, you encounter hundreds of people every single day and normally never speak to most of them. Nonetheless, you relay some kind of information to all of them. You know how? By how you dress. Clothes are powerful means of communication in human and even though we don’t give credit to this fact, our clothes do affect our lives. We judge people by what they wear. That’s why we attend interviews with official clothes. So, it is rather obvious that our college clad does affect our college life and hence we should choose what we wear wisely. This is why? Your dressing affects your emotions . When you put on dull clothes you might not realize how dull and boring you look until a friend approaches you and asks you whether you have just woken up. Next time someone asks you a question suggesting you have a low mood, look at what you are dressed in first. When you put on sharp clothes, you are most likely going to be alert and confident because you brighten the environment. Loo...

Being a guy in college is quite simple especially when it comes to dressing. All the clothes you require to survive for a semester plus a blanket and a bedsheet can fit well in just two bags packs. As ladies stream into campus with suitcases for every category of wearable, guys are pretty comfortable coming with as little as possible. Nevertheless, there are certain items that are just necessary for every college guy’s wardrobe to remain comfortable all week. They include 3 T-shirts (Simple designs). Best tops when you are out to meet people. They always look inviting. Get T-shirts that fit your body well and mind their colors and whatever is printed. Wearing pink shirts is a no-no. 3 Shirts (Most preferably white and at least one long-sleeved). Whenever you want to attend an official meeting or just want to look presentable, shirts are the way to go. White ones can be matched well with various types of trousers and leather shoes. Make sure you have at least 3 of these. 2 or 3 Pairs...

I know you have heard about this orientation event for first ‘years’. While some have wondered what it concerns, other don’t know its importance. This gives me the opportunity to clear the confusion. To begin with, orientation is an event meant to introduce newcomers into an institution. In college, first years are grouped into departments and their supervisors take them around the institution. You remember in Form 1 when your guardian or godparent showed you around the school so that you became familiar with the school? Now, this is the college version, though here, you are in groups and instead of a guardian, it’s a supervisor. You will later assemble for meetings probably on the second day and here the department staff will take you through the rules of the institution. These meetings are very crucial if you plan to graduate. I say this because some information from these meetings might never be mentioned again until when you go to pick you degree and get dismissed for not adhering ...

You are done with high school and want to progress to campus. You scored good grades or you meet whatever other qualifications your campus of choice dictates as the benchmark. You know your general area of interest but there are so many fields under it becomes overwhelming to select one. And everyone’s waiting for you to make the big decision. Can be a bit terrifying, I’ll give you that. But here’s the thing. You should, for starters, be proud of yourself for knowing where to begin. There are more people than one can imagine who actually have no idea what career path they want to follow. Sure, there’s knowing what you cannot possibly do. I am afraid of blood and cannot to this day bring myself to touch raw meat when I am cooking. So I definitely know I cannot have a successful career in the field of medicine. But why not law? Or Physics? Maybe a Chemistry related course. Expose yourself in several short courses This is one of the reasons I advocate for a short stint in several fields b...