Not greeting or thanking the lecturer after the lecture is over feels pretty weird. I mean, isn’t it polite to thank them or is it just me? On the other hand, the liberty to bring in handphones into class seems to be an accepted fact from the start of campus life.

My first semester at uni so far has been a huge culture shock. Rules are meant to be broken seems to be the mantra as fellow students blatantly ignore the “No slippers, No sandals and No shorts” rule. Then again, how does the university enforce this rule without prefects? (Not that I want prefects, thank you very much) But maybe it isn’t a big deal as everything else seems to be in order.

Speaking of clothes, for 11 years I wore a uniform to school. In high school, I hated my uniform. Now, I missed it. Every day (if I have class) I would agonise over what to wear. I can’t wear what I had worn yesterday but I don’t want to wear that shirt and I don’t feel like wearing red today… On top of that, I think about what image I will be portraying if I had chosen a particular outfit. Oh, such indecisiveness!

Another problem I’m having is language. The majority of the students speak Chinese. I can’t speak Chinese, dialects included! Another student shared the same predicament but I don’t think her case is as bad as mine. At least she knows enough Chinese to get by while I am a total banana. Thankfully everyone understands English and speaks it. Undoubtedly it is refreshing to hear lectures in English instead of switching English with Bahasa Melayu.

University life does take a toll on wallets. Textbooks prices are exorbitant and food is definitely costly compared to school canteen prices. Hence, my fellow classmates and I try to keep our expenses down as much as possible by photocopying books and sourcing for the cheapest place to eat lunch. Transportation also adds to this cost as most drive to uni and have to pay for parking. Students living in hostels aren’t faring better either. Imagine paying a huge sum for your rent only to hear that you could have rented somewhere else cheaper.

On the plus side, we get to choose our own timetable ensuring that the classes don’t clash and we fulfill the credit hours required. Now all we have to do is find our classrooms and get to class on time - easier said than done. For one, the class venue might be changed or the scheduled time might change. You only get to know this at the very last minute, walking past the billboard or getting a panicky SMS from a friend.

Freedom basically sums up everything about university, the kind we were so eager to leave high school for. Yet at this juncture it is pretty overwhelming to be dunked full force into that freedom. It is also disorientating not be informed of happenings and must-dos over the PA system or morning assembly and instead rely on billboards. Books and food are no longer subsidized. I guess it’s time to accept and adapt though on my part, I feel I have a long way to go.