KS BRIAN
Mum/sponsor/guardian sends you an enormous envelope containing a sum that is meant to be your tuition. But then, because you have some urgent demands and you feel like if you use a paltry sum off it, within days, you could replace it. Well, the ‘urgent reasons’ could range from paying off the debt of the guy who always camps outside your room with threats or for stupid reasons like buying stuff for your girlfriend’s birthday. Any reason counts as major because humans see urgency differently. Like some people have IQs of 200 while others are way below average. All in all, they all do the same things, breathe oxygen or like the topic for today, use tuition dime the wrong way.
So first off, why would anyone do such a horrible thing, like pluck a note out of the huge stack of notes? To give you a heads up, even the guy who dropped out of school because he couldn’t get back the tuition started with this false belief that he was going to replace it anyway. He looked for viable sources of the income and his findings were very convincing. Mukasa owes him 30k, Lule 40k and his roommate 10k. That meant that if he borrowed a small 80k off the tuition, it would pay itself up. So dude chooses to use the money to do his selfish plans, like buy drink or stock some spaghetti. Problem is, this is not how anything works. First, the debts payers didn’t know of your plans. They too have plans and may mean to drop yours ahead of theirs. And then they will pay you in turns. Mukasa’s 30k will come the 1st, Lule’s 40K will come on the 17th and maybe the roommate won’t even pay at all. So by the time they all pay up, you have enough needs to gulp it all down before you remember to replace. If there is a deadline, you will panic and try to borrow from a friend, who will inflate the interest and soon you will be in debt.
The one question you should always ponder on before trying to use up tuition on personal issues is if it is more important than education. If by any chance it is, then go ahead. If you sat down and realised that throwing a five hour house party is more important that a future and a career, then well, you need psychiatrist intervention and some night prayers.
If there is one thing campusers need to learn is how cursed the tuition money is. As tempting as it is, that is the length of the curse. It is like the forbidden fruit. Attractive and well, in the middle of your wallet, but the moment you touch it, it will almost be irreversible. You will have to dance to the music when it plays. Deadlines like registration will kill you. You will lose weight and start thinking people don’t care about when no one wants to lend you money. No, they do care about you, Any person who doesn’t lend you dime to top up the tuition you gave to a hoe at a strip cub is engraving life lessons on your heart that you need to give Ceaser what belongs to him, the next time you have your hands on tuition.
When you miss the exams or whatever other things you might miss because you failed to meet the deadline, remember that if the person who gave you the money gets a wind of the whole issue, you lose the trust they had in you in the first place. It is like being cheated on. Only amnesia restores the trust. So besides making sure you replace the “stolen” money, make sure nobody remotely linked to the money knows.
How does an average campuser get through this? The bad news is, I don’t own a SACCO that bails out wannabes. The worse news is, there is no remedy unless you actually replace that money. The worst news is, don’t be the nice guy that reports himself to the guardians thinking they will offer hugs and napkins. Ever wondered what you girlfriend would give you if you walked to her and said you were cheating with her two best friends? If all you get are hugs and fried eggs atop bread, give me her number. But if you receive negative feedback like everybody else will, shut the f-up and think about your sins.
The golden rule about handling tuition is that, as soon as it is in your hands, put it at the back of your head that it belongs to the university, not you. Quickly put it out of the way and let it go. If money gives you this magnetic attraction every time you hold it, wear a head bag till you complete the bank queue. That is how you get out of this mess alive.
Otherwise, good luck with the advice. I trust people who read. If you pushed your eyes to the very end, yes this tuition trap is too weak for you now.
