As Told to APSoUL: How APSULites Spent The Holiday Season

Breaks can be lovely or dreadful. What matters is whether you recovered from the previous semester, even if it’s for a day or two. Read our interviews with three APSULites on how their holidays went.

Holidays come with many definitions: A fresh breath from the struggles of school. An opportunity for adventures and travels. An opening for family drama with never-ending chores. And, ultimately, the prep for a new start with so much room for setting goals and dreams.

However, with how much the school system changed last semester, from online classes to rushed exams, we wanted to hear something out of the ordinary. APSUL’s own definition of the holidays.

To get this done, we had interviews with three APSULites—Nora Nwanze, Eric Bright, and Moses Durodola. So, sit back, relax, and check out what the holidays looked like through APSULites’ eyes.

APSoUL - Let’s start with an overview. In General, what was the holiday really like for you?

Before we began the interviews, we had really high hopes of knowing if some APSULites had a form of spree adventure during the holidays, since it was the longest “natural” break in CMUL in a while.

When we asked Moses, however, he said, “Honestly, I didn’t really get a holiday at all. I was completely caught up with my project work and my own side hustle. Most of my time went into writing, running around for project materials, and meeting up with my supervisor. And when I wasn’t doing school stuff, I was busy handling my personal work to keep things going. Between the two, the days just disappeared. I barely had time to rest or catch my breath. While others were relaxing, I was either on my laptop, working, or out sorting one thing or the other.”

Looking back at the two weeks of intense examinations and an entire month of practicals, the 300L and 400L students went through, not having a proper break was huge, and Moses agreed: “It was draining, to be honest. By the end of it, it didn’t feel like a break at all. It just felt like I worked straight through to the next semester.”

In our opinion, holidays are like a two-way street: you either spend time trying to cover up for school or spend time trying to cover up on life and being yourself until it’s all finished. That’s the interesting part about it, though: counting down the days.

So, we looked over to Eric and asked what the holiday meant to him in one sentence, whether it was actually one or just another packed break, and he shared with us, “The holiday was me doing something every day and letting time go by consciously. Initially, for the first two weeks, I was in my resting phase—eating, sleeping, and repeating this cycle. But after that period, I went back to writing and reviewing books. Generally, I’m going to say that this holiday was a growth stage for me.”

Finding yourself is very important, especially in CMUL, where academics are expected to be the number one priority. The best time for that: the short and long in-between holidays. If you were in Nora’s shoes, who had an undefined holiday of classes and labs masked with a large amount of free time, a tedious exam period, and just four days (or less) before the next semester, we might say the same thing doesn’t apply to you.

Even Nora didn’t expect 200L to be this… much. In her words, “Initially, the journey was chill. The way we had classes felt like we were playing. Yes, we started hybrid classes in November, but with how things were, it didn’t seem like I was in medical school because I could go to school whenever I liked.

The sudden change in January, though, took all of us by surprise! From the late assignment of hostels to the impromptu in-courses, I’d say last semester had its ups and downs.”

In CMUL, while we share the same environment, everyone has a different experience, with school generally; Almost like coordinated chaos. For Nora, it was experiencing a whole new world, outside of what she’d always known. “I used to think people could not survive without sleeping until I made it here, and my orientation changed. I wasn’t sleeping at all for days. I just kept reading and had to keep reading. Pharmacology was the most active in the school. While they were the ones with classes that seemed chill, when in-courses and exams came, the questions were unlike the classes. But, so far, I’d say, the journey has been interesting, calm, and crazy. It’s made me push myself beyond my limits: even limits I never knew I could reach and surpass.”

If there were three sides to a coin, that’d perfectly describe what the holiday was for each person at their different levels. Amidst the hullabaloo of the holiday, though, we wanted to know if there was something (anything, really) worth remembering and unique compared to the other short mid-semester breaks. We turned to Eric first on this one:

APSoUL - Did you do anything memorable? Any highlights you’d want to share?

Between doing something fun, picking up new things, visiting multiple places, or just spending time to unwind, Eric’s highlight was doing the things he loved, outside of academics, and building on his skills.

“It was worthwhile doing other things I liked because I realised that within the semester, I normally wouldn’t be able to do any of the things I loved and enjoyed doing. I had more time to stroll around my environment and visit my cousins. This break, it was me trying to build myself—with a compulsion I placed on myself to do the things I’d always wanted.”

For Nora, it was more about the things she planned to do to make the holiday matter and actually count. “My plan for the holidays previously would have been to chill, go to nice places, take pictures, and focus on making some money as well. But after everything and there being no time, I've just been getting all the rest I can to gather strength for the second semester. I’ve been sleeping and eating too—the real goal. On plans to chill: I’ve been watching a lot of movies and focusing on getting yummy treats.”

With Moses, though, rest and plans weren’t in the cards. “I actually had a couple of plans in mind to cool off and take a break from all the stress, but to be honest, none of them really worked out. I had hoped to take myself out for a treat, just to unwind a bit after all the exam pressure. I also planned to go to the beach with a friend or two, just to shake off all the seriousness and have some fun. Even hitting the gym was on my list. But in the end, they all just stayed as plans—I couldn’t make time for any of them.”

“The only thing that counts as a highlight was attending a dinner for one of my friends’ birthdays. Apart from that, there wasn’t much else. Not the most exciting break, really. So, no, I wouldn’t have wanted any extension. At this point, I just want to get done with my finals and wrap everything up. Plus, to be fair, even if the holiday was longer, it’s not like it would’ve guaranteed me any rest. I’d probably still have been busy with work and project stuff.”

APSoUL - Coming back to school now, we just have to ask: did the break give you any new perspectives you’d be exploring this semester? Generally, what are you most looking forward to?

The holidays are over. Resuming back in school and being a student is what’s left, even for Nora, who’s had a rather short break. This time around, we chose to ask her first what her plans for the new semester looked like and how she hoped to have an academic comeback.

“I’m not yet sure of how some of the courses are, but I want to start reading from the beginning of the semester, reading like I’m having exams the following week, and using the drive I had last semester, really. I want to be able to gather as many materials as possible from seniors. Because, with the materials I had last semester, they helped me in reading ahead and noting the most important things to focus on, in simplified terms too.“

When starting, that courage to put in the right efforts was necessary to have a solid foundation, and like Moses, who’d been through, done, and seen all of that, sharing what finishing looked like was important. “I wouldn’t say I found a completely new perspective, but this period did make my outlook clearer. I still value pharmacology a lot – it’s a strong field and it definitely has great potential if you’re committed to going the full distance.

But at the same time, I’ve realised life isn’t just about the course alone. Beyond passion, financial stability is also key. So while I’m serious about finishing strong and keeping pharmacology as part of my journey, I’m also focused on building other streams of income and setting myself up in different ways. For me, it’s about balancing both—not leaving pharmacology behind, but not limiting myself either.”

Eric stood somewhere in the middle between school and life, with the whole break being a reflective, growth phase. He told us: “I would always say, go with the flow. Academics are the priority, yes, but I don’t think I’d drop what I love doing. It had always been something I’d avoided because I’m the type of person who likes doing one thing at a time before going on to the next. But this semester, I want to create a balance to bridge the gap. I don’t want to get to that point where I’d have to separate my academics from what I like doing.

That’s why I’m looking forward to a positive semester, which would be very engaging. I won’t only keep to my books; I’d engage more in writing, volunteering and poetry—because these are what make me me. Academics shouldn’t be the only thing that defines me, even if they are my priority. Outside the four walls of CMUL, we have stories to tell – the thrills of going through the university are based on things we were able to do and skills we were able to foster. I’d want to be in the space of doing what I love doing and doing what I’m supposed to do, basically, an all-rounder, because I know I can do it if I put my mind to it.”

APSoUL - Wrapping things up: Is there anything else you’d like to share with everyone at APSUL about your holiday that has impacted you most? Any final advice or lessons?

“Start reading early.” In three words, Nora began. From her experience. “You have to get past the materials to read ahead rather than to follow the pace of the lecturers. Because at the end of the day, some lecturers don’t finish the syllabus, yet in exams, they bring out things they didn’t touch, but believe you should have. Reading each lecturer’s slides, along with doing past questions, is highly important too. If they would work for you, having study groups is also helpful. For me, what worked was finding that one person to help with breaking things down because I don’t enjoy being in study groups. Finally, doing personal research—casually, during leisure and not out of pressure—helps make things stick better.”

Eric shared lessons and his reflections, “I’ve always liked doing some things, but never really channelling the energy towards them. I’m usually like: it is not the right time, I don’t think I have the right resources for it, I don’t think I can do it right, I have to prepare and put in more before I start.”

“But, I’ve come to realise that there won’t be a right time. I have to start from somewhere; we cannot be caught not doing anything. If you like doing something, just do it even if you don’t have all you need. Because if you start doing it now, as time goes on, you’ll realise the right things you’d need to have. In reality, you won’t always have 100% of what you need, so make do with what you have and keep on doing it. Do a lot of things, do what makes you happy, do what you like doing, do what you know you can do well, and improve as you grow: seek what sets your soul on fire. So, just start.”

While we heard from Nora about how to navigate school, and Eric about finding a path in between school, Moses took us through the cores of managing it all amidst everything we had going on and everything we’d always wanted to do, “If I were to share a few lessons that really stood out to me during the break, they’d be these:

First, surround yourself with people who can hold you accountable. Not just anyone, but people you can trust—those who won’t just listen to your gist but will actually help you stay focused and push you when you start slacking. Having the right people to talk to really lightens the load, whether it’s school, work, or life in general.

Second, don’t procrastinate. If something is worth doing, start it now—literally now. Pushing things off only makes them pile up, and before you know it, everything feels overwhelming and there’s no breathing space.

Lastly and most importantly, hold on to God. That’s what has kept me grounded. Staying consistent in prayer and studying God’s word will not only strengthen you but also remind you of the bright path ahead. It keeps you encouraged and motivated when things get tough.”

With the new semester upon us, it’s important to start off on the right foot. But before the hoolabaloo of events, lectures, and school drama rolls in, we’d love to hear your own experience in the comments.

Happy resumption, dearest APSULites: here’s to a positive and bright second semester – cheers!

Chronic Events

• SPARK, the official APSoUL magazine, is closer than you think! Our theme for this year is: Threads & Ties: The Friendship Issue.

• Got a story about a long-lost friend, or those friends who’ve become more like siblings to you? Well, we want to hear it! Submit your story to SPARK here and get featured.

In The Lab

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