The lecture hall was bigger than anything Akutu had ever seen. Rows of wooden seats stretched from the front of the room to the very back, where latecomers perched awkwardly, hoping to avoid the professor's sharp gaze. The chatter of students filled the air, an odd mixture of nervous excitement and casual confidence. Some flipped through fresh notebooks, eager to jot down their first university notes, while others scrolled through their phones, uninterested in what was about to begin.
Akutu sat near the middle, her pen poised over an empty page. The title of the course—Introduction to Social Structures—was scribbled on the whiteboard, and at precisely 8:00 AM, the door at the front of the hall swung open. A tall woman in a blue blazer strode in, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. The room fell silent.
"Good morning, class," the lecturer said, setting her books down. "My name is Dr. Mensah, and I will be taking you through this course. Now, before we begin, let me make one thing clear—this is not high school. I don't care if you were the best student back home. University will humble you if you are not disciplined."
A few students exchanged nervous glances. Akutu swallowed hard.
Dr. Mensah continued, her voice sharp and unwavering. "Assignments are due when I say they are due. No excuses. You are responsible for your own learning. If you expect to be spoon-fed, drop the course now. Any questions?"
Silence.
Akutu felt a wave of pressure settle on her shoulders. This was real. This was different. Back in high school, she had been a top student, always ahead of the class. But now, sitting among hundreds of equally ambitious students, she felt small. Could she keep up? Could she handle the weight of expectations?
After an hour of intense lecturing, Dr. Mensah capped her marker and faced the class. "Your first assignment is already up on the student portal. Read the required materials and submit a two-page analysis by next week."
Akutu barely had time to process those words before murmurs of complaint rose around her. A week? It was just the first day! She glanced at Jenny, who sat beside her, eyes wide in disbelief.
"This woman is serious," Jenny whispered.
Akutu exhaled, already feeling the workload pressing down on her. Was this what the next four years would be like?
Later that evening, she sat in the library, staring at her open laptop. The assignment instructions glared back at her. Her mind swam with doubts. She had been so excited about university, but now she wasn't sure if she was ready.
As she massaged her temples, a voice broke through her thoughts. "You look stressed."
She looked up to find Kweku standing nearby, holding a textbook.
"First assignment already killing you?" he asked with a grin.
Akutu sighed. "I didn't expect it to start so fast."
Kweku chuckled. "Welcome to university. The pressure never stops. But you'll get used to it."
Would she?
As she turned back to her laptop, she realized something—pressure, like a pulley, could either break her or push her forward. It was up to her to decide how she would handle it.
The pulleys of life were tightening.