Mideay Unscripted

In Criminology, we study something called Labeling Theory (shoutout to Howard Becker ). It’s the idea that once a 'label' is stuck on someone, they start to believe it’s their whole identity. If society calls someone a 'deviant,' they start acting like one. In university, we do the same thing with our CGPA . We let a 4.5, a 3.2, or a 2.1 become the label that defines our worth. If the number is high, we feel like kings. If it drops, we feel like 'academic failures.' But here is the unscripted truth: A CGPA is a data point, not a personhood. There were days I felt like an 'Incomplete' result. If the decimal point dropped, I felt like I dropped. I’d walk into the department feeling like everyone could see my GPA written on my forehead. I was labeling myself before anyone else could. I’ll never forget sitting in a Criminology lecture when Dr. A.F. Afatakpa dropped a truth bomb that changed how I look at my degree. He didn't just talk about theories; ...

If you’re a student, you probably know this feeling. One moment you’re thinking,  “I’ve got this. Everything is under control.” And the next moment, everything suddenly feels like it’s falling apart. Assignments. Exams. Deadlines. Life decisions. Sometimes it all piles up at once. In criminology, we call it  Risk management;  in life, we call it  A Plan B. In simple terms, risk management means  preparing for problems before they happen. But here’s the thing:  a lot of people misunderstand what a Plan B really is. It’s not something you only think about after you fail. It’s something that helps  protect you before things even get that bad. One theory we study in criminology is  Routine Activity Theory ~ Lawrence Cohen &  Marcus Felson   (1979). It says that for a crime to happen, three things usually come together. 1. A motivated offender. 2. A suitable target. 3. Absence of a capable guardian. Now imagine applying that idea to stres...

  I’m going to be honest, I’ve been feeling a little bit down lately. But as a Criminology student in my final year, I’ve started looking at my own stress through a different lens. In my classes, we study why people do what they do. We talk about distorted thinking, those moments when your brain starts telling you lies, like "you aren't good enough" or "you’ll never make it." In Criminology, we learn how thoughts shape behavior and, sometimes, how negative thinking can push people toward dangerous choices. But here’s what they don't always tell you in the textbooks: Stress is a thief. When we are pushed to the limit in university, our thinking gets distorted too. We start to feel like our whole identity is just a grade or a project. We feel "strained." There’s actually a famous theory in Criminology called Strain Theory. It basically  explains how pressure to succeed without adequate support can lead to deep frustration and stress. As a final year ...

  I’m in the final month of my final year in university, and I can confidently say, "stress is real".  It’s not just exams or final projects. It’s that heavy “what’s next?” feeling that follows you everywhere. The kind that sits quietly in your chest even when you’re trying to relax. Most days, it feels like my brain has 50 tabs open, and they’re all frozen. I didn’t discover crochet in some aesthetic, life-changing moment. I found it out of pure boredom. I had a bit of interest, some yarn, and a desperate need to stop thinking about my to-do list for five minutes. My first stitch? A total mess. My tenth stitch? Still a mess. And honestly, that annoyed me at first. I’m used to understanding things quickly. I’m used to getting results. But somewhere between the frustration of holding the hook correctly and untangling loops of yarn, I noticed something strange: I wasn’t thinking about school. For the first time in months, my brain wasn’t calculating my CGPA. It wasn’t re...