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...