The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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By: Talian Felishia, Mt. Kenya University
When you first join campus, everything feels exciting — new freedom, new friends, new beginnings. For many students, especially those placed through government sponsorship, university feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But somewhere between orientation week and the first semester, reality sets in.
Campus life is expensive. Rent is high. HELB delays. Your parents try their best, but sometimes it’s just not enough.
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Then you look around and notice something confusing — some students never seem to struggle. They wear designer clothes. They upgrade their phones every few months. Every weekend, they are in high-end clubs or restaurants, posting pictures with captions like “soft life.”
Naturally, you start asking yourself, “How?”
The answer is sometimes not as glamorous as it looks. Influenced by friends or pressured to fit in, some young female students begin dating older, financially stable men. These men can afford the lifestyle many students dream about — paying rent, buying gifts, and funding nights out.
At first, it feels like a solution. Problems disappear. The stress of unpaid bills fades. The social media transformation is instant. Suddenly, it looks like you are thriving. People back home admire you. Old classmates comment, “Campus is treating you well.”
No one sees what is happening behind the scenes.
What isn’t posted are the conditions attached to that money — the control, the expectations, the emotional pressure. Over time, what started as “help” can slowly turn into dependence.
Some students begin missing classes. Grades drop. Priorities shift. Maintaining the lifestyle becomes more important than maintaining academic performance.
The truth is, keeping up appearances is exhausting.
Many students don’t talk about the anxiety that comes with living a life that is not truly theirs. They don’t post about feeling trapped or losing focus. They don’t share the arguments, the manipulation, or the fear of losing financial support.
Social media only shows the highlight reels — never the cost.
This conversation is not about judging anyone. Financial struggle is real. Temptation is real. Peer pressure is real. But it’s worth asking: Is temporary comfort with long-term consequences worth it?
Campus is supposed to build independence, not dependency. It’s meant to shape careers and confidence, not create silent stress behind filtered photos.
The soft life looks attractive. But real peace — the kind that lets you sleep at night without fear — often comes from slow, honest progress. Maybe it’s not as flashy. Maybe it doesn’t trend.
But it lasts.
