School Resilience and Connection: Assessing the Perception of Caleb University Mass Communication Freshmen on the Course Life Skills and Critical Thinking, CUL-MCM 101

With the proliferation of state-owned and privately owned universities in the country, there has been a surge of teenage undergraduates in the Nigerian universities. While it is a good development, there is concern about the cognitive stamina of teenagers to cope with the rigour of campus life. Though the government agency in charge of admissions-Joint Admission and Matriculation Board-JAMB, has relaxed the required age limit for university applicants to 16, some individuals are of the view that such teenage applicants do not have the mental faculty to navigate through the complexities of workloads and interpersonal relations common with university life. The Caleb University, therefore, introduced a course to help new entrants learn about the exigencies of campus life and how to handle any social challenge their new environment may unfold. Giving to the significance of this programme, this paper examines the impact of the course developed by Caleb University, Life Skills and Critical Thinking, CUL-MCM 101. Following three research objectives, descriptive survey was adopted to collate response from the students. A 19-item questionnaire was developed and administered to the freshmen who just completed the course in the 2024/2025 academic session. Results collated show that the freshmen found the course very helpful as many respondents stated that they have developed life skills like active listening and critical thinking and this knowledge is helping them foster better relationship with their colleagues, lecturers and parents. The study is underpinned by the Norman Garmezy theory of resilience. It is recommended that studies in this area of students’ resilience be intensified in the country and the course Life Skills and Critical Thinking be made a compulsory programme for all freshmen across the country.