1. You shall know yourself and take responsibility for your life and career
2. You shall have a plan and conduct regular mindful reviews
3. You shall believe in yourself
4. You shall forgive yourself
5. You shall marry right
6. You shall value people
7. You shall be an asset
8. You shall commit to research
9. You shall present yourself well
10. You shall acknowledge God
10 things I wish I knew
before undertaking my UK masters
It's that time of the year when students
are getting ready for September especially if you have never travelled outside
the shores of your country. I know, I was in this same place in 2003. I was a
place of suspended animation. I was EXCITED! I wasn’t simply looking for an
exit path outside Nigeria, I REALLY wanted to test my wits against the world!
Finally, I was going to study in the land where there were no pot holes, 24
hours power, intelligence magnified- like I died and went to heaven!
Plus, on my return innumerable doors would be open for me- doors
that were previously tightly shut would swing wide open like a genie said: “Open
sesame!” September, it will be 12 years since my first journey abroad. I was
wondering what I would have liked to be told before that first journey. So here
goes and if you have more to add please- there’s love in sharing!
1.
A U.K (foreign) education is great but it’s
not panache to all the problems of the world! Irrespective of what you are told, a UK
education does not automatically translate into a JOB! So, if having a job when
you return is important to you, please ensure you have a good strategy in place
before you leave and monitor the strategy when you are away. (please, I have an
uncle in... is not a strategy)
2.
Irrespective of your national affiliations,
explore new affiliations in the UK. One of my greatest errors was to immediately align with the UK
branch of the church I attended in Nigeria. Big mistake! The people were great
and it was a good experience but in hindsight, if I was more open and willing to
bear the initial discomfort of interacting with other cultures and ethnicities,
I’d have enjoyed richer experiences, with different outcomes. Often, people in
the national affiliations may have come into the UK illegally, suffered severe
deprivation in Nigeria and as such, their perspectives may be flawed! It’s
amazing to me now that I even spent 7 months in Spain and cannot speak quality Spanish.
Church that might have spurred me, spoke English, as such there was no
motivation.
3.
Immerse yourself in the entire experience,
not just your studies
I guess it’s
us efikos* who’d suffer most from this. Most schools try to arrange for outside
class activities for their foreign students and if like me, you are self
sponsored, it can seem like a load of frivolities, not what you came for.
Personally, except the event was free I almost never went. Please attend paid
events as well as free ones. These trips may have nothing to do with your course
of study but if you let them, they’ll broaden your mind, expose you to historical/
modern events and personalities that may just unlock some hidden
talent/opportunity, etc. For the British, getting an education is beyond your academic
grades- explore! Don’t be a prude. You may not drink alcohol but going to the
pub and having a drink is British culture, explore it! No one will force a drink
down your throat I promise.
4.
Build relationships with people of all
cultures and ethnicities
Sad to say, I
chose my friends by their ‘Nigerianness’ or ‘Africaness’. Once you were
Nigerian, you were my friend but if you were Asian or white, I related to you from
a distance. It was so much easier to be able to break into pidgin English than
to struggle with the Asian whose English was somewhat flawed or the British
person whose lifestyle seemed frivolous to me (a la buying a sandwich for £5
when I could buy the entire loaf for £1 or less). Now shamefully, despite being
part of a class of over 35 persons of all cultures, I have less than 5 friends and
they are all but 1 of African extraction. Surely, there are smarter ways to
choose friends than on the basis of skin colour?
5.
Life in
the UK will cost you more than you can currently imagine
I remember
reading the estimated cost of living brochures sent to me by my school and
thinking- there is no way I can spend that much! I’ll find a way, they don’t
know of and yes- I did manage to live slightly below the estimate but not
significantly so and at great discomfort. Rather than school hostels or a nice
flat, for example, I shared a horrible flat with seven students! Thankfully, a
friend and I shared the downstairs toilet and a small kitchenette but the lady
who shared the large kitchen and upstairs bathroom with four guys had many lamentations!
I remember having £2,000 pounds and feeling like it was a whole lot but it didn’t
go very far...Even if you’ve visited the UK before, actually living in the UK
is more expensive than visiting- typically, visits are somewhat subsidized (you
stay with a relative, they take you around, you use their winter cloths, etc.).
These may not seem major but by the time you pay rent, taxes, etc. The bill
mounts.
To be continued...
* Slang for bookworm
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