• Current City: Calgary, Alberta

• Year arrived in Canada: 2014

• School(s): University of Regina

• Academic program(s): Electronic Systems Engineering

1. From your experience transitioning to Canadian life and culture, do you have any advice for new WUSC students?

Transitioning for me was very simple, I joined one of the churches in Regina and through the church I started attending events. One of the events was camping, and by doing that I started to learn a lot about Canadian culture and more. To be brief, what I would like to tell new students is to choose where they will enjoy the most, it can be a church, a club or some other social group. You will make new friends and learn enough about the Canadian way of life to successfully cope with the culture shock.

2. Do you have any advice on choosing academic programs and careers for later success after school?

My advice to new students is to do more research on the job market of whatever degree they want to pursue. It is tough to graduate and realize that chances of getting jobs related to your program are low and going back to school might be too late and out of reach. This is mainly because you will likely have responsibilities by the time you graduate - time and financial commitments.

3. How can new students cope with loneliness and feeling out of place when they first arrive in Canada?

This is a tough question. For me, I was lucky because I was placed in the same University with one other student. We became friends and use to meet every time when we were on residence and we ended up being roommates when we moved off-campus. Loneliness was therefore not my problem. My advice to new WUSC students is first if you are lucky to be place in the same University with somebody please maintain good relationships and avoid unnecessary competition. Secondly, make friends with other WUSC students who came ahead of you. They have experience and they will show you the way, assuming they are good people. Be cautious with who you let into your personal life, some may be bad influencers.

4. From your experience, what does it take to succeed in Canada? (Measuring success in academic and professional terms).  

For me, I would say work hard and maintain your sight on what brought you to Canada. Focus on your studies avoid any distracting activities. Build and maintain good relationships with people no matter how they treat you. Be open minded and avoid being too judgmental. Limit involvement in back-home politics because they add more unnecessary stress to your already busy life. Lastly, chase your own goals without comparing yourself to your colleagues who may or many not have better circumstances. God has a plan for you.

5. What challenges do you think hinder new students from succeeding in Canada?

Not making a decision on a career on a program of study early enough. Most of us graduate after jumping from one program to another which is a waste of time. If you don’t carefully pick your program of study early and start planning or doing what it takes to get a job in your field after graduation, you can easily end up jobless for a couple of years but with a burden of student loans to shoulder. Stick to whatever you chose in the first place and graduate in a timely manner. When you waste time in school and later on you don’t land a job using the degree you thought would give you a desirable job, you could end up depressed and anxious about your future. This could be the beginning of all your problems because your brain is everything. Without the right mental health, your productivity declines and you can not accomplish anything.

6. Seeing how credit scores are important in Canada, do you have any advice on managing money or building up a credit profile?

My advice is to be wise with what you do with a credit card. Technically the money in it is not yours. We are in a capitalist world and money drive everything here, therefore use your best judgement. Stop overspending until you have enough money of your own.

7.  Do you have any ideas on how new students can manage expectations from friends and family back home?­­

Be honest with your family or other relatives. It is tough here, so they need to lower their expectations from you. My family didn’t demand more than I can afford because I am brutally honest with them. Studying and working part-time is hard and you might not do both of them well. Depending on your circumstances, make a decision, you either choose to focus on school fully or work if you need the money more.

8. If you can reflect on your personal journey, were your aspirations met? What would you do differently if you were to start over again in Canada?

Career-wise, yes. I am happy with what I did.