Current city: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Year arrived in Canada: 2015

School(s): Lakehead University

Academic program(s): HBsc Chemistry Major

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

My advice to new WUSC students regarding transitioning to Canadian life and culture is to first take everything easy and always try to ask questions from your local committee members or from other WUSC students who came before you. Don’t get stuck on something and try to think it out on your own, always reach out.

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

I  think every new WUSC student should do their own research  and try to seek academic advice on what program they should enroll in so that they avoid the mistake of wasting time on a program that they would later switch out of. And when thinking of academic programs that one should get into, one should think of the future i.e what job opportunities are there for graduates of that program.  

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

For this question, I think one of the best ways to avoid loneliness is to go out there and make friends or make yourself busy with sports like soccer or going to the gym.

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

I think to succeed in Canada you need a lot of resilience and try to focus on what you really want to achieve in the long run

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

To me, the challenge that I think hinders students from succeeding is lack of appropriate knowledge mainly in choosing academic programs and also being burdened with a lot of responsibilities back home to an extent that you don’t even get an opportunity to develop yourself.

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

I think financial literacy is one of the most important things that all new WUSC students should all try to have. I encourage new students to seek an appointment with a financial advisor at a bank and learn how to build a good credit score because this will really help in the future.

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

I know when we come to Canada our families and friends back home expect a lot from us and when you think you are not meeting those expectations you can easily get depressed. So my advice to new students on this matter is that not to put a lot of pressure on themselves, just try to do the little that you can.

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?

If I was to start over again in Canada, I would first try to gain a lot of knowledge on what academic program that I should take, I would try to take everything easy and calm myself down. Also, I would try to get to know how credit cards work by seeking financial advice from my bank.