Nyandeng A. Garang
Current city: Mississauga, Ontario
Year arrived in Canada: 2017
School(s): The University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus
Academic program(s): Political Science and Criminology, Law and Society
1. From your experience transitioning to Canadian life and culture, do you have any advice for new WUSC students?
Culture shock is a major issue when transitioning into the Canadian life and culture. So, take life one day at a time to allow room for self-actualization and to enable you to fit into both your academic and personal life.
2. Do you have any advice on choosing academic programs and careers for later success after school?
From my personal experience, making use of the Academic advising services is fundamental because they help with getting to know what programs are offered in your school and how to apply for those Programs. Meeting an Academic Advisor should be your first stop before enrolling on courses. This will be instrumental in informing you on the general education courses that might align with your passion and desired program of studies.
3. From your experience, what does it take to succeed in Canada? (Measuring success in academic and professional terms).
To succeed in Canada, you must be real with yourself and mind your circle. Being real with oneself enables one to live within their limits and avoid getting into financial issues. Secondly, we all come from different backgrounds, and therefore, must mind the types of friends we keep. Living abroad alone for the first time can be overwhelming for some people. So, having true and ambitious friends is essential.
4. What challenges do you think hinder new students from succeeding in Canada?
One of the main challenges that hinder most of the new students from succeeding in Canada include insufficient professional network. Connections are important in jobs recommendation and mentorships. So, if you get an alumnus willing to walk the talk with you, then grab the opportunity. Another challenge that hinders students’ success in Canada is family and friends’ unrealistic expectations. Having a community of individuals overly relying on you forces one to focus more on money-making thus, affecting one’s grades.
5. Seeing how credit scores are important in Canada, do you have any advice on managing money or building up a credit profile?
A credit score refers to how credit worthy one is. Do you pay your debts on time? If yes, then you are good to go. In Canada having a good credit score is important in major investments like buying a home or a car. Therefore, [Strictly] spend what you have. Avoid extravagant spending because that leads to accumulation of too much credit which might be hard to repay. Consequently, this affects your credit score. Also, do not forget to Save, Save, Save! Try as much as possible to cultivate the habit of saving some cash when you receive your WUSC allowances. This will help you with your finances when your scholarship ends.
6. Do you have any ideas on how new students can manage expectations from friends and family back home?
Let your family and friends know what brought you here. Our families and friends often expect us to succeed in both academics and making money, simultaneously! This is almost impossible because you will focus more on one thing and neglect the other. This is because given that most of the student jobs are in the service sector, you become worn out after work thus, spending less time studying. Therefore, when you lack money, do not feel guilty about not helping your family and friends. Some of these money-related problems are recurrent and insatiable. So, do not drive yourself into debt trying to please your loved ones! First things first! Help yourself before you help others because you cannot serve from an empty cup!
7. 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?
Some of my aspirations/expectations were met, others were not! I expected getting access to great learning opportunities which has been met. Alternatively, I aspired to directly join Law school which to my shock does not happen that way! In Canada, you need to complete an undergrad degree and take the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) to apply to Law School. Similarly, I thought making money was easy until I learnt that, here, you get paid as per the number of hours/minutes worked! Given a second chance, I would Save, Save, and Save!
