Atiliu Akol
Current City: Montreal, Quebec
Year arrived in Canada: 2009
School (s): University of Prince Edward Island/Concordia University
Program(s): Business Administration - Import/Export Commerce
Current Occupation: Logistics Specialist
1. From your experience transitioning to Canadian life and culture, do you have any advice for new WUSC students?
As a new student abroad, adjusting to Canadian life can at times be very isolating and difficult to adjust to, it’s easy to spend most of your social time catching up on the phone with friends and family back home for comfort and familiarity, which is okay, but don’t make it the only thing you depend on for some kind of Social interaction. Participate in new student programs, activities and events that will help make your transition smooth.You’ll meet new students like you, make friends who are going through the same hurdles of settling in. Be yourself and don’t try to fit into social circles that do not align with your true self.
2. Do you have any advice on choosing academic programs and careers for later success after school?
Sometimes we can be conflicted in choosing what to study, it’s normal, there’s career advisors on campus who can guide and give you a sense of direction. Don’t be afraid to sign up for a broad spectrum of different classes in different fields of study, you just might be pleasantly surprised that you actually like that gender studies class and you are a budding feminist afterall, not the chemical engineer you thought you wanted to be.
3. How can new students cope with loneliness and feeling out of place when they first arrive in Canada?
Loneliness and isolation is crushing, and as wusc students, we’ve all felt it at some point in our academic lives. Not everyone is a social butterfly, and the mere thought of mingling with people that are the complete opposite of you can quite be a daunting task. Go to the cafeteria, be wiling and open minded to participate in group activities, introduce yourself to your fellow classmates, familiarize yourself and get acquainted with your professors…all these are social avenues that can help you interact with different kinds of people.
4. From your experience, what does it take to succeed in Canada? (Measuring success in academic and professional terms).
Besides the usual, persistence, consistency and hardwork, and I’m saying this with as much emphasis as possible…exercise your social muscle! Connect with as many people from different walks of life as often as you can. Whether academics, professionals, alumni’s etc. They do come in handy down the road for things like job recommendations, references or even credible people that can attest to your character if ever need be. Academically, try to do internships as much as possible, knowledge is good but try to put it into practice in real life professional settings. It equips you at an early onset of your career and gives you an added advantage to students who don’t have the same edge.
5. What challenges do you think hinder new students from succeeding in Canada?
“Herd mentality”..It’s good to have familiar faces around or surround yourself with people exactly like you, your mates from back home etc. Yes, they can at times be your support system, but try to know different people with different opinions, views, ways of life etc obviously don’t try to be someone you are not but never not be curious. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, learn from other peoples mistakes but form your own opinions.
Canada affords all of us complete autonomy to be responsible for ourselves in all aspects, use it wisely! Too much freedom can be intoxicating, I’ve heard of students going astray not knowing what to do with that much freedom and end up aligning themselves with the wrong crowds that deter them from their academic course and end up abusing substances or just questionable behaviour. If you find your tail spinning out of control, there’s resources everywhere, confide in a trustworthy friend, asking for help is a sign of strength and you shouldn’t hesitate or be ashamed of it.
6. Seeing how credit scores are important in Canada, do you have any advice on managing money or building up a credit profile?
This is a lesson that I learned the hard way! Think of your Credit score as an access card. And in order to access things like buying a house, a car, loan etc down the road, it needs to be in top notch shape! So here are a few tips and tricks that helped make my score skyrocket.
✓ Debit card is good but it doesn’t build your credit score, get a basic credit card with reasonable interest rates.
✓ Break down your lumpsome monthly payments into two. Pay your credit card on a bi-weekly basis.
✓ Pay your bills e.g hydro, phone, internet, rent etc with your credit card instead of a debit card.
✓ Last but not least, there’s nothing like free money! Banks are keen to sign up as much credit cards as possible, don’t fall for anything out of desperation unless it makes financial sense or you have exact knowledge of what you’re signing up for.
✓ Once your payments are up to date and consistent,Slowly and reasonably increase your credit limit.
✓ Follow all these steps for an A1 credit score and soon I might use your credit score to get my second mortgage
7. Do you have any ideas on how new students can manage expectations from friends and family back home?
We all have felt this pressure at some point but one thing you have to prioritize is that you are a student first and everything else second. All of us have humble beginnings back home and at times it may seem you are the only helping hand. If you do have the means to help, sure, but if not then don’t stretch yourself too thin. Don’t be afraid to clearly Communicate this with your family and friends. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, don’t go into debt trying to keep up appearances back home, it’s counter productive. So be honest, communicate and be transparent about your finances, most of the time it gives them a better understanding of your financial position.
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?
I’ve met some of my aspirations and some are still a Work in progress. I’m consistently finding ways to grow in areas I never thought I’d dabble in, never stop growing continuously. Once you get your academic credentials, challenge yourself, push the envelope, get out of your comfort zone, travel a bit if you can afford it. Work on your passions and develop positive hobbies, learn a new language etc And remember, your own race, your own pace.
