Advice from past Canon Collins Trust scholars
Canon Collins Trust has funded hundreds of students in the UK over the past years. Here is some of the feedback that we have compiled to help new Canon Collins Trust students get the most out of their year in the UK:
Highlights of the Scholarship Year
- International and multicultural nature of the UK
- High quality of fellow students who provide a 'great education'
- The opportunity to focus on your academic work without disruption from family and friends.
- High quality and supportive university staff
- Making British friends and travelling around UK/Europe
Lowlights of the Scholarship Year
- It can be difficult to adjust to student life and the UK
- British food & weather can be a challenge!
- It gets lonely sometimes
- Adapting to being a student after being a professional can be a tough transition
Words of Advice for Canon Collins Trust students:
- Your scholarship year goes by very quickly - it's important to 'get moving fast'
- 'You are on your own, it's your responsibility to make the year work'
- Be proactive - make the most of the opportunity
- Be prepared to shed your professional status and embrace the 'studenthood.' Sometimes during lectures you find people wanting to be treated with some sort of exaggerated respect because of their ranks and status back home. It doesn't work that way.
- Work hard for your studies and be positive about the future
- Get involved in as many extra-curricular activities within your university as possible - this opportunity only comes once, do not let it pass you by
- Grab extra skills for free: IT skills and other training programmes are often available in UK universities
- Be aware that things may seem hard at the beginning of the academic year as you will still be new to the environment. Be prepared for a way of life that may be very different to the one you are used to.
