Finding your way around the UK: anyone can make their dream come true
Hi everyone! My name is Baron Ibrahim from Jakarta, Indonesia. I am currently living in Oxford and doing my MSc in Marketing & Brand Management at Oxford Brookes University. I am going to be sharing with you my journey to the UK.
At the age of 18, back in 2014, I decided to move to the UK for a better education, to experience other cultures, expand connections with people all around the world, and last but not least to be closer to my favourite football team “Manchester United”. I moved to Manchester and lived there for a year and a half. In Manchester, I took an English course for five months and a foundation degree in business & humanities at INTO Manchester.
It is a college specifically designed for International students who do not have the right qualification to study in the UK as well as to give them the experience of living and studying in the UK before entering university. Manchester is one of the biggest cities in the UK. It is the home of one of the best football clubs in the world and the home of great musicians such as Oasis, The Smiths, The Stone Roses which I like so much. Three words to explain Manchester are diversity, football, and music.
After Manchester, I lived in Cardiff for 3 years for my BSc (Hons) Sport Management at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Cardiff is the capital city of Wales. It is a smaller city than Manchester, but the city offers you so much entertainment such as rugby, Cardiff castle, and Cardiff bay. Most of the places are in walkable distance which I love. It is less diverse than big cities like Manchester, London, Birmingham but Cardiff is just my favourite city to live without any doubts. 3 words about Cardiff are compact, peaceful, and underrated. I mean, look at the picture, how beautiful!
To me, studying abroad is all about diversity, differences, and personal growth. Having lived in 3 cities and meeting multicultural people, it has changed the way I see the world and life. Frankly, the life lesson I learnt in the UK is more important than my university course. I am saying this because life lessons will dictate your decision-making process in the future, whereas not all your lectures might be just as important. You will learn so much by living on your own from doing the dishes, laundry, and cooking, to managing your finances, working part-time, time management, communication skills and so on. It’s just endless!
If you’re interested in studying abroad, one tip from me is to open your mind and be open to try new food, visit new places, meet new people from other countries, and please do not expect that everything is going to be the same as in your country because it won’t! Having an open mind leads you to personal growth and then increases other transferability/employability skills! It is fascinating how much you can learn from just being an open-minded individual. Love and embrace the differences!
To whoever is reading this, I wish you good health, lots of love, and happiness!
