Just like all the other major life goals you set for yourself, studying and living abroad is one that would require a lot of determination and hard work from you. I'm convinced this is a generally applicable fact that applies to the topic.

A thread.
@Omojuwa @TundeTASH

I consider myself lucky to have gotten information about the possibility of studying abroad pretty early. In fact, I think I made up my mind that it is what I wanted when I was 14 or 15 yo. Back then, the first milestone was getting all A's and B's in WAEC.

But why?

First off, I knew that an excellent result would increase my chances of getting into any university (home and abroad) and secondly it was a requirement for the scholarship I was targeting back then. Gratefully, I achieved that goal. Biology almost ruined it for me though

From the onset, it was also clear that my parents wouldn't be able to afford the personal living costs or tuition at any foreign university (we could barely even afford the fees for OAU pre-degree sef) so scholarship with full-funding was my only option.

I applied for the BEA scholarship from the FSB Abuja. I was initially selected for Russia. I passed the written tests and even followed up at Abuja twice. Somehow though, my name was dropped at the last hurdle with no explanation given. Basically, Naija happened :)

This was pretty devastating to me as this process typically takes 6-9 months. So you can imagine how hard it must have been to take that something I had been working on and had all hope on for about 9 months just fall through just like that. But I didn't give up.

I re-applied the following year. Meanwhile, I wasn't idle. I had my backup going. Got into OAU (Computer Engineering) via pre-degree. In the following year, didn't get Russia but was selected for Ukraine. Thankfully it worked out this time.

Landed in Ukraine in the thick of winter (24th December) with very little money and no real support system. Had my colleagues for moral support and that helped a lot! Turns out we had to pay tuition for the 1st year so my pocket money went to that. That was hard.

First 2 years were very brutal. The goal was just survival. It got better as I learnt the language and got more comfortable. As usual, Nigeria was unreliable with stipends so needed a job to pay bills and stuff. Started teaching English from my 3rd year in the country (see dp).

Even though I love that country and made good friends there, it was, sorry is, still a racist place. Had my fair share but that story is for another thread. I decided from 2nd year that I wasn't gonna stay any longer than necessary. MSc was gonna be my way out.

From the beginning of my 4th year, started massively applying to schools and scholarships again. Wrote IELTS and GRE. Applied to over 20 unis in the US and Europe. Must have spent over $3,000 in the process which was mostly from my personal savings.

Got admission to schools in the US, Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. Opted for Germany largely because I was offered a double masters program (MSc & MBA) which sounded incredible to me at the time. Plus, no tuition fee in Germany so I took the offer and left Kyiv.

I've lived in HH since and I've loved every moment of the journey. The point to all these is that we all have our personal journeys to embark on and we need to embrace it. You need to be honest with yourself and know that getting what you want needs the work.

I get messages from people all the time asking for help but they write things like "I want to go to Germany, where do I start?" To me, that doesn't sound like someone who is ready. Even as a 14 yo I knew how to sit in cybercafes googling about scholarships and stuff.

I remember using https://scholarship-positions.com/  a lot to apply to colleges in the US. If you are not doing your part, you need to be honest with yourself and ask if you really want what you say you want. The internet is more available now.

Google is your friend, use it!

This way, you will position yourself well to take advantage of any opportunity that comes along, and trust me, they will. Question is, would you recognize them and be able to capitalize on them when they do?

Please don't just sit and wait for "giveaway" :)

I will continue to help as many as I can with general advise on these topics. It may be that some need professional guidance, trust me, it's worth the investment. No amount is to much to invest in oneself. I did it many times and it is paying off. No regrets at all!

I will start a weekly pro-bono consultation hour from next week. Check in here on Thursdays for info on how you can participate and get your questions answered. I look forward to jamming with y'all. If you have SPECIFIC questions, send me a DM. I try to answer.

Peace out!