My experience as an international Psychology student, by Gabrielle Nieuwoudt
When I started my first-year at Royal Holloway as a Psychology student, I did not expect that, six months later, I would be confined to my bedroom as a pandemic roared outside. My interactions with fellow peers became digitised, my lectures buffered, and my daily commute into Egham was paused; it was tough. For instance, as an international student, I found myself facing a profound battle with loneliness. I missed home, didn’t really know many people in Egham, and began questioning my decision to study in a foreign country because the transition into tertiary education was intense. Yet, despite this, my experience as a student at RHUL was actually quite special and unique.
As an international student, I came to the UK hoping to make the most out of my degree, and to gain as much experience as possible. Therefore, I took advantage of the many resources available to me at university (e.g., the Careers department). For instance, I completed a Micro-Placement with an advocacy group (a not-for-profit helping vulnerable individuals access support in standing up for their rights). On top of that, I gained further relevant experience by taking on additional projects: I completed an employability course run by the Department of Psychology, where I, for example, learned how to improve my CV; I worked part-time as a student engagement assistant at RHUL, and as a research assistant within the Department; I volunteered as a peer guide; and I co-led the ESOL Tutoring Volunteering Student Action Project, where I provided supplementary English classes for refugees in the local area. In addition to these, I received an Achievement and Aspiration Award in my second-year of studies, for being the highest achieving student from an underrepresented group within my cohort.
What you see here is my success, but what you don’t see is how often I got rejected, or simply never heard back from these various organisations. And when the pandemic hit, it became even harder, especially as an international student with limited connections. That is why I took matters into my own hands, and started a mental health blog, ‘Oh-blivion’. This demonstrated to these organisations my interests, my resilience, and my independence. Most importantly, it was an outlet for me to express my curiosity, my creativity, and my love for psychology.
Therefore, whilst my experience at university was far from traditional, especially as an international student thousands of miles away from home, I managed to put my feet down in the English soil and forge my own path, even if I did a lot of it from my bedroom. My advice to you is to not feel pressure to achieve everything you have on your goals list, but to definitely put yourself out there – meet new people and forge incredible relationships, dedicate yourself to learning new things, and explore who you can be! Every experience at university, especially at Royal Holloway, is one-of-a-kind, but it ultimately is up to you. There is a lot of support out there for you, and so much to do and discover. So, use it! And enjoy yourself. Believe it or not, it is actually a lot of fun. 🙂