Preparing for Canada - Part 2

      Hello, welcome to the second part of of this write up (Please Read Part 1 first). I hope the first write up has helped someone out there.

Sorry for being away for a while, keeping a balanced life style is no easy task.

Now to the rest of the write up.

- After you make your way passed the consular officer with the necessary documentation;
            * Get some Canadian funds in case you intend to get a taxi. A bureau de change should be around some where, just ask the airport information desk.
         
           *Buy a calling card - Your family will need to know you have arrived safely first. You can either call them when you arrive your residence or just use the airport pay phone. If your phone has a WiFi capability, you could use the airport's free wifi to call your family via Skype.

           *Remember to have your address handy for the cab driver again if you intend to take a cab. If you ever get lost in the airport look for the closest airport staff they will be glad to assists you.

If you plan to live off campus make sure you choose a place as close as possible to campus so you can save money on transportation and commute time. I never bought a single bus pass in school ($70 savings monthly). I used to live 15mins walk from campus and didn't have to take the bus for any reason, except for grocery shopping a few times. Besides the bus was always packed with students during peak hours. I enjoyed walking from home to school without having to worry about the crowd. The down side is on cold days you will have to dress really warm (in layers). To search for places for rent close to your campus type in " places for rent close to (name of my school)" on google.com You should see a list of places close to campus. Choose the closest place if you can see it on a map.

- It is important to inform campus residence or your landlord/guardian when you will be arriving so they can be around to help you move in. Missing this step can be problematic if you don't have their phone number or a working cell phone handy.

- Once you are settled and have called your family, you want to get to know your new environment so transportation is next.
         
             * Get a map or perhaps use Google maps to find out the proximity of your school, the hospital, the grocery story, etc. Ask your campus residence/landlord lots of questions about getting around.
     
            * Learn how to get around by your self. Take a bus and learn how to use the bus schedule. If it is just a walking distance then master your walk routes correctly especially before classes begin. Also take time to know your way around campus. Sometimes, the size of the campus can be overwhelming. Know your lecture halls, university center, food court etc.

- If there is an international student center in your school make sure to drop by and say hello. They will have a lot more specific instructions on how to adjust to your knew environment so take it seriously. By the way, ask them how to go about getting your student health card.

- Get to know your student groups and join which ever appeals to you; remember you are in a new country and need to make friends, so in the words of James Brown -"Get involve" .This is a good way of getting to make new friends. In some of these student groups you will get to meet students from different backgrounds. Please pay attention to the older ones or the locals who have been around the university as they might just be able to help you adapt quick with information.

- Get to know your professors and where their offices are located. Also look up your professors on www.ratemyprofessors.com. That web page really help prepare me for what to expect from a professor based on some student's personal evaluation. That being said, a student's personal experience with a prof. might not be the absolute case for everyone. Get to know your professor your self.

- Make sure you look up text books you will need for each class. Some classes might not require a text book but make sure to confirm with your instructor first. Before classes begin make sure you take advantage of the school's used book store or websites like www.abebooks.com for a bargain on text books. If you can also get in touch with students who have previously taken a certain class. They might sell you their text book at a discounted price than the school's book store.

- If you are not living on campus residence then you will either have to make your own food or eat in restaurants. Remember simply learning how to make your own food regardless of gender will help you save a tonne of money. If you intend to cook your meals make sure you make a grocery list and buy enough food so you don't have to make frequent trips to the grocery store every weekend. Remember time will be of essence as you progress and you might not have time due to the overwhelming course work loads.

- On the first day of class the instructor will give the course break down which will include names, locations, dates, office hours and what is expected from you as a student. Be sure to mark your calendar for specific dates and also write down the names of the teaching assistants and perhaps laboratory or tutorial time slots.

- If you can please get to know your class mates from day one. I always noticed in each of the classes I attended they were all kinds of students. The A+ ones to the not so serious ones. Be sure to choose carefully.

- Don't forget you are in a new country. The weather, culture, the people and environment might seem a little challenging while you are also trying to study so don't give up on yourself if you don't do so well in your first year of study. Think goals instead of some new year resolution and grade yourself personally as you progress. See your instructor and teaching assistants for help if you need help in any area of your study. Also make 'good' study group friends.

- Also keep an eye on www.cic.gc.ca. The immigration laws do get changed or updated all the time. Please know what you can and can't do with your student status while you study. Some people who have broken the rules have been deported or simply removed before graduation so please take extra care. Again mark your calendar for the expiry date of your study permit and passport.

- While you study keep an eye out for Canadian work experience in your field (especially as your approach 3rd year of study). If you gain some work experience as you study it might help you understand some principles taught in class a little better or perhaps help you gain full time employment after graduation.

Ok folks that is all for now. I can't promise a part 3 just yet but if it comes up it will be more focused on what to do just before and after graduation. Hope you enjoyed the write up. 

Remember you can always email me at emakgaga@gmail.com for any corrections or clarity. 

Preparing for Canada -Part 1

       So you have survived all the visa and admission hurdles in your home country and the big day has come; travelling to Canada for your post-secondary education.

Some of the basics you want to know before you board the plane are as follows:

- Book your flights on time. Leaving your flight up to the last minute before booking might mean expensive air fares especially during the peak periods of August to mid September or mid December.

- Perhaps you must have done this during your research for a school, but it also good to read about where you are going to study. Read about the city, the people, environment, social life , politics and current events, etc. Your new environment is going to have some impact on your life style so it is good to have an understanding of what potentially lies ahead.

- Get some Canadian funds. Your local bank might have this option readily available at some reasonable fee. If you carry large sums of a foriegn currency, your only source of exchange might be a Bureau de Change which might carry hidden fees, handling charges, etc. The bottom line is you might lose too much money by the time your money is converted. If you must take this option perhaps change enough to be able to afford a cab ride and to buy a few things if the need arises. Also look into a travellers cheque option.

-  Your school's address and phone number

-  Address of residence you will be staying and contact of land lord.

- Arrange a pick up from the airport if you can; some schools might offer this service otherwise ask your landlord to pick you up. The other option will be getting a taxi so make sure you have the right address handy. Also watch out for luxury taxi services which can be more expensive than regular taxi service. If you choose a limosine, Escalade, etc as your taxi ride you could be paying too much.

- Carry a thick sweater and socks, it might get cold in the plane. Also bring some snacks just incase you don't like the food served on the plane.

- Know your flight Itineary like your birthday to avoid missing your boarding time or a potential connecting flight.

- The time of the year you choose to travel matters so carry a winter jacket with you if its winter or dress warm for the spring weather. In my opinion the best time to visit Canada is in the summer months especially if you are from a tropical country. If you resume in September and you can make it here by August you can actually help your body slowly adapt to the weather by the time winter comes around.

- Always have your passport and other documents handy. Do not leave them in your luggage. They have been cases where the individual arrives before the luggage. Don't forget the Consular officer might asks for documents that support your visit to Canada. Do not leave your hand luggage un-attended by any means at the airport and be alert at all times.

So when your plane arrives in Canada.

You want to make your way through CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency). Remember if you don't know where you are going, please asks always.

You will eventually make it to the Consular officer who will be issuing you a study permit (remember all you have at the moment is just a visa). The consular officer might asks you several questions pertaining to your stay, as the CBSA did and will eventually read all the rules governing your study permit. Please listen to this rules carefully.

- Take note of the expiry date on your study permit, visa, passport and write it down some where you can never forget. If you over stay your study permit or for some reason cannot renew it past a few months you will be running into issues with the CBSA. Trust me you don't want to be that person. Its really a nasty experience.

...Stay tuned for part 2. 
*** Read Part 2 here.

Before you 'ship' your kids abroad for study, please read.

         Sending kids abroad for study is one of the toughest decision ever made by parents. The thought of something going horribly wrong miles away from home is always looming in the hearts of some parents.

While some parents find it hard to let go of their love ones, others simply do it with ease and completely oblivious of some difficulties awaiting their love ones abroad.

Some families spend a great deal of time searching for information about the study location. Everything from weather, culture, economy , language , etc. This is a very good move by families who really care about the well being of their love ones.

Some countries have a history of racism and some the likelihood of a civil war or perhaps a very high crime rate. Although you want your kid to come back with a degree, you also don’t want them to get caught up in situations listed above.

Beyond this keep in mind that your kid can come back a very different person. Take things like religious affiliation, sexual orientation, culture, language, and general social interations, etc.

Those are just a few things that may change as they return home with a degree. The environment we live in sometimes help build who we are. Hence, it is important that we are not ignorant of the kind of environment we expose our kids to.

                So you send your kids abroad for studies, now what? It is important that you give a full support whether morally or financially. There is a real need to keep track of what they are doing especially since you the parent is miles away.

A phone call as often as you can helps, skype, social media, visits to the location of study to mention a few. These are some of the ways you can lend your support as a parent especially at the early stages. Don’t forget in the first year some kids don’t handle culture shock too well.

Again the weather, people, environment all play a role especially when under great pressure in the first year of studies.

In my case, apart from the fact that I missed home greatly, questions like;

How do I get around? – to and from campus, the grocery store, etc.

How do I make new friends?

What is acceptable and not acceptable in my new environment?

How do I open a bank account and where do I get health insurance card?

Will I be able to adapt to the lectures, class mates and academics in a new language or different accent?

Will academics be easy?

Will my parents be happy with my first year results? What if I fail?

Bus pass? Grocery stores? Transportation around the city?, malls? Calling cards to call everyone back home?  

The questions go on and on.

For some of these questions, spending the first year on campus residence really helps but the parents still need to be in touch in all aspects to encourage the child especially If they arrived unaccompanied.

Some of my friends never really had any moral support from the parents. It was so bad some parents never knew anything beyond the name of the school.

For some parents all the support came in form of finances and that was it. As long as they sent money they had completed their part as a parent. The short story below shows this is not always the case.

Take the case of Jacob, a fellow international student at the time (1^st year).

 “Hey Jacob, how much is tuition this year?” and Jacob quickly replies, $25,000 CAD Dad.

Because Jacob’s Dad could care less about Jacob’s school, he just ended up squeezing out an extra $19,000 from his Dad. The school fees for the academic year was $6,000.

 So armed with this extra money and a few friends, Jacob is now determined to enjoy his new found wealth at the expense of studies for years to come. Aside, from lavishly spending in clubs, Jacob was now into buying luxury cars and exotic trips.

Four years gone by and Jacob has switched programs twice with two academic warnings and a one year academic suspension. None of these recent developments have been disclosed to his parents.

Long story short, 5.5 years gone by Jacob is not saying much about studies or a degree and when the parents finally begin to do some digging they are heart broken to find out he is no longer in school. He has been kicked out.  There are numerous cases out there. Jacob’s case is just one of them.

Key lessons for parents:

Don’t just 'ship' your kids abroad to bring home a degree. Keep in touch with your kids regularly  --- skype, social media, phone call, visits, etc.

As bizarre as it sounds kindly ask them for the password to check their results online, especially if you are funding the tuition. Take for instance, when students receive scholarships there is always a level of academic expectancy. Any time, the student under-performs they can easily be dropped by their sponsors. 

You can simply ignore this if you really really trust them.

It is not up to the guardian(friends or relatives) abroad to assume full responsibility for your kid’s actions. If you leave you kids under the sole care of a guardian you could be in for a surprise. There is a limit to what a guardian can do.

Your kids might pick up some of the culture abroad and bring it back home.  Please don’t surprised if they experience culture shock again. Be prepared to help the kids adapt again.

Don’t force Law, Engineering and Medicine professions down the guts of your kids without giving them a chance to explore.

If you take this route, chances are your kids have already failed you at home before they depart for studies abroad. In addition, they could face a certain amount of frustration and depression doing something completely different because they want to please you, the parent.

If you can, find out what drives them and not what they want to drive. Find out where their hearts meets their heads – Instinct. The parent can help grow the child’s dreams especially if you know what drives them instinctively.  Without this thought process, it will be money and time down the drain.

Spend some time on the school website, read about the programs, current news and events. Assess how any new development might affect your kid’s well being in school.

       In summary, please do not just 'ship' your kids abroad as an international student to bring home a degree. Please be involved in the planning phase as well as the execution phase of things. Keep in touch however you can as a parent and give your kids the moral support that they need to succeed abroad.

Inquiry about renting, texts books etc from a prospective student

I got an email from a Nigerian student who wants to know about renting and buying texts books while studying in Canada. I have posted the conversation below.

Nigerian student:

"I feel so comfortable talking to you am motivated by your use of words
and advice thank you.
God will bless you.
Sir ...
books can one get them from the library or you have to buy or can I
just bring from here, and is it possible to get a job in ur first
year, and I was reading another article it was talking about the
expensive cost of groceries and spices is that true Sir, the rented
accomodation does it comes with internet, telephone, cable tv,computer
and a washing machine and is electricity bill and other miscleanous
bills included in the rent, what the cheapest range of suchaccomodation Sir."

My reply:

"You can lend books from the library but you will have a certain duration to return it and during peak periods like exams and midterm exams you might run out of luck because other students will have it booked.

There is also the Used-Book store option. You can look up the text book you need for your class and then go to that store to get your books for cheaper than regular price. Its essentially books other students have used or simply older edition of the same text book. Use this option first before the university's main book store.

The school's main book store is where you can find all the text books you need. Make sure you check with your prof first if you need the book for the class. They are often expensive so get ready but that also depends on what you plan to take as a program.

The other cheap option will be looking up the text books online if you have a credit card. Sites like amazon.com or abebooks.com etc.

Don't bother bringing books from Nigeria because you might not know what text books you need until you register for your courses.

When it comes to jobs it is really up to you look for sth whether off campus or on campus.  No one is guaranteed a job. The only thing is I don't really recommend working in the first year especially when you are very new to the country.

I would suggest you see how you do academically first in the first year 1st before proceeding. 

Combining work and academics in your first year while trying to adjust to the weather, culture and people in your 1st year in a new environment can be frustrating. 

When it comes to groceries and spices its a personal budget issue. It depends on what you want to eat and how much you are willingly to  spend. Keep im mind that it is important to always think like a student whenever it comes to money.

Always plan and organize your self ahead.

While some rented accommodation may provide almost all you have listed some may not provide cable, telephone and a computer. If they do, you could potentially be over charged. 

In my opinion you don't need cable to succeed as a student. Your assignment and projects will keep you so busy you might not have time for tv.

Its advisable you get your own computer and cell phone. No one is going to provide that for you.

Washing machine is provided and bills will be covered in the rent.

Make sure you look up rooms on kijiji.ca website to see what a typical range is for rent. I believe I said this before. 

Rent for rooms in a house vary from city to city so choose a city on the top right corner of that website and go from there. See that nairaland thread for the discussion about kijiji.ca. I believe it was back in January.  

Just for an example for a place like Winnipeg, Manitoba,the  range of rent can start at 250 to 600 and up. It really boils down to your budget."

List of affordable Universities and colleges in Canada for international students

I always considered University of Manitoba and University of Brandon to be one of the cheapest in the country especially the later partly because I went to school in Manitoba.

Just recently, after a short research I found out that my list can easily be expanded. Below is the list I came up with. Please note that they could be more affordable schools out there than what I have below so please approach with caution.

**See updated list here
   Ask a question here

Bow Valley College

University of Brandon

University of Winnipeg

University of Manitoba

Memorial University of Newfoundland

University of Saskatchewan

University of Regina

Douglas College

Dalhousie University

Georgian College

Red River College

Grant MacEwan College

Seneca College

Simon Fraser

University of Victoria

University of Lethbridge

There are definitely  more schools out there that are affordable but I have not had the time to look up every single one.

Please keep in my mind that while some schools are affordable, the city which they reside might have a high cost of living. Hence, take cost of living into consideration before making your final decision.

See www.kijiji.ca for rooms and apartments in the city you choose to attend Univerisity or College.

However, cost of living in Manitoba and Newfoundland are known to be reasonable.

Original thread back on Nairaland

So I rolled into the month of July with a bang.

My thread on nairaland that was banned in March for reasons unknown to me, seems to be up and running again all of a sudden.

The number of  emails I get normally get when down drastically ever since the ban. I woke up this morning to 4 emails in my inbox. All from nairaland. They all indicated they saw my thread again on nairaland so I quickly rushed to confirm and yes it is true. Below is the link.

http://www.nairaland.com/598911/studing-canada-what-need-know/2#24394850

I already got a prospective student from Germany posts already. The post and my reply can be found below.

dee1J: Hello guys i am new here. I am presently in Germany doing my masters in computer science but am planning to move to Canada immediately after my masters programme. I have started the process with an Agent call Canadian Visa Expert whose office is base in Canada. I paid 184 euro for the first phase and they told me that i qualify to apply for Manitoba Immigrant Visa based on my qualification and for me to move to the second phase i need to pay a fee of 750 euro and before picking my visa in Germany I will pay 1,400 euro. So far I am convince they are genuine people but my friend insist that I come to this forum and find out more because there are some people here that must have used them.

Please i will need your advise on whether they are genuine people or not before i proceed with the other phases.

David I.
Germany.

+++++++++> my reply++++++++
Hello David,

Sorry to tell you that this sounds like a scam to me. All information regarding moving to Canada whether working, studying or just visiting can be found on www.cic.gc.ca.

Not saying they are no legitimate agencies out there or you cannot use a representative but the fact that they break it down into phases each with a higher price tag sounds like something that is designed to keep you hooked depending on how desperate you are.

Its too expensive and does n't sound practical when they say you will pick up your visa in Germany. Do they mean the Canadian Consulate in Germany?

Unless I am not hearing the full story or simply don't understand it otherwise my advice is forget these guys and work with www.cic.gc.ca.

If you feel your reply will include some personal details and you don't feel like sharing it here you can always email me: Emakgaga@gmail.com

*** Manitoba Immigrant Visa sounds new to me. Maybe Manitoba Immigrant Nominee program?

Please be careful with some agencies.

Statement of Purpose/Letter of Intent

Statement of Purpose or Letter of Intent seems to be a hot topic these days among students either for immigration purposes or when applying for post graduate programs in colleges and universities.

Emails about about writing the letter keeps coming up every now and then. While some are afraid to take the first step in trying others have assembled courage to give it a try. Those who give it a shot will sometimes ask for my help in proof reading the letters while others will bluntly ask you to kindly write one and email it to them. Keep in mind I am no expert.

While trying to do something for the first time can be challenging I believe It can be easily accomplished with the proper guideline in place.

In an effort to encourage prospective students who wish to write this letter I took the time to read several guidelines online for writing a statement of purpose letter, so I can recommend which guideline can be of most help to students.

The Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) writing centre provides an in-depth guideline for writing statements of purpose.

Below is the link to the pdf provided by the Ohio Wesleyan University writing centre.

http://blog.owu.edu/writingcenter/files/2012/07/Statements-of-Purpose-Guidelines-and-Sample-Essays.pdf

The guideline provided by OWU assumes the student is addressing the faculty or department so keep in mind that you might have to condense the technical aspect a bit when using the letter for immigration purposes i.e your consulate officer might not know too much about the technical aspect of your program so why go in-depth in the letter.