Meet Victoria Olamide Akinlabi from Nigeria

Victoria studied at Queen's College in Lagos and is now studying Psychology Foundation at Bellerbys London.  Our Student Enrolment Advisor for African students, Henrik Gundersen, who counselled Victoria through the enrolment process, caught up with her recently to find  out how she is enjoying her new life in England.

What made you decide to study in England?
I had it in mind to come and study in England in my final year because I have a brother that also came here to study a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College.

I knew that studying here would give me an insight into what I need to know, the teachers would teach me all the things I need to know and, in general, it’s going to be a good start for me in the future when I’d like to be a Psychologist.  Besides, I have family members here so it’s going to be so comfortable for me living here and I won't feel homesick at all.

Had you visited England before you came to study here?
Yes, I came to England on holiday so I knew where I was going, how I was going to live and how everything would be at the end of the day.  I had a picture in my head, so it was easier for me to make my decision.

Have you visited any other countries?
Yes, I went to the US last year.  It was ok but compared to here, first things first, their transport system isn’t so good!  If you can’t drive a car, you can’t go anywhere in the US.  But staying here, there is tram, there is train, there is DLR, there are buses – there are so many options for transportation and I find it very flexible.  That’s one thing I really admire about the UK.

Why did you choose to study at Bellerbys College?
I came to visit the UK and my uncle introduced me to Bellerbys, saying that it’s a very good school, that his friends know about it and that he had seen the college’s website.  I decided
to find out more about the school myself so I went on the internet and then I found out lots
of things that I really, really liked.  I made my decision and looked forward to coming to this school.

Did you find it easy to apply to Bellerbys College?
I asked some questions and the answers were given to me immediately.  Then, when I sent my application form, the reply was so quick.  I was so shocked myself because I didn’t expect maybe the school to answer so quickly.  From there, I really, really had this keen interest in coming here and I developed this attachment with the school. So I made up my mind that, ok, I am coming to this school to study.  I sent enquiries to two other colleges but they didn’t reply.

As you know, I came to visit some students and parents in Lagos last year.  Was it useful for you and your parents to meet me before you came to England?
Yes it was, because I knew that the college was a genuine college!  Seeing someone from the school gave me courage and reassurance that I wasn’t wasting my time applying to just any school.  I also had a friend that told me that the advertisement for Bellerbys College is always in the newspaper he reads so that gave me another assurance that, yes, I was going to a school that is well-known.

My mom is the kind of person that wants to make sure her child is going to the right school, that everything is safe and all that, and that money is not wasted. So meeting someone from Bellerbys really gave her that reassurance and she could talk more to my dad and tell him that she met someone from the college and things are going as planned.

Have you made lots of friends from different countries at Bellerbys?
I have a friend that is from China, a friend that is from India and a friend that is from Greece.  I have Russian friends, Japanese friends, Taiwanese friends, a friend from Singapore and a friend from Dubai - I have so many friends! And I really, really love staying with them. Also, as a Psychologist, as I call myself, it has been interesting to study people from different cultures; how they behave in certain situations, how they react to certain issues, and things like that.

You chose to live with a host family, rather than in a residence – why did you
make that decision?
I thought living in the residence would be a distraction because obviously, I would see most of my friends around and I will be tempted to go out with them and maybe not sit down and study.

But I don’t regret staying with a host family.  I really, really, really love my host family!  Most of my friends are telling me to move to the residence but I always tell them, no, I don’t want to move, I am so content with what I have because I really love the host family!  It also gave me the ability to study people living in England and learn how families behave when they see other people from other countries, how they will interact with you, and all that.  It’s like studying people, that’s another reason why I really wanted to stay with a host family.

Is it very different to your home life back in Nigeria?
Well, I don’t think it is any different because it’s like staying in my house. I love them so much and they also love me. I don’t feel homesick. Everything is like my home apart from maybe the type of food they serve and all that but, generally it's like staying back in my home.

So the food is very different to back home?
Well, I adapt to any situation I find myself in.  Mostly, in Nigeria, we rarely eat vegetables so that is one big difference. My host family are Jamaicans, so we sometimes eat Jamaican food which I really like. It’s like another change and another difference.

Why did you choose the Bellerbys Foundation course instead of A Levels?
I thought I could complete the Foundation course faster as I had already wasted a year at home. So studying A Levels for two years would have taken too much of my time. I needed to do something fast because age wasn’t on my side. Also, the Bellerbys Foundation has many partner universities so I knew that it wasn’t going to be a difficulty for me to find a university to go on to.

Have you decided which universities you’d like to apply to join after Bellerbys?
I want to apply to the University of Brighton, Liverpool John Moores University, University of Kent, Middlesex University, Kingston University and, I think, one more but I am not so sure – maybe Sussex University!

You’re studying Psychology on the Foundation course at the moment so presumably hoping to study a degree in Psychology?
Yes.  I am going to combine it with Sociology because later in life I’m thinking of working for UNICEF, or World Health Organization, or United Nations – anything that has to do with any society-organization.  So, studying Psychology with Sociology is going to give me a broader knowledge.  It is going to give me more opportunities to do more things.

Is there a specific reason why you’ve chosen to study Psychology? Are you thinking that it’s going to be useful for you to take these skills and this knowledge back home to Nigeria?
Yes, it’s going to be useful for me and also my country because we have very few Forensic Psychologists in Nigeria.  So, studying here and then going back home is going to hopefully inspire other people to also study that course and then we'll have more Forensic Psychologists in Nigeria. I can be able to help my country in so many ways.

Is there a particular type of job which you think you are going to pursue once you’ve finished with your education?
Yes, I either become a Forensic Psychologist, a Child Psychologist or a Social Psychologist.

What do your think about your choice of career?
Well, like every stereotypical Nigerian parent my mom wanted me to go for maybe Law or Accountancy because she felt it was a professional course!  But I was certain that you shouldn’t go for a course just because your parents want you study it or because of the money – you should go for a course because you love it, because that is what you like doing, because that is your personality. I had to explain to my mom that it wasn’t all about the money, it's all about the passion you have for that particular course.  So my mom thought twice and encouraged me to go for this course.

How are you finding your classes at Bellerbys?  Are they living up to your expectations?
Yes, I love my classes so much.  Studying Psychology here at Bellerbys means I get an insight of what I am going to be studying in the university. By the time I get there I won’t find things so difficult. So, yes, it’s living up to, even more than my expectations.

What do you particularly like about your classes?
The way the teachers teach. They take their time explain things and to make sure everyone understands.  This is really good as English is the second language for many students.  Also, when a lesson starts some teachers go on with where they left off.  My Psychology teacher, for example, she starts from where she stopped during the last lesson, so she refreshes your memory about what you’ve studied.

By studying Media, I also have knowledge about filming, editing and analysing films.  And analysing, or analysis in short, is one thing I really enjoy doing.  I’ve never studied Media in my life, but I find it easy, as if I’ve been doing it all. Teaching here is so good.

How do the class sizes compare to those in your country?
Classes here are much smaller than in my country.  It’s easier to concentrate and understand what the teacher is saying.  In Nigeria we often have like, 98 students in a class with one teacher!

What do you do with your spare-time?
Well, I spend my spare-time with either my friends from Bellerbys or my family.  I have a Chinese friend who lives near to me.  And then, if I have any school-work to do, then I’m on my own studying or doing one or two projects.

How do you find London so far?
Living here is ok because at least I’ve come here once or twice for holidays so I am so used to it.  The only thing I find difficult is the weather, which I’m still adapting to. But apart from that, everything is ok – you can get things at a snap of your fingers, transport is very flexible, you can get one or two things by just getting across the street. Everything is very, very good compared to Lagos because in Lagos there are so many people and the traffic is not so good.

So apart from the weather, has everything worked out how you hoped it would?
Yes, everything worked out the way I wanted it to be, everything turned out so well!

Have you felt homesick at all?
I do miss the rest of my family a bit but I’m not going to be with my family for the rest of my life so I have to get used to being away from them.  Sooner or later I’m going to move to my own apartment and have my own job and start my own life. Everything starts from somewhere. It’s better to start now, not when it’s later then you start feeling homesick or something.

My father comes to visit me in London sometimes but I haven’t seen my mother yet.  I was with her for a whole year and she got so used to me being around, helping her with so many things.  She is missing me, but she is proud that one of her kids is in London schooling and doing very well.  I can’t think of home, home, home all the time, I have to think of school, school, school!

Have you stayed in touch with your friends from school back home at the Queen’s College?
Yes, I have.  A lot of them have stayed at home to finish their education.  Some of them wish they’re here but due to some conditions they can’t come here, probably visa problems or something.  They are happy that I got what I wanted because I told them, from the first instant, that I wanted to go to school in London.

Once you finish your university undergraduate degree do you think you might want to do a Masters or do you want to jump straight in and start working?
As at now I’ve not made up my mind.  I really want to start work but still, I want to go further and do a Masters.  Everything depends on my situation or my decision in my final year, then I’ll start making up my mind whether I should start going for Masters or I should start work.

Is there anything you would like to say to other Nigerian students thinking of coming to Bellerbys College?
Well, all I would like to say is, for anybody that really wants to come and study, I think Bellerbys is one place they should consider to come and study because it’s a fantastic place!  There is nothing like racial discrimination, students here are doing so well, they teach you all the modules you need to know and assignments are given to improve your skills and knowledge.

If you can’t speak English that well, this is one place to come to because nobody will laugh at you.  Instead, they will correct you.  And then, you can have this opportunity to meet other people from other countries, and then you learn so many things from them, you learn about so many cultures.  Don’t stick with your own clan because then you won’t learn anything from other people. You have to spread your wings and then you will learn and experience new things.  So then, when you go back to your country, you can have thate knowledge or you can have something to tell your people that, “Oh, I have this friend, she is from here, and then Chinese people do this, Indian people do that, Greece people do that”.  Bellerbys is one great place to live in!