Your Experience is What You Make It
By Nigar Baimova
MA in Organisation, Planning and Management in Education
University of Reading
1998-1999

Many people who studied abroad say that their time in graduate school was the best experience of their lives; others say that it was the worst. The difference often has to do with how much and how early they learned to gain control over their progress. If you are struggling, remember that you do not have to struggle alone. Make contacts everywhere. Join and be active in professional associations. Ask for and listen to advice. You will find that many others have also struggled and are pleased to share the lessons they have learned. Look at other people's work, and invite them to look at yours. The more you interact with others, the more you will learn.I wrote below some tips for the new students...

Get more tips from Nigar at Nigar Baimova.story

Hello from Bradford
By Olga Pukhayeva
MA in International Politics and Security Studies
University of Bradford

To start with, I should admit that the first semester was very challenging. I had to write five essays, which was a difficult task. It took some time to figure out how to structure essays and make bibliography; the latter takes quite a lot of time. In the middle of the essay writing process, I had fallen ill; there was a viral infection floating around the campus, so many students had got it. Flu had greatly affected the learning process; I even had to apply for the extension for one of my essays. Applying for the extension was very helpful. Being flu free, I could focus precisely on my work- the result was evident in a getting a good grade. I also got an excellent tutor, who helps our group as much as he can with academic issues...

Read the full story: Olga Pukhayeva.story