{"id":17,"date":"2017-01-13T14:01:58","date_gmt":"2017-01-13T14:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/copyright.lboro.ac.uk\/international\/?p=17"},"modified":"2017-01-20T15:20:24","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T15:20:24","slug":"student-blogs-meet-chidinma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/international\/students\/student-blogs-meet-chidinma\/","title":{"rendered":"Student blogs: Meet Chidinma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello, I am Chidinma Okorie, from Nigeria and I am currently studying M.Sc. International Relations<\/a>. Having graduated from Nigeria’s premier university with a First Class Honours Bachelor’s degree in English, I desired to gain a Master’s degree in International Relations, which I expect would enhance my understanding of global political, economic and socio-cultural interactions. I\u2019m interested in politics \u2013 global politics, precisely \u2013 and a Master\u2019s degree in International Relations offers me a broader perspective to understanding and analysing global politics.<\/p>\n

Why Loughborough University?<\/h2>\n

When asked why I chose Loughborough University, I simply answer: \u201cbecause it is the best university for me\u201d. This is because as an international student desiring to study International Relations I had certain expectations, and Loughborough University was the ONLY university that met my expectations.<\/p>\n

These expectations include: conducive environment for learning (check), good quality education (check), warm, welcoming and professional staff (check), great student experience<\/a> (check), funding (check) \u2013 yep, I was offered a full-tuition fees scholarship<\/a> towards my Master\u2019s programme. So, when I say Loughborough is the best university for me, this is what I mean.<\/p>\n

Enough of my academic life \u2013 oh no, not yet \u2013 one more thing: I\u2019ve heard some people call me names like \u2018nerd\u2019, \u2018geek\u2019, \u2018bookworm\u2019, and I often wonder why. I don\u2019t know exactly what they mean by those, not sure whether or not to believe them. Okay, I admit that I read a lot, and can get really engrossed with academic work, but that is not to say that I don\u2019t play\/have fun when I can; in fact, methinks, no one plays harder than I do, I only just choose different times and occasions (which, admittedly, may not be the \u2018conventional\u2019 kinds) to have my own fun. Haha!<\/p>\n

Speaking of having fun, it\u2019s been an interesting first term of studying hard and playing hard too; that is, having fun amidst the academic rigour. May I forewarn that my definition of fun may, understandably, not tally or be synonymous with yours.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, the point is, Loughborough offers me the complete package from which I have a spectrum of options to identify and choose my own kind of fun.<\/p>\n

Social life<\/h2>\n

My hobbies include reading, writing, travelling, socialising with friends, and cooking; thus, events and activities that involve these are potentially going to be fun for me. The few weeks, following my arrival at Loughborough, were occupied with such fun-filled events<\/a>, which afforded me the opportunity to not only make new friends but also have a taste of variety of foods; oh, I loved the \u2018food sessions\u2019 \u2013 most of which were, directly or indirectly, affiliated to potatoes.<\/p>\n

By the second month, reality had started dawning on me, the weight of coursework began resting on my shoulder. Play time was over, it was time to get to work. Ever heard of the adage: \u201cthere is time for everything\u201d? Well, I reminded myself of that, as I always do, especially when I notice I\u2019m beginning to put in more time into something at the expense of a more important thing. So, I readjusted my time to accommodate academic and extracurricular activities<\/a>, and when I noticed the work pressure was mounting and becoming too much, I took a breather.<\/p>\n

Having fun<\/h2>\n

As aforementioned, I have so many options to choose from that ensure I get to do my hobbies during the course of my study and stay in Loughborough: reading<\/strong> \u2013 my course demands so much of that from me; writing<\/strong> \u2013 academic (essays\/courseworks) and non-academic (blogging); travelling<\/strong> \u2013 Need I say that I have travelled from Nigeria to the UK in the first place and, within the UK, I have visited a number of places as part of my programme, I\u2019m expected to go on a field trip to Brussels in second semester.<\/p>\n

I have loads of opportunities to socialise with friends<\/strong> \u2013 from classroom\/group activities and hall committee events and activities (I am currently the Welfare and Diversity<\/a> Representative for John Phillips Hall<\/a>), to Student Union <\/a>and church events and activities \u2013 lest I forget, I also work with the International Office<\/a> Team, which is yet another great opportunity to socialise; and, finally, cooking<\/strong> \u2013 I stay in a self-catered hall, which allows me to do my cooking myself.<\/p>\n

All of these sum up my definition and description of great student experience and for this, and many other reasons, I love Loughborough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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