LAST YEAR, on August 28, I wrote an article titled A Reality Check, which connected with many readers, especially parents, and had the greatest response of any article written over the past five years.
It was an article about my poor attitude and lack of commitment at school and how they affected me in my adult years when it came to employment and furthering my studies. Today’s submission is a continuation of that article and I encourage you to let your children or anyone you care about who is in school or studying to have a read.
I believe with all of my heart that I was created to make people’s lives better. I go to bed every night and rise every morning thinking about how I can improve the lives of others. I don’t have the resources yet to undertake all the projects that are in my heart, but what I do have I will freely share, and those are my failures and successes.
Last year I told you I struggled for years to seize job opportunities that came my way primarily because I didn’t have a Master’s degree and that was as a result of failing to get accepted into an international Master’s programme. Two months later, I was successful in being accepted to a British university to pursue a Master’s in global project management, commencing October 1, 2015. When I received that acceptance letter, it felt like a burden was lifted. It was such a relief, it really was, and this is a year later and I am still happy about it.
Despite this great achievement, the consequences of my poor attitude and commitment to my studies from my past were still following me. Since I didn’t have the money to finance my Master’s, I looked at what options of funding were available. My Master’s is costing me approximately $93 000 and this doesn’t include airline tickets. This cost covers tuition, accommodation, living expenses, visas and heath surcharges. I mentioned the cost, so those who are currently doing CXC, Cape, BCC or UWI, have a realistic idea of how expensive studying can be. This cost increases if you are doing medicine or law.
The Chevening Scholarship and the Commonwealth Scholarship were the first I turned to as options for funding, but was hit with a boulder of disappointment when I wasn’t even qualified to apply. In order to apply for these scholarships, you must have either first class or upper second class honours at undergraduate level, and all I had was lower seconds. I swallowed the disappointment and looked at my next option, which was the Barbados National Development Scholarship. Like many, I eagerly awaited the release of the list of subject areas the scholarship would be supporting for full funding. The list came out and guess what, my area of study wasn’t on the list. I decided that wouldn’t stop me from applying, but when I received the application, it stated applications with subject areas not listed wouldn’t be accepted. Interestingly, one of the scholarship winners is going to study an area not advertised in the list.
Once again I swallowed my disappointment and moved to an option I was avoiding – the Student Revolving Loan Fund (SRLF). I started the online application and got to a section which stated that if the SRLF didn’t give full funding for your studies, you had to show you had the remainder of funds required for your studies, which I wouldn’t have been able to provide.
I have about two weeks, three the most, to get all my payments in to start my Master’s at the beginning of October. It’s me, God and faith now and I am really excited to see how this miracle unfolds.
I shared all of this not to scare or discourage you, but to give you a true picture of the realities or furthering your studies. Education is critical in this developed world and a Bachelor’s degree alone isn’t cutting it, nor will it get you through certain doors. Education is expensive, but having done your best and having the right approach and attitude towards your studies potentially can make things easier later down the road.
The life, comforts and pleasantries you want to enjoy later will require sacrifices and are dependent on the choices you make today. Mistakes and bad habits follow you for life, so choose wisely the decisions you make now.
• Corey Worrell, a former Commonwealth youth ambassador, is director of C2J Foundation Inc., a project-based NGO focusing on social development.