Procedures in getting a UK student Visa

      Most people prefer studying abroad than in their own Country. Some of the popular Destinations people prefer to study in are The US, Canada, The UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany e.t.c
       Studying abroad has many advantages such as experiencing diverse Culture, networking with fellow student's all over the world, Usage of state of the art Facilities, and many more.
       In our discussion Today, I will be listing out the steps/ procedures in getting a UK student Visa. Everything posted would be from my own personal experience that is to say that I will be listing out the procedures I used to secure a UK Student Visa.
       The United Kingdom is a Fantastic place to study for those considering it as a place for study. British Universities are considered among the best in the world and their degree is accepted and respected all over the world. The only problem I have with studying in the UK is that you only get four months after studying to get a Job and also the company must be willing to sponsor you as an International student. Failure to get a sponsor(which is very hard) will result in you been kicked out of the country.
Student Visas are awarded on a point based system. So you get points for having the required documents. You also need to have an International passport  that has more than six months before it expires.

The procedures in getting a UK student Visa are below
STEP 1: Write and pass either the TOEFL or IELTS exam with good marks. The purpose of this exam is to show that you can understand , write and speak English to an appropriate level. This is very mandatory even if English is your first language, with an exception to the US.

STEP 2: Apply for one of the UK universities.If successful, you will be offered an unconditional offer. This simply shows that you have been partially accepted. In this letter you will see the amount you have to pay for Tuition.

STEP 3: If you are buoyant enough, you can go ahead and pay the Tuition fees that was stated on your unconditional offer. If you are not, you are allowed to pay 50% of the Tuition.

STEP 4: If you will be studying outside  London, you need to have $1230 per month multiplied by your first nine months that you will stay in the country. That is
1230 ×9= $11,070 plus the remaining 50% of your Tuition fees if you did not pay all as mentioned in Step 3
If you will be studying in London, you need to have $1540 multiplied by your first nine months that you will stay in the country. That is
1540 ×9=$13,860 plus the remaining 50% of your Tuition fees if you did not pay all as mentioned in Step 3
Note: The cost of London is higher because the Cost of things and  standard of living is high in London compared to all other Cities.
The amount above should be kept in your account for 28working days. This will show that you can cover your Tuition fees, accommodation and any other living cost for the duration of your studies. After 28days, you can collect the statement from your bank and then you can remove the money if you want. The statement would be submitted along with the application.

STEP 5: After paying for Tuition,  tyou get a conditional offer and also a CAS number from the school. What this simply means is that the school is going to be sponsoring you and you are to include this CAS number when you making your application. This is very important and it is worth 30 points.

STEP 5: Apply for halls of Residence (accommodation from school) if you have no place to stay. Pay for the deposit for the halls and keep the receipt with you. It will be needed when going for the visa application.

STEP 7: Check that you have all required documents
Checklist of documents
✔ International Passport
✔Conditional offer
✔CAS letter
✔Four passport photographs with white background
✔Bank statement
✔Accommodation deposit receipt
✔IELTS/TOEFL result
✔Prayer

STEP 8: Print out the application documents and fill or fill them online. While filling, you will be required to pay 150 pounds for NHS as an inter national student and also so that the NHS will be able to treat you if you fall sick during your time in the UK.

STEP 9: Submit your application with all required documents and wait for an Interview.  Interview is quite easy, just research on your school and research on your course. You should be ready to answer questions such as
✅ Why did you choose the UK?
✅Why did you choose this Course?
✅What is the course all about?

If you require more information about the visa procedures, do visit the UKBA website.
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How Nysc has helped me

I came back to Nigeria on the 1st of October 2016. Funny date because that was the date that Nigeria gained her Independence from the British. After coming back to Nigeria, I stayed for a month and some few days and was among those that went for the compulsory NYSC scheme. I will be listing how this scheme has been beneficial to me.
1 Travelling
Thanks to this Scheme, I have been able to go to states that I would not have been to if not for Nysc. I have been opportuned to visit Kano, Kaduna(passed through), Abuja(passed through), Edo.
2 Culture
Nysc has made me learn different cultures from different tribes of Nigeria. I will be listing out one of them and that is in Ekiti state (Yoruba land), when marrying a girl, you have to sit on your /your wife' s father and mother lap to show that you are now their Child. I can't remember if that is the reason why but I think so.
I have also learnt and seen physically the rich cultural heritage of the Benin kingdom.
3 Skills
Prior to NYSC, I never had any teaching experience and would get tense whenever I am speaking to a crowd. But thanks to NYSC, I can now fully say that I now know how to get a crowd 's attention, communicate fluently without any fear of intimidation or shyness.
4 Contacts
Nysc has made me meet like minded individuals from all part of the federation and this would be very beneficial to me.( That I am sure of)

It has not been all fun, it has been stressful, annoying, demanding but if you should look at It from a different angle, you will realize that the aim is to serve and that is why it is called Youth service.  You have to serve your fatherland and I am happy I have done it. Am also greatful to God because many started the journey but could not make it. I am not better than them, it is just God 's grace and his love upon my life. Now Nysc is done, the question that still remains is this what next to conquer?

Tribalism, the biggest threat to Nigeria s greatness

  My country Nigeria, The biggest black nation in the face of the earth,  member of OPEC(organization of petroleum exporting countries) and also one of the richest African countries. Quite an achievement one would said and I agree with it.
      There is a major problem affecting Nigeria and every Nigerian and those that have had the oppurtunity to stay with Nigerians from different tribes would understand. This problem is the issue of Tribalism.
       This issue has eaten very deep into the Nigerian system that it is ranked on the same level as corruption or even greater. It is quite sad that after fifty-six years of independence, we still have not gotten  over this issue.
      Expressions like and I quote "Na Igbo people, they too like money,  Na Yoruba people, they too dey smell" and so on and so forth are quite common words you hear from the mouth of Nigerians. Let me share a personal experience of what I witnessed in Nigeria.
        Sometime last week, I was travelling from Benin to Lagos and I boarded one of those inter state travelling buses and I had this guy sitting behind me who had a low battery so he asked me to pass his phone to another guy that was sitting in the front close to the driver so that the guy can help him charge his phone using the  in car charger. I did as I was told but the guy at the front told me that he was using the charger to charge his phone. I passed the information back to the guy and what happened next surprised me.
       The next thing I heard was " Na Igbo people, they too greedy, even if him battery don full, e no go still allow me charge"  The guy was saying that the man sitting at the front is Igbo and   that Igbo people are  greedy and even if his phone was full, he still won't allow him charge. This guy said this to me and was waiting for me to say something to support him or contradict him which is quite common in Nigeria when you having a discussion or argument but I kept quiet because I have learnt from past experience that you don't respond to everything.
        Throughout the rest of the Journey, I could not stop thinking of what the guy said. How did he know that the guy sitting at the front was Igbo? Have they met before for him to know he was Igbo or was he judging from physical appearance?  How certain was he that the guy s battery was full and he did not want him to charge? All this and many more was all I could think about throughout the duration of my Journey.
       The example above is a classical example of what is wrong in Nigeria. Most times in Nigeria, you are not judged as an individual rather you are judged based on your tribe especially if you do something wrong and this is so wrong. People in Nigeria loose contracts, help and all other stuff just because they are not of the same ethnic group as the person awarding the contract. If a Nigerian finds himself in a public office, Most times, he only helps those that are from the same ethnic group as him. This does not happen all the time but most times .
       Another way of breaking the barriers of tribalism  is by Marriage but there are some people that have sworn that none of the Children must get married  to someone that is not of the same ethnic group and any of their Child that goes against  their wishes will be disowned.  And we claim we are one Nigeria?? Frankly speaking, I think we are deceiving ourselves because we are just like a pastor that preaches but don't practice what he preaches.
         The Igbo s which is my tribe have a strong hatred for the Hausa s and they don't consider the Yoruba s as people which is not right. I have been in a gathering with Igbo people where they say things like " I can never associate myself with Yoruba people". This is quite sad because these people are youths that are well enlightened and educated. In Nigeria we are taught by our parents that "United we stand and divided we fall".
       Nigeria as a country is very influenced by the western countries. Nigerians love emulating the western countries.We dress like them,  Some of us even speak like them, Hollywood  has a big audience in Nigeria,  Almost all Nigerian men watch the English primer league and so on and so forth.            
          Even the western countries know the Importance of Diversity because there is strength in Diversity. I have been opportuned to have studied in the United kingdom and I can happily say that my time there was one of the most enjoyable moments of my life and I really enjoyed my student experience. The reason for this was because of the diversity of the country. I had the opportunity to meet with people from all part of the world and also learnt about the cultures of other people. In the UK, you see people from all part of the world peacefully co-habiting together. I have also been to a marriage ceremony between a black guy and an Asian lady.  Things like this strengthens ties among countries and also makes the world a better place.  The USA conducts a scheme known as the Visa lottery whereby certain individuals from most countries in the world are randomly  selected to come and work and stay in the US permanently. This reason for all of this is because these countries believe in the strength of Diversity.
      If Nigeria wants to be great, then Tribalism needs to go. This is the most important thing to do to make this country great like the people we emulate.

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Advice on money and investment

         So the other day, I was looking at a Fifty Naira note and It made me to start thinking about some certain things. Money answers all prayers but it is also the root of all evil. I was pondering how this world has turned into this stage or phase whereby an individual is being respected based on the amount of paper money he/she can accumulate during his/her life time. Sad Isn't it was the thought that came to my head. The day that  paper finishes in your hand then that's the day all respect is gone. And the funniest thing about that particular paper money I was holding was that it looks so old and the reason for this was because that particular paper money has changed hands. Upon the time of printing, it was quite new but due to the fact that this particular note has changed hands, the note has no order choice than to start detoriating.
        This same law applies to everyone, you have some little amount of money today and you feel as if you 've arrived. Some even go as far as oppressing others because they can afford what that particular person cannot afford. A popular Nigerian musician named fela sang one song titled water no get enemy. I can also say that money no get friend so while you are there showing off with that money you have, always remember that money is not your friend and it might not be with you for the rest of your life. It will start changing hands and very soon will leave your hands and go to another and might not come back if you don't invest wisely.

Thanks for reading
 

Word for the day

Get up each day feeling content and happy.
Some people wish to see today but they are not alive.
So wake up happy and be ready to fight the challenges of life.
You should be able to make a lemonade out of the lemon that life gives to you.
So make very good use of any opportunity you get and be ready to wow people for the rest of your life.
If life was a human being, it would certainly be black because life is not fair.
But also remember that you can never ever get a second chance for a first impression.
So live life to the fullest but remember there is a future out there waiting for you to conquer.
And the sooner you start, the better it is for you and your future.

Children s day at Iguobazuwa, Ovia South west, Edo state

The 27th of May is a public holiday in Nigeria and it happens to be Children day. As you guys know, I am a serving Corp member and the school in which I teach in has been invited for a marching ceremony at the local government council and I am the co-ordinator of the marching ceremony in my school. 

 Some pictures of the event can be found below

My school when they started marching 

When they were marching towards the officials

Marching continues

The students of the school performing a cultural dance

Unfortunately, my school came third in the marching competition and first in the cultural dance.  It was a good day for the kids and one they would not forget in a hurry.

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Youths of Nigeria, where are thou??

So I was having a chit chat with my fellow Corp members in our lodge. We were all discussing about how social media s like Facebook has influenced our life and an idea came to my mind.

Now if you look at the population of Nigeria, Nigeria has a population of more than 191million plus as of my time of checking and half of this population are youths. A country with this high number of youths and workforce still cannot boast of producing mere tooth pick. We import everything. To me, it is a thing of shame and disgrace. We claim to be the giants of Africa but that's a big lie because I believe that in order for one to be a giant, you must have a strong economy that manufactures goods.

Countries with high population like The United states, China and India all use their population to their advantage and that's why these countries  have some of the strongest economies. We claim we are rich but the day oil dries up in this our land, that's the day we will realize we are actually poor.

Some people might be saying that it is the Government fault which I partially agree with but we youths can't leave everything for the Government . I was reading some article online and I read something that caught my attention "Do not always say what has the country done for me rather it should be what have you done for the country". We youths are creative but our creativity ends on social networks. We spend countless number of time on social networks and many has become addicted to it.

If you look at Facebook, the owner dropped out of school to pursue his dream, he was not that smart, he was creative. Creativity is the key factor. We have many youths that are creative as Zuckberg but they channel their creativity towards the wrong medium. We youths have a huge role to play in order to make Nigeria great because at the moment, we are just a bunch of losers and a laughing stock to the international community.

Every youth has a role to play unless you want your kids to suffer what you suffered which is the highest regret a parent can have.

So while  you are slaying on Fbk, clubbing, joining all the gangs( pepperthem, onionthem and crayfishthem), remember that time does not wait for anyone and the sooner we start doing something about our future, the better for us.

From a citizen of Nigeria that truly cares

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