Friday, August 30, 2013

New Beginnings


If someone had told me a year ago that I would give up steady, full-time employment to do my Master’s in a foreign land, I would have scoffed. Not because further qualifying myself was a ludicrous idea or because the lure of a foreign adventure was unappealing. But in this less than stellar economic climate, who would give up a secure job that they excelled at for only the possibility of another at the end of a year?
Someone recently said to me, “Education is the strongest investment you can make, because you’re investing in yourself.” This inspired the change in lifestyle that set me on my path to Ireland and UCD. While I have always believed in education as a tool for affecting change, the higher education system in India is a beast. It is a system few can comprehend, even amongst those who pass through its hallowed (and harrowing) halls. A hard-working spirit and thinking mind are no guarantee that you’ll make it through. For many that do, it is often at a price – disillusionment. This isn’t to say that higher education in India is universally bad, but it certainly has a long way to go to measure up on the international scale.
At the end of my BA, I emerged a self-assured, confident 21-year-old, who didn’t have a clue but thought she did. I soon learnt that I was at the very bottom of the food chain and I also learnt how to arm myself to rectify this.  Having worked at the same company for a number of years, and having grown through its ranks, my understanding of the world has changed significantly. Working full time gave me focus, without which pursuing a post-graduate degree would have been pointless. 
All of this led to my decision to apply for my MA. And so began the process to find a university and a course that would suit me.
Choosing to study in Ireland was a simple decision. Ireland is known throughout the world for quality higher education. The “Education in Ireland” fairs held in India allowed me to meet university representatives and get a better picture of the system. Beyond this, the course that I was interested in – Media and International Conflict – was one I thought I would benefit from studying in Ireland. With its history, Ireland is uniquely placed to discuss conflict.
My reasons for choosing UCD specifically were two-fold. Firstly, the course they offered best-matched what I was looking for. The various modules of this course, designed around media and politics, intrigued me. The dissemination of information, as well as the manner in which it is disseminated, has a telling effect on an audience. As such, I felt a better understanding of conflict-reporting would be useful. Secondly, my interaction with UCD has been great. I queried a number of universities within Ireland and without, when I first began the application process. None were as prompt or helpful as UCD has been. As well as answering my questions regarding the application process and the course itself, they were most helpful when I required additional documents for my visa application.
Applying for the visa was something of a chore. If I had to do it all over again, that would top my list of priorities. The official website is very clear and lists all the documents you require, but I felt obliged to check them over compulsively. That lost me some time. Once the application had been submitted, waiting for an answer wasn’t easy. Having gained admission to the course of my choice, the idea that I could lose out based on the visa was difficult to deal with. The month preceding the start of the academic year is extremely busy, so it probably would have helped if I’d applied a week or two earlier. While the whole process is said to take up to 4 weeks, it usually takes between 2 to 3 weeks. I waited 5 weeks before I got my answer (bear in mind that my application was enormous and there was a lot of paperwork to get through). Of course, once my visa was approved I thought it had all been worthwhile.
Now that I am past the big stumbling blocks, the last few months seem fairly surreal. I have time now to think about moving away for a year and how much of an adjustment this is going to be. Living with 5 strangers is a disconcerting prospect. As much as I like to think of myself as a tolerant, adaptable person, I like my things the way I like my things. It’s going to take a little effort to settle into a routine with my flatmates that works for all of us – something I’m going to dive into head first. 
I also have time to think about this course that I am to begin in September. For months now I have looked forward to it but now that it’s just around the corner I wonder how well it will match up to my expectations. People have asked me over and over whether moving from a full-time job to university is going to be difficult. I never thought so, mostly because I looked at this like another job. You’re given a number of tasks to fulfil by a certain deadline. So far, that philosophy has helped keep the panic at bay. The next year will, I hope, substantiate it.
I’m down to my last couple of weeks before I leave and it’s been a whirlwind of activity. A curious (and welcome) by product of my preparation to leave, has been a new perspective on my home city. I’ve been saying goodbye to old haunts and memorising smells and views, wondering how much they’ll change over the next year. I suppose I’ll be the one doing the most changing and I’m looking forward to it.