My name is Chidera Osajiand. I am a UCO junior with a degree in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Psychology and Math. I wrote this blog to share the survival tips that helped me blend in at the University of Central Oklahoma.
We always focus on the day we start college and all the fun stuff we do but not really the journey to get there and how it has been since getting there. I started at The University of Central Oklahoma on the Spring of January 2022. It has been a remarkably interestingtime. Before starting college, I had just recently graduated high school. I always knew I was coming to the United States for college but picking a University and a Major was tough. I had so many requirements for what I was looking for in a college I was going to attend. I wanted a college that was medium sized as well as one that focused on student leadership. My choice in size of college was because I wanted to be in a good class ratio to professor. UCO is not one of those college campuses were in your class you are 120 students and expected to learn at the same time and at the same pace. After selecting a major and checking how high UCO ranked in it and the resources available to the students, I decided to take the chance and it has been great.
Being here I have had to come out of my comfort zone, change some habits and taking charge of my own narrative. I have not let being by myself without my family stop me from doing things I have always wanted to do as well as gain new experiences.On this journey thus far, something I have learnt is to ask questions and that you are not any less independent just because you asked questions. I was not a huge question asker before I got to college, but I realized if I really want to succeed,I need to have knowledge of the thing in question and asking questions is a good start.
I have not let the label of being an international student stop me from being involved on campus. Involvement is what has really kept me going in the couple of years of being in college. It has been my way of meeting people outside of class and learn new things. Also, involvement has been my way of breaking so many odds and getting a lot of accomplishments. Without involvement, I would not have been able to meet all the great people that have helped me on this journey and taught me so much. Contacting the Student Involvement Center and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is something to be sure to do on your first week of school. They have so many resources available and if they do not have it then they will link you to someone who has the resources to help. There is also the office of student advocacy and the internationalhouse who always have something going on. Your journey is what you make it out to be and the first step starts with youas well as the choices you make.
