Nobandile Mutseyekwa studied on our February-start IFP in 2018 and was successful in winning the Academic Excellence Prize at the end of the course. She is currently studying a BA Hons in Sports Management at the Medway campus. Below, Nobandile shares her story and how she credits the IFP for the smooth transition to university life in the UK.
“My name is Nobandile Mutseyekwa. I am from Zimbabwe and I was part of the 2018 International Foundation Program, spring intake. My journey in education has taught me that passion inspires vision, vision triggers action, and action fosters change, but without growth, an integration of these attributes is not enough to achieve success. This is because growth is an indispensable element in life, but when complacency sets in people’s maximum potential is never achieved. I believe that being part of the IFP helped me achieve and understand the importance of growth as a student and a person.
I have always been passionate about sport. From a tender age I was fascinated by how much the human body and mind could achieve, and by the amount of joy and entertainment sport brought to people. I played sport, I watched sport and I saw how a combination of talent, hard work and perseverance changed the lives of so many people. This inspired my vision to one day do my part in changing people’s lives through sport and my desire to study sport management at the University of Kent. A huge factor in my journey to this goal was studying on the IFP. This course helped me acquire and develop an understanding of the fundamental tools and concepts that are essential in ensuring that my educational journey as a university student commences on the right foot and helps me reach my full potential.
My journey has continued as I have progressed from the Feb IFP to the BA(Hons) Sports Management in Medway. The transition to university life has been simple and enjoyable. Evidently, the credit for this smooth transition is largely because of all that I learnt during the IFP and the exposure to life in the UK. As an international student, often embarking on university life away from family and home can be quite daunting. However, I commenced my university life with a comforting amount of confidence and an understanding of what would be required of me as a student as well as the necessary skills to implement in order to complete assignments and handle student life.
I believe this is because the combination of different modules on the IFP helped formulate a more clear and concise assumption of the amount of work, research and focus I would need as a university student. I was also able to learn essential theoretical and practical skills such as referencing, synthesis and the procedure for a good academic presentation as well as an overall awareness and appreciation of the necessity of good academic practice. I was able to identify my strengths and weaknesses as a student and receive proper guidance and support in growing my strengths and amending my weaknesses through assignment feedback and academic advisor meetings.
Additionally, being in an environment surrounded by dynamic individuals from around the world exposed my mind to the beauty and variance in the world and gave me an appreciation for my own culture and respect for other cultures, which I believe is essential quality for people to develop in this ever-globalizing world. During the IFP, I was studying at the Canterbury campus, however I am now currently studying at the Medway campus as part of the School of sport and Exercise Sciences. The main difference between the two campuses is evidently the size as the Canterbury campus is significantly larger than the Medway campus. However, I have come to realize that there are many positives to studying at a smaller campus. Academically, you are able to establish a closer academic relationship with your lectures. There are also many positives on a social aspect as it easier to form closer relationship with fellow students because of constant contact.
Upon reflection on my performance during the course and the lessons I learnt during the tenure of this course, I am able to recognize growth. Continuous reflection helped me overcome complacency and birthed in me a desire to always do better. So now, instead of aiming for success, I aim for growth. Because success can limit you and make you feel like you have achieved all you can achieve, yet growth inspires and motivates you to strive for exceedingly, abundantly and beyond what the mind thinks you can accomplish and that is what makes a lasting change.”
If you would like more information about the International Foundation Programme at the University of Kent, please visit our website or if you would like to contact us, please email pathways@kent.ac.uk