My name is Alanda Kariza, and I am a published author of 10 books. I have just graduated from University of Warwick for my Master’s degree in Behavioural and Economic Science, and my study was funded by the Chevening Scholarship.
What I enjoyed the most in the UK is the fact that I can have a quality time with myself and my significant other. This does not apply to London unfortunately, but life in most parts of the UK is pretty serene. You can do so much in one day, see different places, and have a lot of time to study, learn, or to have meaningful conversations. It is also easy to travel everywhere with the existence of network rail and relatively cheap airline tickets.
Talking about the UK always gives me mixed feelings. Obviously, it was an overwhelming year because so many things happened. I was able to travel to many different places across England and Scotland to witness beautiful places that I used to only be able to see in the movies. I also met many friends from all over the world, with whom I developed friendships overtime, not only in the university but also in a café where I worked part-time for three months. However, the school year itself was very intense, which is unsurprising especially with the fact that a Master’s degree in the UK is less than a year long, while in other countries can be up to 2 years to finish. It is very demanding and can compromise our mental well-being if we are not able to manage it well nor have a great support system. Lucky me I had my significant other as well as really good friends. I also had the chance to talk to the university’s counselling service for free, which is very helpful. One more thing – I also got to be the first female president of Indonesian Students Association in the UK since it was established in the 1970s. It was one hell of a leadership experience!