Student experience: Thandeka Buthelezi

Today we are joined by Thandeka Buthelezi (31), from Durban. She reached out to us wanting to study in the UK. She joins us after her first year abroad studying a master’s in sustainable development at Oxford Brookes University in the UK to answer some questions.

Hi Thandeka, thanks for taking the time to speak to us about your study abroad journey. How did you find the process?

Hi guys. Yeh so I wanted to study in the UK for a long time but I didn’t think that my marks were good enough. Mike and the team guided me through options and I realised that my undergrad marks were okay. That was a big relief! We looked at 5 university options, in the end I chose Oxford Brookes as its more affordable than London, but still close.

Great. We know that finances can be a restriction for a lot of South Africans wanting to study overseas, what are you thoughts on this? Any advice?

Ja, I agree. I was surprised that the costs were different in different countries. I could have tried Mauritius or somewhere else in Europe but I wanted to be in the UK badly! The main thing is having enough money for the tuition, when you are here you can get a student job which helps. There is a minimum amount for living you need, and there is a £3,000 difference between the minimum in London and outside London, which is a lot for us about R70,000! So I would recommend thinking carefully about being in London or not!

How have you settled in to the UK? Any culture shocks?

Quite a few actually. It’s very very cold and grey in winter and it gets kinda depressing. London is an exciting city and it’s not too far from Oxford, where I’m studying. But I prefer the cosy small atmosphere of Oxford – the student vibe is great! People are a lot more reserved here than back home, but I think as South Africans we can win anyone over. They open up after a while.

Thandeka thanks a lot for your time today.

Happy to help.

Interested in studying abroad? Contact us to start your journey.

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