Someone you know has left or is planning to leave. 1,000 Ways To Japa will speak to real people and explore the infinite number of reasons and paths they use to get to Japa.
Ruth (26) woke up one morning with no plans to relocate and ended the day with a spiritual revelation that made it clear that she had to move to the UK. She talks about getting a university admission in just ten days, receiving double the funding she was initially offered and how others can do the same.
When did you relocate and where do you live now?
I live in Bristol, United Kingdom. I left Nigeria in 2022.
How did that happen?
I never knew I would leave Nigeria until I had a spiritual encounter. If you ask my friends, they always describe me as a patriotic person who wanted to stay back.
I was a teacher in Nigeria focused on advocating for inclusive education, but in March 2022, I was praying for a new job, and I had a revelation that made me know I had to leave the country. I heard God tell me that faith without work is dead. At that moment, I felt a force spring me from the bed, and instead of applying for jobs, I knew in my spirit that I had to start checking for schools that offer scholarships abroad.
What happened after your revelation?
Everything happened so quickly. After that revelation, I started my research, and the two schools that popped up on my Google page were the University of Bristol and the University of East Anglia. I was more interested in the University of Bristol because it offered the course I wanted. I immediately opened an account with the two schools and looked through the application process.
I’ve always had my transcripts and every other important document with me, so I uploaded them the same day. After uploading those documents, I contacted two people who could write my reference letters. Those two people agreed to be my referees, so I was able to submit their email addresses that night, too. Then I started writing my statement of purpose. The funniest part is that I had no idea I would make such life-changing decisions when I woke up that morning.
Wait, did you do all these in one day?
Everything happened the same day. I only applied to those two schools, and they both gave me unconditional offers. The only thing I couldn’t do that day was send in my reference letter, but I started my personal statement, which is the most important part of the application. One of the schools required a 500-word count, and the other school wanted 300 words.
But don’t get me wrong. I didn’t submit my application that day; it took about ten more days. And the craziest part? The unconditional offer at the University of Bristol came ten days later.
How did that happen?
I was shocked when the offer came in. The University of Bristol had a webinar for prospective students, and people kept asking the moderator when they could expect to hear back from the school. The moderator said admission takes six to eight weeks, and mine came in ten days.
That’s very interesting. What do you think you did differently?
I wouldn’t say I did anything differently. I don’t want to take credit, because God wrote the whole story.
But one thing I am grateful for is my experience in community advocacy. I mentioned that I was involved in advocacy activities before I left Nigeria and I poured my heart into it so that’s what my essay was mostly about– I started with the problem I was trying to solve, focused on how Nigerian children don’t have access to quality education, even though we have regulations and policies that are supposed to give children access to quality education, then tied the problem back to why I was interested in studying my chosen course and the skills I had picked up from advocating for inclusive education. I also talked about what I’ve done in the advocacy scene in Nigeria and what I plan on doing in the future.
I’d love to hear more about that, but I’m curious to know how your family and friends received the news
Everybody was excited. I think this is the part where I should add that I started my education at the University of Bristol with a partial scholarship called the Think Big scholarship (applications are open until April 2025). I think we were all so excited that we missed the part where it was clearly written that I was supposed to pay £2000 for my deposit.
The scholarship application differed from the school application; I was supposed to secure my space with £2000. In my head, I was like, “Where is this coming from?” I was even crying because I wouldn’t have applied if I had known there was a compulsory deposit payment, but God came through. I paid my deposit and got the scholarship in July 2022.
It’s not going to be the case for everybody else because there’s a part of the application process where you’re asked if you want a full or partial scholarship. I only chose a partial scholarship because I assumed other people must have filled the full scholarship space since my application came in late. I didn’t have enough faith then, but now, I know better.
I’m just grateful I chose this path because it has strengthened my walk with God. It would have been good if I had the full scholarship, but then I wouldn’t have known God in the capacity I know him now.
I’m glad you’ve made peace with that decision. How would you advise people to apply for this scholarship?
My approach to my scholarship application differed from that of a normal school application. So, for my application, I attached links to the work that I had already done.
I had to write three essays. The first one was about why I was interested in the scholarship the second was about the work I had done in my community, and the third was about what I would do as a Bristol ambassador.
My selling point was question number one – What have you done? I didn’t bother talking too much. I just said I’ve had the opportunity to do ABC, here are links to show the work I have done– I put about 10 links in that second question, and that helped me start off strong.
So, my advice to anybody would be to make sure they have solid experience, even if it’s volunteer experience. These applications are usually not about your academic qualifications. I’ve seen people who have third-class degrees get fully funded scholarships. You want to show what you bring to the table, so your application has to say, “I am your best candidate, and you can’t afford to miss me”.
Don’t be cocky but be confident about what sets you apart. If you have a digital track record of doing those things that make you the ideal applicant, insert your links. Sell yourself because the person on the other side of the screen does not know you, so they would judge whatever version of yourself you present to them.
Ensure you answer the school’s questions without trying to force your personal experience into it. For example, if they ask why you want to be in their school, don’t dwell much on the work you have done. I also always advise people to find a link between the first and last questions. You don’t want to talk about something like climate change in question one and talk about the mortality rate in question two. Let there be a connection, even if you are a multi-talented person.
Thank you. How has life been since you moved to the UK?
I’m grateful to God because He’s been showing up for me. At first, the school offered me a £5000 scholarship, but then I went to God in prayer and told him that I needed more than that amount. Two days after the first offer, I received another email informing me that the school had gotten extra funding and was looking for someone to give. That’s how I got an extra £5000, which makes it £10,000 in total.
But life here has been tough because my family is in Nigeria. Plus if you’re self-funding or studying with a partial scholarship, you’ll always have bills to pay.
Is there anything about the UK that caught you off guard?
I’ve never seen so many pets in my life. Anytime I’m walking home, there’s a high chance that I’ll see someone walking their dog. I’m scared of dogs so that’s one thing I’m still getting used to.
Sorry. How happy are you with your life post-japa?
I would say 10 because I’m where I’m supposed to be. Things are still coming together, but it’s looking good.
Want to to share your japa story? Please reach out to me here.
