It’s International Women’s Day and here at University of Essex Online we have some pretty inspirational ladies working and studying with us. – Hong test
From running their own business to following dreams and reaching goals we love to hear the fantastic reasons why our students love studying with us. So we wanted to share with you the amazing story from one of our LLB Law students Marina Ludin:
“I have to stand up for my own freedom as well as others'”
I was born in 1990 and raised by an Afghan father and a German mother. In 2010 I completed my German Abitur followed by some turbulent but exciting years in Germany studying the subjects of Chinese, Semitic Studies, Islamic and South Asian Studies as well as Architecture. After giving birth to two wonderful children I chose being a full-time mother for 5 years over completing my studies. I have faced 18 moves within Germany in the past 6 years and even experienced living in the capital of Yemen including the beginning of its terrible war.
The main reason why I chose to study LLB (Hons) at the University of Essex Online was that I have been through many hardships in the past six years including a divorce and losing family members, and this made me realize that I have to stand up for my own freedom as well as others’ and not to let them go through the same things I went through.
“I was quite unsure about whether or not I would be accepted”
I moved to the UK because I got accepted as a full-time LLB (Hons) student at Greenwich University. I grew up in a tiny village in Germany surrounded by nature and initially found it very difficult to adapt to the city life of London, but then I decided to accept an offer as a part-time student at the University of Essex Online.
I remember on one of my flights from Frankfurt to London a passenger told me that his son had recently completed his LLB (Hons) course at Essex University. After researching about the university, I immediately applied for the LLB (Hons) programme because of its excellent reputation. At first, I was quite unsure about whether or not I would be accepted as they required three A-levels. But after passing the English test with the highest mark of C2 and submitting my personal statement I was grateful to receive an offer from the University of Essex Online.
“It is my goal to become a barrister in the future and make a change in the lives of desperate people.”
The majority of refugees are fleeing from predominantly five war-torn countries and one of those countries is Afghanistan. Being raised in a family of Afghan diplomats built up my confidence to take part in political discussions. I love my country, and it’s hard knowing that refugees from Afghanistan are suffering. This encourages me to lend my voice to Afghans within their homeland and abroad. It is my goal to become a barrister in the future and make a change in the lives of desperate people. I know studying this course will take me a huge step forward to realising my goal of specialising in Human Rights Law.
Having the opportunity to study on my own makes me feel independent and self-confident. The reason I did not continue as a full-time student was that I didn’t feel comfortable being surrounded by much younger students. I didn’t like tutors telling me how to study as it reminded me of the system of a school. When I started at the University of Essex Online, I finally felt independent and even got addicted to studying. I can clearly say that I do not recognise myself. I never thought I would enjoy studying as much as I am doing now.
“I have enough free time to earn money and climb trees in the parks of London”
As I am extremely flexible, every four weeks I travel to Germany in order to visit my children and family. In addition to that, I have enough free time to earn money, climb trees in the parks of London and meet people from all over the world. I very much enjoy the course discussions that teach us to deal with various topics and help us to interact with our fellow students.
I can definitely recommend the University of Essex Online and its LLB (Hons) course. You meet interesting students from all over the world, the tutors are great and the entire team is very supportive. I found support throughout the entire application process by constantly receiving mails and phone calls. The replies of my Student Adviser Amy were so fast that I often received them within a minute after mailing her.
“You will definitely not regret it”
If you are thinking about studying with the University of Essex Online you will definitely not regret it. In order to be successful you need to strengthen your self-confidence and always think positive. I also suggest interacting with your fellow students to get to know and support each other. Finally, I would like to thank the team members of University of Essex Online. You are doing a wonderful job and I am happy to share my positive experiences as a student!
Want to read more? Check out the inspirational women working at University of Essex Online and some more inspirational female students.