Introduction
Matimba Mutantika is a high schooler from Zambia, currently studying at the United World College of Southern Africa. The month that feels the most like her is her birth month, April. If she had a proper discernible spring at home in Zambia, she would resonate with it even more! Her go to comfort movies are the Twilight Saga films, and something oddly specific she could give a TED talk on would be: ’Decoding the Intricate Art of Perfect Poster Placement.’ (she is seriously obsessed with her dorm room poster placement). If she were to be a candle scent, she claims she would probably be something warm, woody and tranquil like “Soothing Sandalwood and Sage”, For the most part, she has a very calm aura (though her friends might beg to differ)! Her path to UWC has been a trying journey; a journey of fear, desperation, opportunity and resilience. She hopes that her experience will inspire people to embrace uncertainty, expect the unexpected and aim for the sky!
- Journalist’s note <3
“Lately, I think Vienna by Billy Joel really resonates with me and would be a fitting theme song for my life at this stage. As someone nearing the finish line of high school with lots of big ambitions and hopes for the next phase of my life, Joel’s encouragement to “slow down, you crazy child” and “cool it off before you burn it out” reminds me not to overwhelm myself with all these aims and attempts to achieve them. The particular lyric “dream on but don’t imagine they’ll all come true” can be sobering upon first listen but has comforted me by emphasizing that much of what my future holds is simply out of my control and depends on a million variables uninfluenced by myself or in the hands of a higher power. So while I “dream on”, I will not be discouraged by my life taking a different course than I envisioned!”
-Matimba Mutantika, on a theme song for life at UWC.
Background
In 2023 I attended YYAS, and I befriended a girl from Ethiopia who attended the UWC school I’m currently at. She shared her experiences with me, everything from her studies, to her friends to the exact sectors of the IB Program she was undertaking. It was my initial impression of IB, at the very least in depth. Although it was a simple conversation made over connection, I’d never heard of UWC before; so the whole idea seemed stellar to me! Nevertheless, I stored this memory in the archives of my mind, and didn't give it much thought until a year later. When I got back home from YYAS, my parents and I began having conversations about university. I sat for my IGCSES a year later in June 2024, and my parents really wanted me to go straight to university after that. I however, was of the firm belief that I didn't nearly have enough experience for it. Besides the fact that I was also still rather young, the heart of the matter was that I was worried about my academics. Can you imagine the leap from IGCSESs all the way to tertiary education in university? It was for these reasons and more that I was convinced that it was not the path for me. A bridge between would be fundamental, but A-levels, what I had initially always thought I would do, were out of the picture. Desperate, and caught between a rock and a hard place, I had to look for my own alternatives. I had to have something to present to my parents to convince them not to force me down the path of university early. After much pondering and consideration, I decided to seriously look into UWC. And with that, the beginning of my research of UWC took flight!
Discovery and acceptance; UWC
At the very onset of my research, I came to find out about national committees. Within your own country, and affiliated with UWC, they were essentially boards that facilitated your application to UWC. This was a very heartwarming discovery, because it influenced my perception of UWC as something foreign, to evolve into something that had a base at home. Naturally, this further fueled my desire to be accepted into the program! It was they, the national committees, that were responsible for reviewing your application, and if successful, passing it on to one of the 18 UWC schools. At this point, my mind had been set on UWC. I began looking not only into the Zambian national committee, but into UWC in general. Another factor that made me decide to apply was the fact that my parents would not need to pay for A-levels, then pay again for university. An automatic 50% scholarship is granted to all successful applicants who apply through the national committees, and furthermore, there is a UWC scheme that is dedicated to covering its scholars' university financial needs! That played a large part in tipping the scales in my favor. The scheme is called the Shelby Davis Scholarship for UWC students, and all UWC alumni are eligible for it. I believe it's one of the largest privately funded scholarship programs for UWC students in particular. It's need-based, meaning a lot of people are awarded up to 100% scholarships for a variety of liberal arts colleges in the U.S. This factor was also very reassuring for my parents, and was the determining factor that allowed them to encourage me to apply.
Application procedure
First and foremost, I had to compile a number of documents before I got to writing the essays. In a nutshell, these were my identification documents, my financial statement of need, and all other documents of that nature. The essays were quite many, which was something that definitely threw me off at first. The short answer essays were relatively simple, albeit required quite a bit of creativity and originality!
An example of some of the short answer essay questions were:
What animal best represents you and why?
If you had one superpower what would it be and why?
Then I also had to write all the mid-range essays, which were around 300 word essays. Some of the questions in that criteria were;
Tell us about a situation where you were wrong, let yourself down or failed at something and how you recovered from it.
Reflecting on UWC's mission and values, what you might contribute to the school/college and what do you hope to gain from the experience?
The longest essay I was required to write was a 500 word essay, with an array of prompts to choose from. For all of my essays, I took my time brainstorming on what I would write for each one. Because they were not straightforward, I had to think long and hard about how I could present myself in the best way possible, in a way that demonstrated that I was a good fit for UWC, whilst answering these seemingly trivial questions! It was not an easy task, and in total it took me approximately 2-3 months to finish my application. I began in late 2023 and submitted my application in January 2024. Disclaimer though, I did not work extensively on it every day. I worked through it intermittently, and finally submitted it when I was satisfied with my essays.
As for location preferences, I did not choose which school I would like to go to, my national committee placed me after accepting my application. This year, they are offering more scholarships to different UWC locations, giving the applicants the option to rank the different UWC schools in order of preference. For my application cycle however, we did not have much say in where we went, as it was heavily based on the availability of the scholarships , and the applicants financial capabilities. To be completely honest, when I applied, I was so desperate I did not care about which school I ended up in. I just wanted to get in. Although my eyes were set on getting this experience, and avoiding a reality where I would be forced to live halfway across the world, studying and interacting with people almost 3 years older than me in college, I'll admit that my eyes were also set on UWC Atlantic in Wales, the oldest UWC school. The pictures I had seen of it looked so regal, and its castle structure was absolutely stunning! Internally, I hoped that that would be the school that I would be called to. I did not feel any major disappointment at all when I found out I was going to Waterford Kamhlaba though. In any case, I had still gotten into a UWC school!
Tuition Fees and Scholarships
The scholarships are calculated based on what you can afford to pay, thus I am on a 50% scholarship. My parents are paying a fee of 25,000 euros, (scholarship applied), for coverage of the 2 years of education, inclusive of boarding and tuition fees. It’s pretty expensive, but I think the reason why they're so willing to invest in this is because you no longer have to worry much about financing university due to the Shelby Davis Scholarship Scheme. Moreover, the structure of this institution opens up a lot of paths for you to look into scholarships and alternative ways to fund your tertiary education so I think it's a very worthy investment.
First week
When I got to school, we had an orientation week prior to all classes. Funnily enough, I chanced to meet many other UWC students at the airport in Jo’burg! When we arrived at the airport, a school shuttle took us all to the UWC campus where we had week long introductory sessions. UWC is truly a melting pot of diversity, I have never experienced as many cultures before I joined the school! I’d like to believe that I have settled in fairly well. My biggest hurdle was coursework. Initially it was a rather disorienting factor for me about the IB Diploma program, because I had no prior coursework experience within the IGCSE subjects that I took. I had never really gotten into researching and writing academic research papers, but my teachers have been guiding me, so I’m settling in quite fast. We do a form of continuous assessment, so we are not formally assessed often like I was in my former school, a change that I readily (and happily) embraced! We are dealing with a lot more rigorous material than I have ever studied before, but I love the challenge. All in all, my transition has been kinder to me than most; I am really grateful for that.
How UWC has taught me to value Community, University considerations
As I mentioned briefly earlier, UWC has a program dedicated to awarding scholarships to alumni seeking to study in the US (The Shelby Davis Scholarship). I have personally always known that I would like to go to a university in the States, but I had never fully fleshed out my preferences and ideas about what type of college I would like to go to. Earlier, getting into any good school, any good Ivy league school, was simply the goal. Make no mistake, I am still aiming high! I've been speaking with my guidance counselor, and in his words, if I continue how I'm doing now, it's not absolutely ludicrous to hope to get accepted into a top 20 school in the US! However, a couple of experiences in recent years have ignited a new framework of consideration. A framework that my time here in UWC has only fortified. I no longer just want to join any university, I would like to join a community.
Right before I joined UWC, at my summer YYGS experience, I had the privilege of meeting a Zimbabwean student who attended Skidmore College in the US. Over an African community lunch, she gave us insight into University that most people tend to not give much thought to. Many people, myself included up until that point, she told us, only pay attention to the prestige, prominence and technical aspects of the University in relation to finances and accessibility. One thing that is always overlooked is lifestyle and community; How do you want to spend your next four years? What community would you like to spend the next four years in? This moment sparked me to seriously reflect on my dreams for my future. Having been introduced to ideas like intimate small campuses, and well woven college community structures, I have been looking deeper into Universities than ever before. I’m taking into consideration what my university life will look like without the prestigious name, and what kind of community I am looking to join. As UWC is an international school, I have already gotten so many valuable glimpses into different cultures. Granted, I’m not saying I’ll choose a University just because many Southern Africans go there, or because the region or college’s culture is close to my home culture, but I do feel that there should be more weight in that than it is granted. Especially as an international student, it is important to consider the atmosphere and people you will go on to immerse yourself in!
Home away from home
During my term holidays I tend to travel home. For my first midterm I did, however I don’t think I’ll choose to travel home for midterms any longer, because they pass by way too quickly. We get off school on Thursday afternoon, and the break officially ends on Tuesday; that’s the extent of our midterm! That was quite a big culture shock for me, especially because everyone else in the country has a week long midterm like I was accustomed to in Kenya (where I did most of my high school), apart from us! Thus, because the midterm is a term break that is too short to travel home, I plan on making myself at home right here. I’m looking forward to having some time to get in the zone, concentrate and get some work done, and most importantly, rest!
The UWC lifestyle: Memories, Tournaments and buckets of Coursework
Life at UWC so far has been an amazing experience! I’ve interacted with people from all walks of life, and made dozens of solid friendships. UWC really fosters an atmosphere that encourages us to be well-rounded, thus I have been heavily influenced into stepping out of my comfort zone. I’ve taken part in a drama performance, a monologue in a play, and besides that, I am a part of the girls netball team! We have travelled for a number of tournaments, both regional and international ones, and I can confidently say that netball has been one of my highlights of UWC since I got here. Beyond extracurriculars, within the IB program I have a weekly CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) experience where I volunteer at a Salvation army clinic. It is located in one of the local churches, where we prepare meals for the elderly, for about 40-60 people. It quickly became another aspect of life that makes me incredibly grateful for the blessing it is to be able to study here.
In the academics sector, I recently received my first cycle of grades, and I managed to receive the award of the principal's commendation, which I’d say is a pretty good way to start! The International Baccalaureate diploma program that all UWC schools teach under is very coursework intensive, every subject has an element of research, in addition to the general diploma program research papers we complete, such as the Extended Essay and the Theory of Knowledge essay. The subjects I picked are as follows:
History HL
Economics HL
English Language and Literature HL
Math Analysis and Approaches SL
Environmental systems and societies SL
French Ab Initio
(Key: HL-Higher Level, SL- Standard Level, Ab initio- Beginner level)
The road to the point at which I have reached in my academics has been filled with humbling experiences, but with each passing day I have learned to grow and learn from my setbacks, and so I hope that I will be able to maintain the current academic standard I have set for myself whilst keeping in good stride my extracurricular activities!
Future applicants, hear ye and be encouraged!
This experience will push your boundaries and limits; personally, I have been taken so far out of my comfort zone. But at the same time, it will also transport you to heights that you may have never dared to dream about before! Don’t be deterred by people who may tell you that UWC is too hard to get into. Don’t be deterred by people who may constantly tell you that the IB Program is extremely difficult, and they wouldn’t encourage anyone to take it. Honestly, I would not sugarcoat the program either, it truly is a very difficult course. Tears will be shed and late nights working on your coursework will be had. But in all this, the beauty lies in the undeniable fact that it will be so instrumental in building your character, teaching you how to independently manage your studies, and fortifying all the necessary soft skills that will take you far in life. I am extremely grateful for the resilience and work ethic that my IB education in UWC has gifted me; I believe this is the experience I needed and the character growth I lacked, that I was referring to when I was hesitant about University. I tend to hear that the rigorous nature of the IB program does make the transition to University easier, but I cannot bear much claim to how true that is, as I have not experienced it myself. All things considered, keep in mind that taking the IB program, whether in UWC or somewhere else, is a worthwhile venture!
Ending note
UWC is an exceptionally enriching opportunity for growth. Both academically and personally. I can assure you that there will be ups and downs, the moments where you feel overwhelmed and long to give up will be plenty. But I beseech you to keep going, to push yourself and keep propelling upwards, because there is a whole landscape of opportunities awaiting you once you finally reach the finish line of the course. Besides, studying at UWC, a world that holds the key to the door of opportunities, is something worth fighting for. I’m still pretty early in my IB, and UWC journey, but I would encourage you to persevere, no matter what stage you are in, for as long as you keep your eyes on the prize, you will be okay!
