Overcoming obstacles to achieve dreams – Mustafa’s story

Mustafa, a Durham University student standing on a bridge

Overcoming obstacles to achieve dreams – Mustafa’s story

For many international students, Study Group’s university pathway programmes help them fulfil their dreams of studying abroad, providing access to global higher education. For Mustafa, it provided a way back into academia.

There are many reasons why international students decide to move abroad and study for their degree in the UK. For some it’s the opportunity to study at a world-ranking university, for others it’s the chance to improve their English skills. For Mustafa, it was something he didn’t think would be possible after his plans to go to university were put on hold when he suffered life-changing injuries, leaving him paralysed.

After a long time spent recovering from his injury, Mustafa felt there was no way of re-joining academia due to the significant years of study gap and he lost hope of studying Law at university, let alone at the world-top 100, Durham University in the UK.

He then found out about Study Group’s International Study Centre at Durham University and the opportunity of studying the International Foundation Year programme, which provides direct access to the first year of an undergraduate degree. It was this type of university preparation he felt he needed, in order to succeed with his studies again.

Study Group’s International Study Centre at Durham University gave Mustafa the chance to move from Pakistan to the UK with his family and build the life he wanted, which is one focused on academia.

“If you are willing to work hard, if you wish to join higher education, if you are committed to achieve what you have in your mind, there’s a wonderful team out there to help you reach your goals.”

Mustafa studied the International Foundation Year and progressed to LLB Law at Durham University in September 2020. He is currently studying the second year of his degree course.

“Before coming to Durham University International Study Centre, I was planning just to do my LLB but now that I’ve seen the city, I’ve seen the campus, I’ve seen Durham University, and with the experience I’m having, I’ll be sticking to academia. I’ll be doing my PhD.”

Having experienced a university preparation programme himself, Mustafa feels strongly that students coming to join higher education in the UK need more than English skills. He is keen for prospective students to know that understanding British culture, modern history and English literature are all really important factors to settling in and succeeding in education and life in the UK.

Dr Mark Cunnington, Chief Operating Officer for the UK and Europe at Study Group, shares his perspective on Mustafa’s journey so far:

“Mustafa’s story is remarkable. Against all the odds, he overcame great personal adversity to fulfil his dream of studying at a top UK university, and to pursue a career in academia. It demonstrates how important tenacity, and a positive mindset are in achieving lifelong ambitions. Mustafa’s story is an inspiration to us all and on behalf of everyone at Study Group, we wish Mustafa the very best in his studies and future endeavours”

Watch this video to find out more from Mustafa about why he recommends studying at Study Group’s Durham University International Study Centre.