Why I’m Studying in London During a Pandemic

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I originally started entertaining the idea of getting another degree in Europe back in 2018, while I was still in Copenhagen. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I really, really wanted to make it happen. So I spent the next year and a half or so working and planning. Little did I know that 2020 would be completely bonkers with the whole pandemic situation and everything.

In the Beforetimes, I had researched schools and programs and found that there were a few programs in London that seemed to be a perfect fit for me, my background, and my goals. I made a list of four schools to apply to as I wasn’t really sure where I stood for admissions. I wrote my admissions essays and sent in my applications in December and January. Amazingly, I ended up getting accepted to 3 out of the 4 because I withdrew my final application when I got accepted into my first-choice university, King’s College London. I received that acceptance in February and accepted my offer in March.

My timing was impeccable because the very next week things started to go downhill. Lockdowns started. Everything was a mess. The uncertainty was palpable. And honestly it still is. I spent so much time wrestling with my decision: should I defer my admission a year, start in January, or press ahead?

Ultimately, I decided to continue on as planned. While tempting, I ended up not deferring because I had already taken a year off from life basically and I couldn’t really bear the thought of waiting a whole additional year for things to begin. I also had reservations about starting in January. I was lucky that my course even offered the option but the schedule for it was not conducive to how I wanted to study. Basically, I would have had to take my modules backwards and write my dissertation in the summer in between the spring and fall semesters. Needless to say, the thought of having to take 3 more classes after turning in my dissertation makes me want to puke.

So that’s how I arrived at the decision to continue on as planned. Was it a mistake? Who knows, but I’m writing this at the airport waiting to board my flight to London. Stay tuned because I’m about to go on another adventure!