Hi everyone! Today, I’m speaking about something close to my heart and that I’m really excited to share over the next year. If you missed it, I’m doing my Masters’s program abroad! I honestly thought college prep was hard, but grad school prep is even tougher. Especially when the international aspect is added in. I’m going to London later this year in order to study International Conflict Studies. You might be wondering, why am I going all the way to London for school. Don’t worry, I will explain that fully later. Today, I want to share some of what I need to do to get there and be successful!
The list of things I need to do is much longer than what is in this post. Some of it is small, like booking my flight for the holidays or ensuring that any prescriptions I have will transfer. Deciding what phone plan I want to buy. Figuring out any study materials I want to buy from the US vs the UK. Exchange rates. Bank accounts. I’m going to share 4 of the key ones today. To see the full process, be sure to check out my Instagram where I will be documenting it all.
First, my visa. I was originally scheduled to go to London last year, but obviously, life happened. So, I have to reapply for my visa about 2-3 months before I plan on leaving Atlanta. The process is a bit easier than last year as I can get my CAS number a bit earlier. A CAS is a special number unique provided to you by your university that you need to apply into the UK Immigration system. It’s how they track and ensure everyone who gets a visa is who they say they are and they are supposed to be in the UK. I’ve applied for visas multiple times now. I hope that I can apply for my visa a bit earlier so I can go on one final trip in July with my friends.
Prepping to move is one of the larger pieces. I have to prepare to move so much of my life into storage or across the ocean. It’s going to take a really long time, but I’m petering it out over time. Prepping to move also includes figuring out what I’m packing, what I’m not, when and how much to buy in the UK, and more. I enjoy making lists, so I’m starting by taking an account of what I want to take and what can stay here. I also have a personal project of scanning every photo in my house….wish me luck. Additionally, I need to talk to all of my doctors to ensure my prescriptions transfer and I can maintain the same supply abroad. And hopefully, TSA doesn’t pull me over.
Planning a new budget that takes my rent, costs of books, and more into account is going to be tough. I have a pretty good account on my finances at the moment, but I want to create a budget that isn’t too lavish. I don’t have many things I need to buy for day-to-day, but I still want to plan to go out with friends for food or drinks. London is a really expensive city and I know that making a budget will really help me.
One of the final things I need to do before school is planning my essentials. I recently bought this planner from Sighh.co, which is a British brand, and I plan on getting a few more organizational bits to keep me on track. I have a hard time remembering small tasks if I don’t write them down. So, I need to keep up with my organizational habits and give myself ample time. I don’t want to get behind on coursework or writing my 15,000+ word dissertation.
I’m super excited to start talking about grad school and planning for it now. I hope that you all can find this interesting, whether you’re going to grad school or planning for study abroad. I will share more here and on my email list. If you’re interested in seeing more, be sure to sign up for my email list below!