Application anxiety

I mentioned in my last post that I've already started the application process to grad school. Well, I'm about 1/3 of the way through it already.

Having to start the application process now was much sooner than I expected. I was expecting to apply later in the year, maybe in October or November. After talking to an advisor, I decided to start early for a few reasons:

• Starting early means no application fee
• The earlier I start the application and submit it, the earlier I'll know if I've been accepted
• If I receive an offer from the school, I can then start applying for scholarships (many scholarships require an offer from a school to apply)

Starting the application so much earlier was, and still is, daunting. It was so weird starting it, because up until that point I would think when I apply and all of a sudden it was happening and I hadn't expected to apply for several months. 

Going through the process of applying is scary. Every time I complete a section, it's one step closer to being done, so I think if it as a tiny victory, in a way. It is anxiety inducing, though. I just want to put in the right information and don't want to leave anything important out. I just want it to be perfect.

Right now, however I'm a bit stuck on the process. Trying to fill out my school information (high school and college) is proving to be a challenge. You would think it would be simple, just filling in your information, but it isn't. I don't understand what they're asking for. They are asking for my 'award level' and 'award title' in college. What does that even mean? Is award level like a GPA? I don't know. Luckily I have a few people I can ask to clarify on the issue, and once I get it sorted out I can feel like I'm finally over this little anxiety inducing speed bump.

The next big hurdle? The personal statement!

-Susie

Meant to be

I like to say that I didn't discover my love for London, or my love for travel. I like to think my love for traveling and love for the capital city of England discovered me.

I was 19 when I got a brochure in the mail from the community college I was attending, offering a spring break trip to London and Amsterdam. At the time, I was not seeking out any trips to go on and was not interested in traveling. Truth be told, I had no idea really what I was doing. I was taking classes trying to figure out what interested me, but until that happened, I was lost. The day I got that brochure in the mail ended up changing my life in so many ways that I could never have imagined.

After finally partaking in the trip in February of 2010, I came back a changed person (as silly as that may sound). The sense of wanderlust that was instilled in me on that trip has only grown more and more in the last several years. 

When my mom came to the airport to pick me up after I had arrived back in the U.S., I remember telling her, "I want to live in London someday." I just knew. I like to think that trip set the ground work for what the rest of my life was going to be, and receiving that brochure in the mail was fate knocking on my door. It was meant to be. My love for exploring the world and London itself was cemented, and there was no going back.

It has taken almost 5 years, a lot of frustration and tears, and 3 failed attempts at hoping to live and go to school in London. However, I am still here, and still trying.

So, almost 5 years after that first trip, (with two more visits to the city I loved) and several more trips to Europe and South America, I'm embarking on my biggest and most exciting adventure yet: grad school in London with a start date of September 2015.

I've already started my application, and I couldn't be more excited.

-Susie