The Best Laid Plans...

Wanting to pursue grad school, there was and always is the possibility that it might not happen. And if I do go, and want to stay in London, there is a possibility that won't happen either.

Before I left for London, I was set on staying in the UK after my program, no matter what. I couldn't see past that option. But since I've returned, I realized I have to stay practical, and plan for plan B, C, D, etc. in case plan A doesn't work out. I still would like to stay in the UK, and obviously want to pursue my education there, but I have to plan for if I don't get scholarships, or if financing doesn't work out the way I hope it will.

There may only be the private lending option to get loans for school, in which case would be a no go. I don't think people realize how truly horrible private lenders (such as Sallie Mae) are. No payment plans, income based repayment or loan forgiveness here. If that were the case with me as being the only option for funding, grad school wouldn't happen. A huge monthly payment that I wouldn't be able to afford, and have no other option than to pay isn't an option for me. I'm going to talk to someone about what sort of loan options are for me in this process, but I don't know what I don't know. I could assume oh yeah I'll get federal funding, and then not be able to because of whatever sort of circumstances from my situation that might arise.

If I don't get any funding/only funding through private lenders

Try to find a job in the U.S. As devastated I would be to not get adequate funding, I also know I don't want to be stuck with huge monthly payments that I no option but to pay back. A lender won't give two shits about how much I owe versus how much monthly income I have. You HAVE to pay it back, no matter what. And I don't want to subject myself to that. So I would try to find a job in the U.S. maybe in Boston or NYC, giving up on grad school entirely.

Find a job to fund a degree. Many companies will pay for you to get your Master's. Another option would be to get in a company that would pay for my degree, and do my degree in London that way. Though I don't know if companies will pay for you to get your degree in another country...

Find a job with offices in London. A more feasible option, especially if I really want to get to London (and I do) is to work for a company that has offices in London, and after some time, transfer to their office there. This option would be nice because I could be in London with a job already, no extra grad school or cost to be paid. And no worries of finding a job to be able to stay.

Grad school in the U.S. with a study abroad component. I could decide to enroll in a program here in the U.S. and see if I could do a semester or a year abroad at the school's London campus. I have seen this happen, at least for a semester. This is assuming I found a program I liked equally here, and were able to do some or most of my degree in London.

If I were in London & forced to leave

Ah, the best laid plans. I do want to stay in London, but after hearing so many horror stories, I have to plan for if I am not able to stay, assuming I get there in the first place. It's a hard pill to swallow (almost as hard as not being able to go at all.) But it should be planned for in case it doesn't work out and I have no plan B in place.

Move to another country in Europe. Another option would be to try to find a job someone else in the EU. In my very early stages of research, it seems fairly easy to find a visa/work in other countries compared to the UK. I could be wrong, but it seems the UK is extremely difficult with this, while others countries are not. I've been looking into other cities, but definitely would need a big city with good transit. Possibly Amsterdam, Dublin, Brussels, Berlin...who knows. Obviously London is my first choice, but if I want to stay in Europe, it might be a possibility.

Move back to the U.S. trying for a transfer back. Much like the transfer option above, if I hd to move back to the U.S. I would try to find a job with offices in London and work there for a suitable amount of time and try to transfer back to London that way. Most people who move back to the U.S., not voluntarily, plan for this option. Aside from marrying a Brit for a visa...which, well. That would certainly be an interesting way to go about it.

I'm trying to be proactive here, and plan for every possible scenario. I just want to be prepared no matter what happens. I absolutely, 100% want to move to London in September, but there are so many things that could happen in between now & then that I could have never seen coming. I hate having to entertain that possibly happening because I have been planning for this for many months, over a year. I would be so upset to have to change the plan. I am so set in this plan and hate change. So to have to do a complete 180 from what I had originally thought would be terrible.

So for now I'm planning to move to London in September. Whether appropriate funding will come through, and everything will work out remains to be seen. As of right now, the University of Westminster is Plan A and I have every intention of seeing the plan through. I guess time will tell.

Image via here.