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| Confused. Just, totally, utterly, completely, ridiculous,blondeously (that's not even a word is it...) confused. |
This is truly the most perplexing process I have ever been through in my entire life-getting over to Wales that is. The hardest part is putting my mother through this overwhelming rabbit chase that only stresses the both of us out and costs more money than the school promised. Which surprise, surprise...in at least the frustrations, confusions in class lists and limitations in how much you can pack, it seems these are international traits of all Universities.
So, I will set you up a process of how this all happens. Just in case you go pyscho/have a midlife crisis/have a lot of money to burn and no time on your hands....
How to Obtain a Visa/or go Crazy
1. Application to UCAS (Like the common App in the US)
2. Application to school
this includes-passport photos, proof you can speak english/two academic references, all transcripts
3. Financial Aid packet (yes, the dreaded FASFA allll over again) with proof of credit cards, bank statements, how much living expenses will be, blah blah blah)
4. After a whole WEEK, acceptance to University. Another reference is required, as well as other financial proof before you are officially accepted to the University.
5. Official Acceptance, now you must hurriedly decide on housing, do all the forms for this, look up flight information, but of course, you cannot complete all of this until....
THE EVIL, MALICIOUS, DREADED.....VISA!!!!!!!!
6. Obtaining a Visa
a. filling out Visa application-every question from whether your ethnicity is half-asian and african british decent to what your grandmother preferred creamy or crunchy peanut butter.
b. biometrics-setting up an appointment at a immigration office that doesn't actually have a phone number, so first we had to drive to Greer, who wouldn't let us into the door without an appointment (THEY DON'T HAVE A NUMBER TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT)
So then we had to make an appointment online, which was the most difficult thing to find because like I said, no number...which lead us to calling the New York British Embassy, and the Atlanta Embassy, to calling the British Council to finally finding how to get an appointment online to the office in Charlotte.
c. driving to Charlotte for Biometrics (which is fingerprinting). Afterwords this all gets even better because you then must obtain a special number from your school saying that you can come and study there. You also must fill out another application saying figuring up how much you will need per month to study, how much loans you are receiving, the exact dates of all your starting and ending of courses, special code numbers from your school and specifically who all you are traveling with and all of their passport information...and on and on and on...
d. Paying lots and lots of money to get the Visa, quickly. And when I say quickly, I mean for an extra 500 dollars, on top of the 500 dollars we already paid for the Visa itself, we may get the Visa in a week, if that. Not only did we have to rush the Visa from the British application, but then also from the American application, and then also hired another company and pay 80 dollars to Fedex it here. It is a rather strenuous and costly process. We are still waiting on this. By the way, because of not knowing when the Visa will get here, and waiting on the special number for the school for days on end, we are unable to book a flight, or find me an apartment, or book a hotel, or find places to visit. Oh joyous day. If you know my mom and I as spur of the moment travelers, I believe this experience has reached our limit, which is saying quite a lot for us.
So then we had to make an appointment online, which was the most difficult thing to find because like I said, no number...which lead us to calling the New York British Embassy, and the Atlanta Embassy, to calling the British Council to finally finding how to get an appointment online to the office in Charlotte.
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| Biometrics |
d. Paying lots and lots of money to get the Visa, quickly. And when I say quickly, I mean for an extra 500 dollars, on top of the 500 dollars we already paid for the Visa itself, we may get the Visa in a week, if that. Not only did we have to rush the Visa from the British application, but then also from the American application, and then also hired another company and pay 80 dollars to Fedex it here. It is a rather strenuous and costly process. We are still waiting on this. By the way, because of not knowing when the Visa will get here, and waiting on the special number for the school for days on end, we are unable to book a flight, or find me an apartment, or book a hotel, or find places to visit. Oh joyous day. If you know my mom and I as spur of the moment travelers, I believe this experience has reached our limit, which is saying quite a lot for us.
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| Poor stressed David Tennant, I know how you feel. |
Which had I known then, what I know now, I probably never would have put my mother through this. Or myself. (although not having to see A-B tech long-haired boy wonder is quite a delight) It was far too complicated at such a short amount of time. Now looking back through it all, I see that this clearing thing is more catered to UK students, and those that are International either were better prepared before all of this, or they are somewhere closer in Europe that have more similar forms than the United States does to the United Kingdom.
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| My wonderful Mummy! |
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| (My new motto when I move to Wales haha) |
We keep saying this has to be for a reason. God never puts things in our paths just for funsies! All of this happening so quickly, my acceptance to the University so quickly and on and on. God has got this. But sometimes, I do think a lot of times we try to push out all of these anxious feelings we have and replace them with an excuse of a "meant to be situation." For the moment, I don't want to call it that. With prayer, I am making a change, taking a leap, chancing my future, whatever you may call it. No, I do not plan on be frivolous about this. I am a responsible girl, and I intend on following through with my future plans, and making my parents proud. However, it doesn't have to lessen the fact that this is all scary. And far too involved, and honestly, maybe not this fairy-tale "meant to be." I mean ok, yes,
obviously I am going over there, so it is meant to be, and in God's timing everything is perfect. But I am not expecting Mr. Darcy to show up around the corner, nor am I hoping I'm going to live in some quaint village where everyone reads Dickens and curtsy's when they see one another.
I expect this to be difficult. I expect to have a hard time at first. I expect to get lost (within a safe place of course, Mummy....and I will immediately ask for directions) and I expect to meet people whom I do not share same values with, watch the wrong movies, and drink entirely too much. It doesn't mean this experience is any less of a "meant to be," I'm just not expecting the Downton Abbey version of all of this. And thankfully, I am ok with that. Not because I don't want it to be, but because it won't be. I will get to meet real people, learn how to solve my own problems, and hopefully, grow up a little bit more each day that I am there.
obviously I am going over there, so it is meant to be, and in God's timing everything is perfect. But I am not expecting Mr. Darcy to show up around the corner, nor am I hoping I'm going to live in some quaint village where everyone reads Dickens and curtsy's when they see one another.
(Thanks Jane, for making us think all of
freakin' Britain should still be just like this....)
I expect this to be difficult. I expect to have a hard time at first. I expect to get lost (within a safe place of course, Mummy....and I will immediately ask for directions) and I expect to meet people whom I do not share same values with, watch the wrong movies, and drink entirely too much. It doesn't mean this experience is any less of a "meant to be," I'm just not expecting the Downton Abbey version of all of this. And thankfully, I am ok with that. Not because I don't want it to be, but because it won't be. I will get to meet real people, learn how to solve my own problems, and hopefully, grow up a little bit more each day that I am there.
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