"Are You a CEO, Director, or Founder interested in a Feature Interview?"
All Interviews are 100% FREE of Charge
This essay was written by a marketing executive, Educational Content Creator A woman who moved to the UK for research. Edited for length and clarity.
I was born in London to an Iranian-British father and an American mother, but grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. My father taught me I have fond memories of growing up in the UK and was intrigued by the idea of ​​living there again.
When it came time to decide where to go to university, it was an easy decision to go to the UK as I also have a British passport, but where I grew up, going to university abroad was not common and most of my classmates stayed in the South. Relocation to New England was considered far away.
I applied to a few safety schools in the US but was accepted to the University of Edinburgh. In 2018 I packed my bags and moved to Scotland.
I enjoyed my student life in Scotland.
At Edinburgh, I was able to study the history I wanted to study and didn’t have to forgo other subjects that are required in most liberal arts programs in the United States.
The price was also a big advantage. $24,500 Compared to a year $67,446 To pay for the out-of-state tuition fees for the University of Chicago, where I was applying.
As a student under 22, I was able to travel by bus around Scotland for free.
The benefit of studying there was also the opportunity to experience new cultures and visit other European countries.
I had no intention of returning to the U.S. after graduation.
I wanted to get a master’s degree in medieval history. There are many good departments in religious studies and medieval history in the United States, but all the teachers in my school Oxbridge — the university that spans Oxford and Cambridge, so I decided to follow their advice and do a Masters in Medieval History at Oxford University in 2022.
When I finished my Masters this year, I wasn’t ready to leave yet. All my friends were in the UK so I had no intention of moving back to the US, and if I did, I would have to start all over again building connections and friendships.
I was at that halfway point where I wished I could just pack up everything and relocate my whole life all at once. That’s the challenge of living abroad: there’s an American version of me inside the British version of me, and I’m constantly torn between the two places.
Looking back, I’m embarrassed at how attached I was to the UK.
I was fascinated by William Shakespeare’s Richard III and loved the British children’s TV show Horrible Histories that covered historical events, as well as other media coming out of the UK.
Romanticizing a place makes you think there’s nothing wrong with it. After moving, I realised that Britain doesn’t have the sparkling heart I imagined it would have. It has its quirks and its flaws, but I still love it.
When I first came here and was feeling unhappy with life in the UK, I remembered seeing the double-decker bus as a child, a symbol of Britain from an international perspective.
I stared at it and thought: “This is the magic of England. This is where I wanted to be.”
I intend to stay in England for further studies.
In September I will be starting a PhD in Classics at King’s College London.
I had previously planned to stay in the UK, but recently My family Getting older.
I miss my family. We’re always on the phone or in text, and my parents come over to visit from time to time. Being a student, I have the luxury of going home for the December holidays. Sometimes I don’t realize how long it’s been since I’ve seen my family in person.
I have four more years in the UK to get my PhD, but I believe the US can always help me, so I hope to come back someday.
Do you have a story you’d like to share about choosing to attend college outside the U.S.? Contact reporter Erin at: email address.