How To : Apply for a Visa

Dear London,

How to : Apply for a VISA

NOTE: This is all based off my experience getting the Tier 4 Visa for being a graduate student in the United Kingdom leaving from New York state in the United States of America.

When applying for your visa there are several things to keep in mind:

• Make sure you know the right time to apply. If you apply too soon, pieces of the application and the application itself may end before you complete the process, or leave the country. If you apply too late, there is a good chance the turn around will not be quick enough.

• If you have applied too soon, the fix is easy – Cancel your biometrics appointment. If they cannot get your biometrics, (fingerprints & photograph), they cannot process your application.

• Biometrics – The appointment took me minutes to accomplish in the Albany Homeland Security office. I went at 10am. An important note is that, while they send down your fingerprints to the Consulate, they do not send down your photograph taken at the appointment. You must attach a photograph that you take on your own that is acceptable for visa. The best place to get this – at least in Cooperstown – is CVS.

Step-By-Step for the Tier 4 Visa:

1. Request a CAS (certificate of accepted students) from your international University – By providing the appropriate documents: undergraduate transcripts, passport.

2. Apply for your visa online at the appropriate country's website. For the United Kingdom – http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/ApplyNow.aspx. Make sure you apply for the correct visa, for example: This time as a graduate student I needed to apply for the Tier 4 Visa.

3. Schedule an appointment at the given location – usually a homeland security office - in an acceptable time slot to get your biometrics.

4. Attend the appointment with the appropriate documents, such as: Booking Conformation, Visa, etc. They will tell you what to bring when you go to your appointment. Finish the appointment by getting the Booking Conformation stamped, and signed by the office.

5. Organize all required documents and send to the appropriate consulate. The documents are: a Letter from University, CAS, documents needed to obtain CAS, letter of evidence to funds from loan company and international university, bank statements, credit card statements, points-form from the visa department that organizes paperwork, etc. It is important to research the documents required as the process changes from types of visa and time periods.

6. Wait for your passport to return with your visa attached to one of the pages in the mail.

   
   

   And that is how you get your visa!

   

   xx, Kristin

Pushing On

Dear London,

Visa - Heard back from the Consulate and apparently they do not send your photograph from the biometrics appointment to the city - so, that is a definite note for the future. I had to send a photograph down with a $12 money order so that they would send it all back again. It seems that you only get one free shipment home.

Housing - Still have not found a place to live, but I am still invited to live with a friend until I can find a place. I believe that the easiest thing to do now would to put up an ad searching for two others to search with. The best options for flats I can find at the moment are wanting groups of 4 to 5 students. These flats are close to the campus and Kingston center. I would not mind living with more than just Stacey.

Courses - I have now received an email about my courses, but I have a thought that I can do no more for this until my visa is complete. I am not even sure what courses are offered yet, and how I would find out all my options. Also, it is a mystery to me what the best order to take the the courses in, or if something acts as a pre-requisite for something else. I am going to need to spend more time on that, but I have no clue when that will be able to happen - hopefully soon. I feel like every time I read that email, I am missing one important piece that has all the answers.

Other than that, I have nothing really to worry about other than packing. The riots in London have moved on, which is great news - even though the destruction still remains behind. The days are swiftly counting down till L-Day and I soon expect to have a giant slap in the face of reality shortly.

I am certain that I am not the only one who will get that slap either.

Wales: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

Oh Visa, Oh Visa...

Dear London,

I am still waiting on my Visa - this is day five, although that does include the weekend.

Still not worried about it.

Wales: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

Visa?

Dear London,

I am still waiting on my visa - which is totally acceptable - but I am still nervous about my passport!

Also, I am anxious for this step to be 100% O-V-E-R!!!

Amsterdam: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, kristin

Whatever Negativity

Dear London,

Whatever Negativity is my new slogan for this process. This morning, I woke up at 6:30am to get prepared for my Visa appointment in Albany, NY. As I woke up, I decided to research flights to England - still hoping for a cheap trip as it is coming out of my pocket and not my loans. With hardly any searching, I found the cheapest flight yet - $539. My jaw dropped and I called my Dad with excitement telling him my fantastic discovery. As I read the details they seemed easy enough - Albany, NY, to Boston, MA, to Reykjavik, Iceland, to London, England.

... On another note, I will soon create a completely unrelated post entitled - "What Not to Do While You Are Trying to Wake Up."

My basic rational for this trip with layovers was : I have travled before. I have done the walking, to train, to bus to plane thing. And before purchase I, of course, had my father look at the details and with his statement of, "You've got to do, what you've got to do," I purchased my $539 plane ticket to London, England - with many stops in between. However, as I printed out the itinerary page something came to my attention. It was not till after my card went cha-ching did I notice something, complicated:

1. September 12 @ 4:55pm - I leave Albany International Airport.
2. September 12 @ 6:05pm - I arrive in Boston, MA.
3. September 12 @ 9:30pm - I leave Boston, MA.
4. September 13 @ 6:30am - I arrive in Reykjavik, Iceland.
5. September 13 @ 4:10pm - I leave Reykjavik, Iceland.
6. September 13 @ 8:10pm - I arrive in London, England.

Now, I do not know if you noticed the time gap between each stop, because I certainly did not on my first, second or third glance at 7am this morning. While the flight time is expected to be long - and I am accustomed to that with my several flights over the pond - the extension of these layovers nearly blew my un-caffeinated mind:

1. There is nearly a 3 1/2 hour layover in Boston.
2. There is nearly a 9 1/2 hour layover in Reykjavik.
3. AND in case you did not notice I begin my travels in the afternoon of one day - September 12th - and end on the evening of the next - September 13th.

. . .

My heart stopped.

. . .

My stomach lunged.

. . .

My breathing increased.

. . .

I will be spending an entier day and a half waiting in airports and being alone. I will be risking my luggage to take this same trip - but without my guidance. But, I will also have to be prepared to enroll the very next day at Kingston University. And all this before I even made it 30 minutes from home on my way to Albany for my biometrics. In silence, I wrestled with the thoughts, passing ideas to my Dad. Ideas such as - I cannot afford to pay more. I have nothing better to do. It does get me there on the same day as the complimentary pick-up from the airport into Kingston. But with all these semi-comforting thoughts, there was one positive thought that hit me hard in the temple...

Whatever Negativity.

That was it. I had spent my summer getting one blow after another, loans and visas and housing and loans and applications and visa. Everything had stressed me out. Everything had me crashing on my bed at night, exhausted from thinking. And here it was again. But this time, it was my mistake. This time, I had created my own stress. Everything again seemed to be out of my control, so I just stopped, and thought...

Whatever Negativity.

The stress and panic kept jumping in my face, and I would push it down - always fighting. Its rushing heat was taking hold of my every thought with this international student process. The negativity was causing me to doubt this decision and choose to believe that this is just a crazy dream. Why should I do this? What is the real reason? There are so many facts against me...

Yes - this is going to cost me money - a lot of money.

Yes - I am going to be very far from home for an entire year.

Yes - I have no clue what I will be doing once I receive my Masters - or where I will go.

All arguable points, but their weakness is that they are just common facts. Facts, do not show the level of how immensely I want this. Maybe I do not need this Master's degree to succeed in becoming a writer, or working in publishing, but who can really know? The only things that should be considered now, so far into this commitment are that...

I understand the sacrifices.

I want this education.

I want the investment in my future.

I want the input and the independent lifestyle.

I want to be a travler again - even if that means just being lucky enough to return to London.

Before when people asked me why I wanted to do this, I would say to them - I do not want to be the person saying, 'I wish I could do that,' I want to be the person that actually does what they wish - and that was my unbeatable, driving point. It is my choice, my risk and my desire. No one, not even myself, should have anything stronger to argue against me. No one, not even myself, should wish me to complete anything less that becoming the person 'who does what they wish.' It is my life after all.

Whatever Negitivity.

This flight started my morning with excitement. It filled my mid-morning with anguish. But it strengthened me before I even reached the doors of the Homeland Security Office in Albany an hour and thirty minutes away. Now is not the time to forget that I want to be a travler, and I want the adventure. What could be more promising to this academic year than a flight that will take two days, and three countries to accomplished? A kick start back into that independent person I used to be.

Of course, all of this only affirmed by my cousin Paul's almost comforting words when I told him what I had done, "I'm jealous."

The visa appointment for my biometrics than became a breeze. I like to think it came with the change of my worn-down attitude back into a positive strength. I was in the back office before my appointment even started at 10am, and out 15 minutes later after taking my photograph and scanning my fingerprints. Even the next step of the Visa progress now seems less extreme, as I begin to realize it might be as uncomplicated as it appears. By the end of this week, I will have gathered all the appropriate documents and send them down to the British Consulate to meet my biometrics. Hopefully, shortly after that my visa will arrive in the mail and I can cross yet another item off my ever shortening to-do list.

In a day that was filled with emotions, it all worked out. I just have to keep remembering my new slogan - Whatever Negativity.

Oxford: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

Tomorrow = Visa

Dear London,

Tomorrow is the day.

Tomorrow I have the meeting for my the biometrics piece of my Visa.

There I should get passport photos taken and my fingerprints done. After that, I should only need to send all my information to the British Consulate in NYC. At the meeting I am going to be sure I know what will need to be sent down, so that on Tuesday I can get it in the mail and completed.

In other news, I hope to hear from Phillipa soon about the flat that Stacey and I wish to live. Ruthie is no longer living with us, which is fine, but we still have not found a place - a home. We may have to share with other students, which I think would be fine. I just hope they would be more serious students, which is what I plan on being once courses start. Everything will be just fine though, even if we need to stay in an inn or at Phillipa's for a week so we can look.

Anyway, I'll hopefully have good things to add tomorrow once I return from this appointment.

Holland: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

The Thoughts of an International Student

Dear London,

Everyday - every weekday - it seems that I am hearing more and more from Kingston. It is a constant flow of term schedules, orientations, and twitter following suggestions. At the beginning of the week, it freaked me out. In the middle of the week, I was in an honest panic. But now, I have returned to a moment of calm.

The thoughts of being a student again, after being out of school for over a year filled me with excitement and fear. I love to learn. I love the institution of higher education. I love being able to control - to an extent - how I learn the material I am faced with. However, will I be able to control myself when I return to Europe? I have told anyone who had asked, or suggested their own desires, that rather than exploring Europe again I plan to hop on trains and see the countryside of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. But then my head goes - of course I will visit Italy again with Phillipa and of course I will return to Norway to see my family - and this time with pictures and better presents from america. Not to mention that I have to visit Amanda in Spain!

And I do fear that this chain will break my attention from my studies, the reason I am returning to Kingston - I think - to receive an impressive master's degree in Creative Writing and Publishing. Constantly, I fill my head with the thoughts and advice from my Aunt Sandy. The power of a master's degree on its own, plus the fact that I was courageous enough to travel to another to receive this degree IS A GOOD THING. I hate, hate, hate to be limited and this path I am on should make my limitations less - except with the whole dollar, dollar bills thing.

I can imagine that I am not the only worried international student, though the arasmus students - European International Students traveling to another European country for education - would not be faced with the temptation of most countries in Europe. Perhaps Ruthie and Stacey are in the same place as myself. Maybe I will make new friends, bonding over this constant cycling thought process in my mind.

ANYWAY - back to the emails. Now, I am aware that:

• I should be finished with my course between June 4th and June 28th.
• I also know what the Master Classes will be of and that they will occur every Monday from 6pm to 8pm.
• I know that after I finish re-reading Harry Potter, I will need to read Rebecca.
• I know that I need to create a new and private twitter account, so I can follow their suggestions easily.
• I know when and what some of the orientation events will be and have added them all to my calendar.

Though - I still do not know:

• when I will receive my loans
• how and when to buy my plane ticket
• what my courses will be
• where I will live
• and if my visa is as easy as I hope and think it seems.

These thoughts are still weighing on my mind and every time I run though them, I am certain I am missing one. Even now, I am sitting here thinking if I need to add something to that list, but nothing else comes to my nervous mind.

At this point, I can no longer say, "I am probably going to England this fall." I have made a promise I will not, and that I will spend a year learning amazing things inside and outside of the classroom. Fingers crossed that I am not forgetting anything...

Norway: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, kristin

Visa - Yet Again

Dear London,

How many posts can I create in one week about Visas? I should win an award for most confused international student ever. Again I took the time to slowly reread everything and I have the best post as of yet in this visa process: Step-by-step instructions and understanding.

Here they are:

1. Get CAS = CHECK
2. Apply for Visa online
3. Make appointment for biometrics in Latham
4. Mail everything to British Consulate in NYC.

As far as I can tell this is it, and I do not want to believe it will be anymore complicated than this. Hopefully when I fill out my application for the second time, there will be more details on the four steps I have laid out, especially steps 3 and 4.

In the future I will put up a post that sums up everything about the visa process.

Italy: 2009, Photographer: Allie Harcharek

xx, Kristin

Visa - UPDATE

Dear London,

Two posts in one night, I know - CRAZY. But, after getting overwhelmed before I spent the last few hours getting super organized and trying to answer my own questions. I will be emailing the financial aid office on Monday with a few I could not figure out, but I believe I have the Visa piece pretty well sorted right now.

This is what I found:

• For the application: I need to just reference the information from my first application disaster. A few facts do need to change, but I have notes those changes on the old application which - thank god - I had printed out.
• For the appointment: I need many documents, two of which I did not realize the first time around - there is a reason for everything. Items I will need to bring with me to the appointment are: Kington's letter of unconditional acceptance, CAS, passport, two separate letters of loan information so that I can prove I'll have money to survive, the conformation letter for my appointment, the conformation of my actual visa application, fingerprints and two passport photos with my name on the back of them. SO, that is quite a bit, and as far as I know now this is all I need for that appointment. I think I am going to bring my Oneonta Transcript because I read somewhere that you might need the same information that you had to provide to get your CAS, and that was something they had wanted.
• I have also discovered that I should wait till JULY 19th to apply for the visa, so I will wait. I suppose I will also have to wait for my fingerprints to come back before I can take them to an appointment.

At this point, I am feeling more better. Much reassured. I just needed to take a few hours to sort out all the confusion that was pounding in my direction. Over the weekend, to distract myself from worrying about the loans - see last post - I will work on some web and logo work I have been employed to create. I also have a few tasks I need to create for TIME FRAME's launch party that will be happening this friday night. It is ironically the same day I find out if I get the international scholarship for Kingston, I get more coverage help at my second job and the same day Harry Potter 7 part 2 goes into theaters. Hard to say which I am more excited for, haha.

Feeling so much better, I just need to focus on what I need to know.

Oxford, England: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

A Post to Vent

Dear London,

This is all getting quite stressful for me. Where I am on the scale - which is basically off the charts - a weaker person would quit and walk away. I am really afraid of being that person, I have never been that person before.

I will not walk away.

I cannot walk away.

I refuse to walk away.

But, I am about to lose my mind.

I have divided what needs to be done for Kingston into three different categories and each one is weighing on me in an impossible, crushing pressure. While it is possible I am making this more difficult then it actually is, the problem is that I am lacking anyone on this continent and in local area to talk things through with. Constantly, I am making mistakes and missing details and I really believe it is because this is the first time I am doing anything remotely like this on my own. I am missing and needing the support that I used to get from the offices at Oneonta State or from my own advisor.

Right now the categories stand like so:

LOANS

• Applied for, and I believe will get the loans.
• Today, I found out the first disbursement is not till Oct 3rd, which puts difficulties on plane ticket, housing and just enough money for a little food in the first few weeks
• Also, last disbursement is not until the end of June, which is also unfortunate because I should be home then. I am taking out the loan for school not after school, not for after I have graduated.
• CONCLUSION: This seems like an impossible situation, and it does not make sense that the disbursement schedule would work like this. How do they expect us to pay for anything? Like tuition? I just have to think that there is a piece of information I am missing.

VISA

• Need to apply for.
• Need CAS to apply for - which I think came into my email this morning.
• For this, I think it is enough to say I have messed up once on applying for my visa already. I am afraid to get this going again and mess up... again. Also, it seems my knowledge of what I need to get this accomplished is different from what others understand.

HOUSING

• find a flat... in another country, separated by an ocean
• find funding for flat - down payment & few months rent

I honestly cannot see how all this adds up. In fact, I cannot see anything anymore with all the pressure. My life is asking for far too much from me right now, I need six of me to even bite down on the building to-do list in front of me. Logos, websites, book, illustrations, two jobs, all of this graduate stuff and probably other things I am forgetting due to stress. I have not even had the time to write, which is what I am going to graduate school for. I will be uselessly rusty when it comes time to actually write well for my courses, this will be horrible if I cannot get a moment to exercise my skills.

For now, I can only think of the day I sit on the plane and head off for across the ocean. That day, all of this will be behind me, and my only worries should be finding a part-time job and doing my course work. AND, I vow I will not put more on my table than I can handle, as I always do. I will learn to say no - not to experiences - so that I will be able to focus on me and my needs.

Italy: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

Moving Along

Dear London,

Mostly because I feel the need to write, I thought it would be a good time to post an update on this pre-London struggle. Currently, I have registered for the DVL - Daily Vacancies Listings - which will help Ruthie, Stacie and myself find a place to live. The goal for this is going to be by the end of July, which will be good because we will know about loans and scholarships.

I am waiting on my CAS still, though I am planning on sending out an email on Tuesday to check on its status. Part of me is concerned that when I paused its processing, they never got it going again when I sent a second email. No one responded when I asked them if they could begin processing it again. Once I get the CAS I can move onto my Visa, which will cost me dollars and a weekday trip to Albany - I am aiming for a Monday.

That will mean, by the end of July - hopefully - I will have a flat, loans, scholarship, CAS and a Visa taken care of, leaving August for me and my friend and my family to spend quality time together before I move house. It will also mean, I have pretty much taken care of everything and be left to turn my attention to my courses, packing and a plane ticket.

Needless to say - for the moment - everything is going well, and looking up. I have ended my night job at the book store so that I may have more attention to spend on the items listed above plus a few - coughshittoncough - more. Hopefully this moment of little stress will last longer than shorter this time...

Wales: 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

Order of Events

Dear London,

I now believe I know what order I need to do things in, I just need deadlines. Hopefully tomorrow several emails will arrive and give me dates - and perhaps a checklist - of what I need to accomplish. For now though, here is what order I believe things need to be done in...

1. Student Space - I need to log onto Student Space so I can check the daily listings on flats. This cannot be done until I hear from the tech office and they give me a new password into my account - which should be tomorrow morning.
2. Find a Flat - Something that Stacey, Ruthie and I agree on and fits our needs. Phillipa said she would look at a falt for us, if we found something we really liked. This is also needed for the CAS and the Visa with a UK address.
3. Get Loans - Have the money safely place in my account, or at least okay through the university. There is little I can do before I have the money in my bank.
4. Put Payment on the Flat - Which I need the loans for, and the location.
5. Pay for Tuition - At least 50% of my tuition, but I think I will pay in full. This way it is out of the way and they can include that on my CAS.
6. CAS - Apply for my CAS, which I can do after June 20th, once I have a UK address and my tuition is paid.
7. Visa - Apply for Visa, which I can do after I get my CAS.
8. Appointment for Visa - Schedule an appointment, which comes at the end of the Visa application. This is where I bring in my biometrics, which is the paperwork and identification that complets the application process.
9. Buy Plane Ticket - This is going to depend on a few things, like whether or not I want to wait for my visa to come through. One thing I know for certain is that it will be a one-way ticket, because I literally have no idea when I will be coming home. AND, while I was aiming for September 4th, I think I will have to wait for the following weekend... which is September 11th. Though, I don't know how I feel about that either, maybe I will do September 10th instead?
10. Shopping Trip - I am also planning a shopping trip where I find several new outfits that can interchange. This is so I can pack a little amount of clothing. I am also planning on donating most of my clothes before I head overseas, after I go shopping.

That is the plan, but like I said before I have no dates for anything. Somewhere in between I hope to have time to work on my writing abilities, so I can start the year strong. Also, I would like make time to see my family before I move to London for 10-ish months.

AND this is yet another boring post by me and this process, only made better by the following SURPRISE picture...

Amsterdam: Fall 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

Loans - FAFSA

Dear London,

Not that I feel like is it entirely appropriate to talk about money in a public setting, I do want to make a note on my loan process, because this is a very difficult thing for me to accomplish. It could be just me, but I have heard many complaints from many people about taking out loans. Yes, I have filled out my application, but when I go to the website it will not let me look at the actual application that I have filled out. It says I need to update my Adobe, SO I did that, but I still cannot see the document. I used their online chat for help, and the sum of all the answers I received was: Ask your university... Which obviously made me wonder what questions they were there to answer.

Now I have sent a follow up email to someone at Kingston University, basically telling him I am useless. I am hoping that by telling him what I want for my Stafford loan and my PLUS loan we can begin the beginning of the end of this process. I know exactly how much I would like to have in my bank account before I head overseas, I just need someone to put it in there. I feel like it should be that simple, don't they want the profit of my interest on these giant loans?

There is also a debate raging in my head of what order this is all supposed to happen. When do I find housing? I need to know how much I will be paying monthly for a flat, so I can add that onto the final amount of my loan request. I also need to have the money in my account and an address in the United Kingdom when trying to apply for my Visa. Not to mention, I need the CAS letter for my visa, which I will not get until I finish all the work for my loans. AND I need to have my visa before I head overseas, which I would like to do sooner than later so I can find a place to live... I should really draw this out in a circle digram, so I can map out the craziness of this process. It makes me wonder if I am the only one stuck in this trap of deadline and prerequisites.

I hope not.

Anyway, as a person I do need to relax and let things role as they should. I am just really afraid that I will miss something and not be able to go this year. I would be heartbroken. Right now, I just have to wait to hear back from the university from that email. More than anything, I hope they get back to me within this week so that I can move onto the next step.

And as a complete side-note, none of this is made easier with the loss of my best friend and dog for the last 13 years, Kochanie. I feel like if I could just cuddle with her for awhile, I would calm down and de-stress. I miss her so much...

For now, I am going to try and breath.

Somewhere between Belgium and Amsterdam: Fall 2009, Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

Visa - Tier 4.

Dear London,

I thought it would be important to post the Visa application process that I have gone through up to this point. Applying for a Visa is nothing I have done before, not even when I was a study abroad student. The reason is that as a study abroad student, you are allowed to remain in the United Kingdom for less than six months without a Visa. However, it is important to note that you cannot work without a visa, so that did hinder acquiring an income while abroad.

In this process, so far, I have made many - educational - mistakes. At the time of my error, it was very stressful trying to solve the mess I made for myself and I had very little assistance. I spent spent my efforts online, trying to fix it, only to be more confused.

So, below I am outlining the steps I have taken, including the mistakes...

Applied for Visa:

1. Logged into - http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/ - to apply for my Visa: Teir 4.
2. Made an appointment to show my biometrics (passport, letter, bank statement, etc...)
3. Paid the fee - $433 with my debit card

Realized I applied for my Visa too soon:

1. Frantically searched the internet - there was a very expensive phone call I could have made - to see how I can cancel my application and get back my money, as I was not willing to pay for my visa twice. I discovered from an email by World Bridge, that if I left my online application alone, and did not attend my scheduled appointment, the application would stop processing and I would be applicable for a refund. The reason the application would stop processing is because they would not have the biometrics to complete said-application.
2. Sent an email requesting a refund for the whole $433, while also having my bank also request a refund by letter - love my bank.
3. Then, I waited.

Found the correct time & way to begin applying for my Visa:

1. Kingston informed me that I cannot apply till June, because I needed to request a CAS letter (Conformation of Acceptance to Study) from their campus and it would only last for 3 months - I think.
2. So, I waited till June 9 when I put in an request for a CAS letter through Osis, to which they responded that they will process my request ASAP (As Soon As Possible).
3. Now, I am waiting.

Currently, I am trying not to panic as I wait for this CAS letter to come through. Everything will work out as it needs to, and I must spend more of my panic energy time on FAFSA right now (should be hearing from them by tomorrow). My biggest fear is that I will not have a visa ready by the time I go over, but maybe it would not be a big deal if it comes in later than I arrive? Once the CAS letter goes through I'll have to reapply for my application again.

Anyway, I am learning a bit from this process, which is why I found this blog important to keep earlier than the last one. Between Visa, FAFSA, housing and everything else that I am required to do on an independent level, I believe it is important to record it in case I ever decide to do this again. Though, the fact that I will be filling out an visa application twice may make the process stick in my mind.

Here is another random pictures from Study Abroad 2009.

View from the Effile Tower: Paris, 2009. Photographer: Kristin Bergene

xx, Kristin

Prepare.

Dear London,

Unlike last time, I thought I'd keep track of the process before I leave the country - even though I've yet to announce the existence of this blog. It would have been really helpful if past me had left a checklist or guide of what to do in order to become an international student. All I remember from that time, is loads of paperwork and the assistant of a great home base at Oneonta State and a great foreign base in the Study Abroad International Student office at Kingston University. Now, I have very little paperwork - other than the stuff I've printed on my own which is generally useless - and no support from a home base. It is very difficult for me to figure out the right questions to ask to see if I am on the right direction, but I might start with...

Hello, I am looking for a giant checklist to make sure my international student process goes smoothly. You know, a list of when and what I have to do before I am allowed to come to your University. For example, this whole Visa business... you know, I didn't need one last time.

But beyond Visa's - note: I am applying for Tier 4 - I am trying to work out FAFSA and loans. I have no clue how much I am going to need for 10 months abroad. The numbers I have crunched and the numbers they have crunched differ by $20,000, which is a huge difference of opinions. My mom says to pick the middle, so that's what I am planning on doing... but I don't know how.

My biggest problem at the moment, is that I don't have time to figure out and charm the system. After quitting my job at The Freeman's Journal because of my hours being cut, I now have more hours than I know what to do with - which is great for a piece of the loan situation. Ah well, there are worse things I could complain about. So, for my own benefit, the following is a list of what I need to accomplish...

1. apply for Visa - appointment, CAS letter, biometrics, etc...
2. figure out FAFSA - how much to take out, how to take out, how soon I can take out, etc...
3. find housing - which is just a bunch of questions - live with Phillipa again still I can find a place, live with Ruthie/Stacey, live on campus, live off campus, how much???
4. buy plane ticket and transportation to the airport - do I buy one way, just in case?
5. packing - need my drugs, clothes, toiletries, etc to fit in one suitcase and last 10+ months...

... And all while keeping up my writing ability, finishing my book, illustration, working, working, working, and trying not to explode from overwhelming stress. BUT HEY, in early September I will be somewhere between here and there, traveling to my home for the next - almost - year and that only 3ish months away. I am planning on leaving work two weeks before the end of August, so that I can go on a little vacation with my sister and hopefully other family, then have one week off to pack, think and get stuff done and then head out to LONDON-TOWN.

With optimism in mind, I will now post a random picture, that I have allowed computer to select, from my last experience as a token of my ambition and a moment of remembrance.

Abbey: Wales, 2009. Photographer: Kristin Bergene

Also, I leave you with this thought: When you leave many behind to achieve what lies ahead, remember that we are all striving for success, but only the individual can declare when success has been had. Do not let others prevent you, as much as you would not attempt to prevent them.

xx, Kristin