…. The University of Bradford is located in Bradford, UK!!
I know that you have been waiting on knowing where ill be going. Some of you already know and most of you probably do not care. But there it is. Now you know.
How did I come to this decision? Honestly, It was kind of a blur. I had a pro/con list I was using that listed pricing of the program, the respectability of the program, how much the cost of living was in each city/country, and how the visa worked for potential future careers. The University of Bradford was also the only university to be respectable with my time, be forthcoming and direct with what they needed from me, and not ask me to redo my application repeatedly because they “lost parts of my application”. They had cheaper tuition, more benefits, cheaper rent, more scholarship, and was more historic than any of the other places.
Learning about history is something that I like to do in my spare time. The history of America is harsh and I hate learning about that. However, going to Europe for vacation looks a lot like finding hole-in-the-wall places, meeting exotic people and walking historic trails with historic markers in foreign languages, and trying to imagine what it was like during that time. Then going back to the place I am staying and tried to interpret the historic markers in English so that I can understand the site better. Over the years, when discussing and dreaming about moving to different countries, this is something that I pictured myself doing. Taking some hikes, put my toes in the sand, tried amazing delicious food, walked around historic towns, and learning about history.
So I obviously felt like historic towns and history played a larger role than realized in my division. This is something that I enjoy doing. I enjoy finding history and learning about the city that I am living in. I thought that having that historical factor would also help me not get bored with my surroundings. This gives me the opportunity to learn about the history of the town and surrounding areas as well as all the touristy things. It could be a great balance of school, historic learning, country roads, and touristy things. It can keep me busy during the small amount of time that I have.
I also really liked the accessibility and location of where this school is located. From my professional and personal experience, I think that it's right in the middle of England and in the UK. it's 2 hours north of London, 2 hours south of Scotland, 3 hours northeast of Wales, 30 miles from the closest airport to travel wherever I want. I mean, flights from the nearest airport to Paris are like $30. So there is a bunch of opportunities to travel to other countries that Europe has to offer! I think that I would be able to hop around and get a full experience of living in Europe, which played a large role in my decision as well.
Lastly, I really liked the university. Their website was helpful and informative. Their communication was a huge improvement from previous experiences of other universities. They offered great assistance for international students and students moving to the UK. They were amazing in helping with my school visa. They provided good reviews for students, student communication with each other, provide informative web information classes and offer Facebook groups for incoming students to get connected before classes start.
I am so incredibly excited to start this new chapter of my life and I cannot wait to get started. This entire process has been stressful and amazing and wild. I can't even describe it. Just to paint a picture of it: I am currently sitting on my bedroom floor surrounded by boxes, trash, and clothes all over the floor writing this post trying to catch up on the time that I had lost from being in Texas. I cannot wait to share about this process.
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