The Covid-19 pandemic has redefined the typical college experience for international students. As a first-year international student at the University of California, San Diego, I have not yet had the chance to visit the campus, nor meet any of my classmates in person. Instead, I learned from home in Canada.

Before the pandemic, it was standard practice that all aspiring international students would sit an in-person exam to meet English language requirements to enrol in English-speaking universities.

The day arrives when you finally receive news about your application to the University of Cambridge, but sadly it’s not the answer you were hoping for. First of all, don’t beat yourself up over not getting an offer.

I’ve studied at various international schools in the Middle East for the past 15 years, from primary education all the way to A level. I later embarked on the exciting journey to study at the University of Reading in the UK. It’s been a rewarding experience.

Every university in English-speaking countries will have some form of English language requirement to enrol. This is to ensure that students are as prepared as they can be for success in an academic environment. While the , their English language requirements are quite similar to other universities in the US and UK. However, their overall admissions processes can be more rigorous. 

For the million foreign students who study here in America, it has been a long, testing four years.

From threatening to deport those whose classes were moved online, to banning students from (mostly) poor countries from obtaining the necessary four-year student visa, to cracking down on Chinese students and researchers, the recently ejected president Donald Trump spent much of his time trying to push international students out of his country.

Life under the Covid-19 pandemic is hard for everyone, but it is particularly so for many international students who are studying far away from home. As international students studying and working at universities in London, we have found it challenging to be away from home at the moment.