“I was dead-set on Bournemouth and believed that whatever vision I had would definitely be met”.

My journey to Bournemouth University started in 2014 during a midnight scroll around the Internet looking for a university with an excellent media department. Through my internet searching I came across BU and I was immediately sold because of the credibility of their media school. Also, who wouldn’t want to be at a university by the beach, right?

There were however setbacks to the plan. I thought I’d be under qualified; I was also unable to meet the maintenance funds required to apply for a student visa. Why would you apply to study in the UK if you can’t even pay? The fact is that I was dead-set on Bournemouth and believed that whatever vision I had would definitely be met.

So I decided to apply. The wait was long, but it was worth it. On 25 June 2015, after a long day at the beach with my senior class, I slumped down on the chair outside my bungalow and fished my phone out of my bag. There was one text from the agent who helped me apply: “Abigail, you’ve received an unconditional offer to study at Bournemouth University”.

While that would have been a nice ending, it sadly was not. My maintenance funds were not met that year, and I was forced to take a gap year. Disappointing as it was, I tried to make the most of it, interning at a magazine and supporting my school and church. Although I wasn’t able to join BU last year, I definitely learned valuable lessons throughout my gap year and felt the time prepared me for the start of my new chapter, my life in Bournemouth. I’m flying there in September, and I absolutely cannot wait to start.

By Abigail Tehusijarana – Indonesia – BA (Hons) Communication & Media