Gen Z romanticized Britain growing up, so they moved there for college

When deciding where to go to college, it was an easy decision to go to the UK as I also hold a British passport. But where I grew up, it’s not common to go abroad for college. Most of my colleagues stayed in the south – even moving 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 up and moved to Scotland.

I enjoyed my student life in Scotland

At Edinburgh, I could study what I wanted – History – and not have to juggle other subjects, which would have been required in most liberal arts programs in the US.

The price was also a big advantage. I paid about $24,500 a year, compared to $67,446 for out-of-state tuition at the University of Chicago, where I had also applied.

As a student under 22, I could travel by bus all over Scotland for free.

The advantage of studying there was also the opportunity to experience new cultures and visit other European countries.

After graduation, I had no desire to return to the US

I wanted to do a master’s in medieval history. Although there are so many great departments in the US for religious studies and medieval history, my mentors at school all studied at Oxbridge – the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. So in 2022 I took their advice and did an MA in Medieval History at the University of Oxford.

When I finished my Masters this year, I wasn’t ready to leave yet. I didn’t want to I’m coming back to the US because all my friends were in the UK. If I were to go back, I would have to start building bonds and friendships all over again.

I was in this middle ground where I wished I could pack everything up and move everything into my life at once. That’s the difficulty of expat life – there’s the US in my version of the UK and I’m always oscillating between two places.

Looking back, I cringe at how obsessed I was with Britain

I was fascinated by William Shakespeare’s Richard III and loved Horrible Histories — a British children’s TV show about historical events — and other media that came out of Britain.

When you romanticize a place, you think it can’t go wrong. After my move, I realized that Britain doesn’t have the glowing hearts around it that I imagined. It has its quirks and flaws – but I still love it.

When I first arrived here and felt frustrated with life in the UK, I remembered being a child and seeing a double-decker bus – a symbol of the UK from an international perspective.

I would look closely and think, “This is the magic of the United Kingdom. This is where I wanted to be.”

I plan to stay in the UK to continue my studies

In September I will start my PhD. in Classics at King’s College London.

Although I used to think that I would stay in the UK, I have recently started to think about how my family members are getting old

I miss my family. I call and text them all the time, and my parents come to visit from time to time. As a student, I had the flexibility to go home around the December holidays. Sometimes I don’t even realize how long it’s been since I’ve seen them in person.

I have four more years in the UK to complete my PhD and I know the US will always be there for me. So I’m open to going back at some point.

Do you have a story about choosing to attend college outside the US that you want to share? Connect with the reporter, Erin: [email protected].