They started preparing for college right after Class X. Some appeared for preparatory exams and interviews while others worked hard to pump up their CVs. Most had to save up for tuition fees. But when the time came for them to join college, the pandemic upset their plans. That is the story of students who got through foreign universities this year.

As international borders remain restricted, or closed, and coronavirus cases continue to spike, most of these students have opted for online classes or are dropping a year. Some have opted to join short-term courses as they wait.

Arav Arora, a former student of The Heritage School in Calcutta, was supposed to fly to the US this month to join the University of Notre Dame in Indiana for a double major in applied and computational mathematics and statistics. “I had been preparing for it since Class XI. I cleared SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) twice since December 2018. Yet, when the time came for me to enjoy the fruits of my labour, the pandemic stumped me,” he says.

Arav is taking online classes from 6pm until midnight, though not for his degree. “My university gave us the option to defer joining by a semester or drop a year. I decided to defer joining. Meanwhile, I will be getting points for attending this non-degree programme that will be added to my four-year course,” he says.

“It is so disappointing,” says Tzara Ali, a former student of La Martiniere for Girls, Calcutta, who is pursuing a course in psychology, English and philosophy from a campus in New Zealand. “You want to study on a foreign campus for the experience and here I am stuck at home. The online classes I attend are just pre-recorded lectures,” says Tzara, who had to give up her accommodation in May.

Universities abroad are offering international students three options — drop a year, defer joining by a semester or attend classes virtually. The online classes are often just pre-recorded lectures with a few live ones because of the different time zones international students inhabit. A few institutions have also divided students into different sections depending on their time zones. Most students have access to their university’s digital library and research material.

Anamika Jain, an ex-student of The Heritage School, chose to take a gap year. “I would have had to pay full tuition fees for the online classes, which cannot compare with real lectures and interactions,” says the student who was supposed to join the University College of London, UK, for a course in politics and international relations. “I spent months working on my submission essays and my CV. I am not prepared to have a half-and-half experience,” says Anamika, who now plans to learn a foreign language till next September.

The British Council has been interacting with affected students since the lockdown began. “Nearly 50,000 students from India got their tier 4 visas in 2019-20. We’ve been continuously answering their questions through live sessions on Facebook, webinars and emails. Many higher education institutes will start online courses. But if students reach the UK by April 6 next year, they will still be eligible for the Graduate Immigration Route, which allows them to stay in the UK for two years after completing their degree,” says Debanjan Chakrabarti, director – East and Northeast, at the British Council.

While some students hope to make it to their universities when international borders open, most have opted for remote study. “I already wasted a year preparing for my medical entrance. Now I am ready to start college even if it means logging in from home,” says Mehvish Farooq of Guwahati. He will do computer science and engineering from the University of Essex, UK.

Shristi Saraf, a third-year student of Emory University in Atlanta, US, was looking forward to a summer internship when she had to return home. “I am now stuck here attending online classes in the evening. I miss networking with my professors and recruiters. I am worried about losing out on opportunities this crucial year,” says the former student of Calcutta’s Modern High School for Girls.
Shubhang Jhunjhunwala of Mumbai could not take off for the SP School of Global Management in Sydney, Australia, as planned. “I was so looking forward to studying in a new country,” says the student, who hopes to make the journey early next year.

“Because of our delayed results, my application was rejected by my dream university. But things have worked out in a way. It’s much worse for students who had already paid for accommodation and other arrangements,” adds former La Martiniere for Boys student Gaurang Jhanwar, who is all set to attend remote classes of Singapore’s Essec Business School, Asia-Pacific, from September.
Says Shevanti Narayan, regional officer of the United States India Education Foundation, “We encourage students to regularly check university websites and stay in touch with admissions officers and departmental representatives because each institution will formulate its own policies and procedures.”

Here’s hoping these students get a chance to join their dream campuses soon.