As we all know, we’re in a pandemic and as a result, a lot of plans have been postponed till the world can return to normalcy. Visa and travel restrictions have been implemented as a means of managing the pandemic and this has delayed school resumption for many international students.

Below are some productive things you can do and good ways to spend your time while you wait.

 Defer your admission to the following semester:

Due to the current travel restrictions, a lot of students are unable to resume school. The first thing to do is to secure your admission by deferring to the following semester (when possible). It is always good to reach out to your program coordinator first to discuss your situation and seek guidance on how to navigate the process of deferring your admission. Usually, you go through the whole registration process again when deferring to another semester and all issued admission documents have to be revised to reflect the new starting semester.

Reapply to schools:

An advantage of applying during the pandemic is the opportunity to apply to other schools while having an admission offer. This takes away the pressure of securing admission and allows you to be intentional in your choices. You may get a better offer this time. Many schools are reevaluating their admission requirements and more school options may be available. For e.g., some schools are waiving GRE and English proficiency requirements, some now accept Duolingo as an English proficiency test, etc.

Take free courses (from your institution or others):

A lot more institutions have embraced remote learning as a way of adapting to the pandemic so students can learn while not risking their lives in the process. A lot of these courses are free. These courses can help build your career and also equip you with knowledge and skills that are relevant to your chosen field. Online course providers like Coursera and Udacity also offer free courses. These platforms offer a wide array of free courses in many disciplines. Besides acquiring knowledge relevant to your field, these platforms give you the opportunity to learn other things at no cost. The experiences you will get from trying different disciplines will also help you evaluate your course of choice.

Find something to do:

Many companies and institutions in the world have gone completely remote. As a result, there are more online jobs than before. Also, a lot of people want to feel productive so they are willing to pay for services they wouldn’t have considered paying for. You can take advantage of this and register as an online tutor, host webinars, zoom and google classes, etc. Also, there’s no better time to do all the things you’ve been postponing. Now is the best time to learn how to do your make-up, braid and barb your hair, start a Youtube channel, bring out your inner Gordon Ramsay, be the next Mark Zuckerberg, get serious with your sewing lessons, etc. You can also contribute your quota in this pandemic by doing some volunteer work.

Share your thoughts and feedback on this article below.