I’ve spent over £40,000 to study in London as an international student

The Metro says I stood still on the central London pavement as I tried to work out the cheapest way to get home.

‘I live in Islington, so I could walk to either Warren Street or Tottenham Court Road station and get the Tube,’ I thought to myself. ‘But that is almost twice as much as what the bus would cost.’

It would be a 27-minute walk, but I had already walked 6,000 steps that day and I hadn’t eaten anything in six hours, so what if I felt light-headed? Breakfast was an indulgent cheese omelette and I had leftover rice and pulses waiting for me at home for dinner. 

‘Could I treat myself to sushi?’ I bargained with myself. It was the end of the day, so it’d only be around £5. ‘No, I’ll just get the bus’.

This is the daily struggle I have as an international student from India living in the UK – everything is tightly budgeted down to the last penny. It’s the sacrifice I – and my parents – have made for my education.