Listomania

Yes...it is a song by the group Phoenix. But it's also the only term that can explain my recent obsession with making lists.

All I can do now that I have sent off my acceptance and deposit is start planning with what little information I have at my disposal. I shouldn't say little, I should say non-specific information. Most of what I can find is through the RVC website.

So now I've been making lists of this I need to do before I leave.

1. Organize my room: very important. I need to figure out which clothes I need to take with me and which ones to leave behind. And I have A LOT of clothes. Working for Express for the last 4-ish years has definitely improved my fashion sense, but it left me with a slight retail addiction in the form of buying clothes I don't wear (or wear once and forget about them until I rediscover them 3 years later). So my first priority before leaving will be purging my closet of clothes that aren't coming to the UK with me. Most of those rejects are likely to go to my sister.

2. I need a luggage set. No idea why, but I've been told this more than once. Apparently it's easier to spot which ones belong to you? But it does make sense; ideally I really just need a large suitcase and a carry-on suitcase (which would hold clothes for a week just in case the large suitcase gets lost in transit).

3. Flight plans: I need to figure out which airline is best. So far, after a few days of research on cheaptickets.com and priceline.com, Icelandair seems to be the most feasible and cheapest. Plus, if I get a 6 hour layover, I can leave the airport and explore for a few hours. Wouldn't that be fun??!

4. Apply for loans. Alas, even though the student loan bill has been signed, most of the stuff it changes doesn't go into effect until loans taken out after July 1st, 2014. Boo. But the loan process is still in limbo for RVC (could change soon, hopefully) so technically I can't apply yet.

5. Apply for a visa. Which can't happen until after I apply for my student loans. Big sigh. But I also need to call the office in Boston to figure out what I need to bring with me to fill out the visa and whether or not it's worth it for me to get biometrics done (fingerprint scans and something else, supposedly makes everything safer?). At least I know that I can review the visa application for a Tier 4 visa online and fill it out for the most part.

6. Find a UK bank. I'll be asking my uncle who has worked in the banking industry for years about the best option for an international student. So far, I like HSBC and NatWest. But his input will likely change that...maybe. What will also be involved is my bank that I have here. Apparently, according to the RVC website, it takes a few weeks to open up a bank account. Very different than what I'm used to (it took me 2 hours to set up my current bank account). I will need my visa/passport, money (obv.), a letter of an unconditional offer of school, my banking statements from the last 6 months, and a letter of reference from my current bank (optional, but I guess it's helpful). Big sigh.

...and that's about all I've got for now. I'm sure there is more that I missing, but as of right now, that's a sh*te load of stuff to get done.