However, the discovery of some new cases of COVID-19 in Beijing delayed the process, so she did not receive her grades until early this month.

Her graduation certificate will be mailed to her in the coming weeks, and her application to KCL, asking to postpone her course for one year, will be dealt with sometime after July 15.

Ma's friends who have also received offers from schools overseas are waiting to see if the epidemic may ease in the second half of the year. Once underway, they want to finish their studies as quickly as possible, often by taking online courses, and find jobs.

"I have no plans to take online courses, as I want to experience British culture in person. My favorite band-Queen-the Sherlock Holmes novels and TV series and Harry Potter are all there. The cultural factor played an important role when I decided to study in the country," Ma said.

Work difficulties

She wants to find a job or internship during her gap year, but her lack of work experience has frustrated her plans. Despite sending her resume to more than 10 companies, she has received no replies.

"The epidemic has affected the overall market and many companies are in a downturn. I want to find internships related to e-commerce, but the companies all want to recruit full-time employees. I must find something to do; otherwise, I may waste the year," she said.

Ma said that students like her who planned to study abroad paid great attention to improving their GPA and scores in the IELTS or TOEFL exams during their undergraduate days.

As a result, they missed many internship opportunities as they were less competitive than graduates who didn't plan to study abroad and had more work experience.