Memento2010

Hi everyone, I’m planning to apply to master’s programs in the US, UK, France, and Australia for Fall 2026, but I’ve been feeling really anxious and unsure about my academic background. I haven’t been able to find much advice for students with non-traditional paths like mine, so I’d really appreciate any insight or encouragement. I started my undergrad at King’s College London. My first-year grades were solid (2:1), but from the second semester of my second year, I began experiencing serious health issues, both physical and mental, which impacted my academic performance. I got 65+ in two courses (about 85 in the US system), but also scored 40 (60) in two others.Things got worse in the third year, and my personal tutor advised me to take time off and focus on recovery. Unfortunately, I pushed myself to return the following year before I was fully ready, thinking, “It’s just one more year,” especially since I had already written a third of my dissertation. That decision led to two hospitalizations, another leave of absence, and eventually withdrawing from King’s altogether. After two years focusing solely on recovery, I moved to Japan, taught myself Japanese from scratch, and passed a C1-equivalent exam after a year. I then transferred to a Japanese university (the degree is taught in English and has a US-style curriculum) and will be completing my undergrad here . My GPA is 3.78 overall (4.0 in my major), and I’m now interning at an NGO and planning to attend LSE summer school to further strengthen my profile.Despite everything I’ve done to turn things around, I’m still extremely anxious about how admissions committees will view my gap years, the transfer, and the low grades from King’s. I do meet the stated admissions requirements based on my current coursework and GPA, but I don’t know how my history, or the different grading systems in the UK and Japan, will be interpreted. I completely understand that my past academic interruptions will count against me, but I’d really appreciate honest input: How much of a red flag is this? Could this background be a dealbreaker, or do some schools take a more holistic approach? I’m just trying to figure out whether it’s worth applying or if I should start considering other options. Thanks so much for reading — any thoughts or similar experiences would really help