An Open Letter: My Dream of Studying at LSE

What happens when a Brazilian woman is accepted into one of the world’s top universities, but can’t afford to go?

April 5th, 2024. I received an email from the London School of Economics and Political Science. I was accepted into the master's program. In the Department of Gender Studies. For the course Gender, Policy and Inequalities. To study the tools needed to increase the number of women in Brazilian and UK politics. A university with an acceptance rate of only 9%. Located in the heart of London. The tuition was £28,000 — almost 200,000 reais.

I poured all my energy into securing a scholarship. I searched in Brazil. I searched in the UK. I applied to every one I found. Every result came back negative.

August 2024 arrived. So did the certainty that I would not board a plane to London in late September. The depression hit hard. It took months to recover. When I spoke about it, no one believed it. Not even I did.

I decided to give it one more chance. I asked the university to reconsider my place for the following year.

On December 11th, 2024, the news came: I was accepted again. Then came the race to apply for new scholarships. In Brazil. In the UK. Everywhere.

That’s when I found the Fundação Estudar scholarship in Brazil. A long process. Many stages. So many lessons. So many expectations.

On June 6th, 2025, I received the worst email of my life so far. I was not selected for the next phase of the scholarship. I tried a student loan. My mother tried to sell a property. Nothing worked.

My dream costs 450,000 reais for one year of full-time study. I know — it’s expensive. But it’s the dream of a lifetime. A dream for Brazil’s progress. A dream for the future of women. A dream that carries the weight of talent with no stage.

Will I ever be luckier?

I hope to see you soon, London.

With love, pain, and persistence,
Leticia
Feminista Por Aí