This story is part of Learning Curve , a HuffPost Canada series that explores the challenges and opportunities for students, faculty and post-secondary institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most university and college students are expecting to complete the fall semester through distance learning. For Maya, that distance would have been over 11,000 kilometres.

Maya, who is currently living in Mumbai, India, had planned to come to Montreal to begin McGill Universitys master of law program in September. In the spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift to virtual classrooms, she mentally prepared to start her degree online. She asked for her real name not to be used, so as not to affect her financial aid applications for the next academic year.

She worried about missing out on group work, discussions and one-on-one conversations with professors. From watching McGills webinars, she was assured that the quality of education would be the same, and she believed choosing to attend, even if its remotely, would show shes able to adapt to changing circumstances. I think for education, this is going to be the future, she told HuffPost Canada at the time.