What is an interruption of studies?
An interruption of studies is when a student decides to pause their studies with the intention to resume them at a later date. There are multiple reasons for doing this and they will be personal to the individual, but they could include financial reasons, family difficulties or a change in personal circumstances.
Charlotte Neal is a recent graduate who started at LSC in 2020 and made the decision to interrupt her studies after her 2nd year in 2022. She resumed her studies in 2024 and graduated from the BA (Hons) Professional Dance Performance programme on the Musical Theatre pathway in 2025. In this article we will examine her decision to interrupt, the process of doing so, what she did with her time away from studies and how it impacted her studies and her career ambitions upon returning.
Charlotte Neal, London Studio Centre and Seedtime Musical Theatre Company graduate, 2025
Why interrupt your studies?
There are many potential reasons to interrupt your studies, but they will be personal to you. Some students decide to spend some time working to make the remainder of their studies more financially comfortable. Some need to spend time away due to a change in personal circumstances, such as a difficult family situation or personal injury.
While there are many reasons you might consider interrupting, the decision should never be taken lightly. As well as any risks involved in falling out of practice, there will also be financial implications such as fee liability. Ultimately, only you will be able to decide if the decision is right for you. At LSC, we offer as much guidance and support as possible to students who are considering an interruption to help them make a decision that is best for them.
For Charlotte, global circumstances had meant that her studies were not what she initially hoped for. Starting her degree in 2020, the Covid pandemic had drastically changed how training took place. Her first term was spent in small study bubbles, then the second and third terms happened mostly online. Like many other students at the time, Charlotte was dancing alone in her living room, doing her best to stay motivated, while missing out on the shared energy and connection that comes with in-person training. Still, she remained positive and, despite it all, found enjoyment in the experience.
When her second year began, Charlotte started feeling unsure. The demands of the training, while working multiple jobs to support herself, and balancing some sort of social life, left her stretched thin. She started asking herself some difficult questions: Am I in the right place? What do I really want? She felt pressure to keep up, both socially and academically, and began wondering if she was missing out on the ‘normal’ life of a person in their twenties. She didn’t have a particular ‘grand plan’ for what the time away from her studies would entail, she just knew that she needed space, and time, to figure things out. To reset. This is when the idea of taking an interruption of studies began to appeal.
How to interrupt your studies
The process for interrupting will of course be different at every institution. At LSC, we take any request for an interruption of studies very seriously, so our process involves several stages of meetings to discuss the needs of the student and how they can be supported. Throughout the process, meetings are held with the Director of Studies, Student Welfare and Finance & Registry to thoroughly discuss the financial and academic implications of interrupting, as well as the physical or pastoral needs of the student. If they do decide to interrupt, an internal process will result in a letter being sent to the student detailing the terms of the interruption, including expected date of return, financial obligations, outstanding assessments, conditions of return including medical evidence (if required) and support during the period of interruption.
What should you do with your time away from study?
This is completely personal and will depend on why you are interrupting, what you hope to get out of your time away and how long your interruption will be. It will be important to address your reason for interrupting and ensure that you achieve the objectives you set for yourself in doing so.
While Charlotte was away from her studies, she worked a remote job while traveling to various destinations around the world. She wanted to experience new cultures while learning to rely on her own strengths. She eventually settled in Falmouth, a lively student town in Cornwall where she joined a football team, lived with peers, and reconnected with university life, this time, without the pressure of studying.
Eventually, she found her way back to dance. Not because she was obliged to, but because she rediscovered a genuine joy in it. She started dancing again with a local group, purely for fun, and before long, that spark returned. She realized how much she missed training creatively and began preparing to return to LSC in September 2024 for her final year.
Of her time away from studying, Charlotte says “I knew deferring was the right decision when I felt like I was becoming more me again. I was becoming more financially stable and happier in general just from having time away from education, something I had been in for nearly 17 years.”
Returning to your studies after an interruption
Only you will know when it is right for you to return to your studies. It will be important to assess your factors such as your mental and physical wellbeing as well as financial situation, to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible in returning. Once you have made that decision, your institution will have their own policies regarding how they assess your fitness to return as well as the financial obligations in doing so. At LSC, we will ask you to complete a Fitness to Return class (which will be a Ballet class) and ask for satisfactory medical evidence that you are well enough to return, from a registered medical practitioner, such as your GP, counsellor or physiotherapist, if relevant.
Coming back wasn’t an easy decision for Charlotte. She didn’t know anyone in the new cohort. She didn’t know how it would feel to be back in full-time training after so long away. But something had shifted. Over her time away, Charlotte had grown.
She had learned how to set boundaries, how to be kinder to herself, and how to approach training with a more balanced, holistic mindset. A new ADHD diagnosis also brought her some clarity. It didn’t define her, but it helped explain some of the challenges she’d faced in the past. Suddenly, parts of her experience that once felt confusing made sense. With that understanding came a sense of relief, and a renewed focus on how she could move forward, with more self-awareness and confidence than ever before.
Her diagnosis and newfound understanding of herself also meant she was able to access the support she needed, both academically and personally. This made a profound difference in how she experienced her return to training.
Returning to full-time training wasn’t without its difficulties. The first few months were particularly tough as she adjusted to a whole new peer group and struggled to find her rhythm again. However, she had support from the Student Welfare Team and her counsellor, as well as the people around her. She stayed focused on the feeling that mattered most: the joy she found in her craft.
In her final year, Charlotte played Jennifer in the Seedtime Musical Theatre production of The Witches of Eastwick
What difference can an interruption of studies make?
Again, this will be deeply personal to you and the circumstances behind your decision to interrupt. For Charlotte, it made a profound difference to her enthusiasm for studies and the ambitions she brought back with her. While she was away from London Studio Centre, she had the idea to create documentary on female athletes, so she acquired some filming equipment and created opportunities for myself within the sporting media world. While her original idea never came to fruition, the experience she gained allowed her to start up her own media business, Charli Media, with a growing portfolio of sports and dance photography and videography. During her third year at LSC, she built on this further by creating rehearsal and production videos that have featured on LSC’s social media.