Advice

Essay mills – companies that connect paying students to freelance shadow authors – are in the news again. The current debate is about banning them by law. A legal ban, however, could simply nudge these companies abroad, or even just turn into websites that allow students to advertise for authors directly and anonymously; or even international peer-to-peer networks. Essay mills do seem curiously old-fashioned, reminiscent of a time when information was an expensive commodity. 

You may not know many people who have studied in Australia, but its 43 universities are in fact some of the most popular in the world for international students.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Melbourne and Sydney are two of the best cities for students, and there are other idyllic locations with world-leading universities elsewhere on the island. The education system and application process is different from other Anglophone countries, so we’ve collected the information that you’ll need each step of the way.

As you put the final touches to your university packing, the fear can begin to settle in. Will I be the dumbest person in my seminars? Will I make any friends? Will I be able to keep up with the workload?

But fear not. These are things that almost every new university student will experience at some point. And it is important to know that you aren't the only person feeling scared and apprehensive about going to university. 

My advice for anyone writing a thesis is to identify what the examiners are looking for, and then give them what they want. While this is good guidance, to be really helpful it needs to be elaborated on, so I did some research. First, I carried out a systematic review of the literature on thesis examinations to confirm what examiners look for as they consider a thesis.

Explore the rankings

No matter how much you already know about university options in the UK, you can learn even more detail about individual universities and how they compare with each other by using the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the subject rankings.

I was lucky to have as good a graduate school experience as one could have. I had a wonderful adviser, attended an excellent programme, and was fortunate to have received financial support from my university.

Yet, even under the best of circumstances, graduate school is demanding and stressful. Like many other graduate students, I postponed many major milestones of early adult life – children, homeownership and saving for retirement – to pursue a career in research.

When considering going to university in the US, a good (and easy) place to start with your research is to watch some films. However, while US university life is often depicted in movies, it’s safe to say that many of them take creative license and portray college life in an unrealistic fashion.

From bursting into song on campus to making up your own university, here are some of the myths put forward by Hollywood that you probably shouldn't base your decision on. 

As an international student, there are so many different processes you’ll need to understand and navigate when applying to universities in the United States. Here’s a breakdown of the three most important aspects: admissions, funding and visas.

Your first year of university is, without a doubt, character-building. Of course, this could be either a good thing or a bad thing.

To help every student make the most of their first year, we got in touch with a group who made it through that awkward transition and lived to tell the tale. These individuals gave us some fantastic tips that will guide you through first year.

For international students, completing your UK university application online using the centralised system, Ucas, is usually the easiest part of the process.

However, the problems tend to arise as students embark on the visa process and look at how much their degree at a British university is going to cost them. So how can you be sure that you’re meeting all the requirements set by your chosen institutions, and be certain that you are able to cover all the necessary expenses?