Advice

Several myths about student life seem to be erroneously entrenched into the minds of pre-university hopefuls and scathing "grown-ups" alike. I intend to drop a few bombshells upon these falsities as well as, hopefully, quell some of your worries

1. Fast friends

We see it on-screen time and time again. You move your boxes in, knock on your neighbour’s door and that’s that – your future bridesmaid, the godmother of your imaginary children and your future business partner happens to be living right next door.

The US, UK, Canada and Australia are four of the most popular countries for students to go to university. They are home to some of the highest-ranked universities in the world and the countries themselves are attractive destinations for students in terms of quality of life and employment prospects. 

Imagine the process of becoming a lawyer drawn out as a map. At one end, the mystical land of fully qualified legal professionals; at the other end, you, standing outside your college or university door.

Applying to study medicine is notoriously competitive, so it’s crucial that you stand out from the crowd. To help you secure that med school place, here are some top tips on what admissions tutors look for.

1. Make the most of your medical work experience

Work experience in a hospital, GP surgery or care home is a key part of applying to study medicine, and how you reflect on your experiences will prove to admissions tutors that you could make a great doctor.

Fresher’s week is an undeniably important time. It’s the first stepping stone in your journey as a student. Before you discover Kafka and the importance of Kinematics, fresher’s week is about learning how many shots your budget can be stretched to and how to work a washing machine. Having successfully survived fresher’s week myself, here are my top 10 tips to make your first moments easier and more enjoyable.

Your time at university will fly by and be over before you know it – just ask any graduate. How you use this period can help build a strong foundation for the rest of your life. I’ve spent the past 12 months interviewing more than 50 of the UK’s most successful students, who offered their advice on how to succeed during this period of your life. Here are 10 of their top tips. 

Tips for succeeding at university tend to focus on what you can do to help yourself make friends and settle in with your peer group.

But taking steps to ensure that you have a good working relationship with your tutors can be just as important.  

Making how you work with your tutors as much of your focus as your social life can sometimes be the secret to thriving at university.

When you tell people that you are about to go to university, one of the standard responses is: “Oh, you're so lucky, you’ll have the best time! I wish I was still at university!”

You can also expect to hear a whole ream of anecdotes and advice about how to make the most of your time at university – some incredibly useful and some, unfortunately, not so much so.

UK: Applications for Chevening programme are now open

Applications for university scholarships under the Chevening Programme, for courses due to start in August 2018 in the UK, are now open. The Chevening Programme was set up by the UK government to provide scholarships to 1500 students from around the world to study for a master's at a UK university. 

The deadline for applications in 7 November 2017. 

More information can be found here

Once you know which university you will be going to, there will be lots of planning to do. When you’ve secured your place, one of the most important things you will need to organise is your student accommodation for the year (if you haven't already got it sorted).