Advice

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).

Almost everyone will tell you to join a society when you go to university. It’s a great way to make friends and either learn a new hobby or continue with a current one. And while you could stick to the mainstream by joining a football or hockey team or getting involved in the theatre or hiking society, don’t be afraid to go a little off-piste. Draw inspiration from these unusual university societies, from the past and present to get you started. They will certainly be a talking point when you return home for the summer. 

University is a funny old place. Will there ever be another time in your life when you can make friends just by standing outside your bedroom? Any other place where you can learn to salsa dance and join a Harry Potter society while expanding your knowledge of your favourite subject?

Most people who have been to university or are currently at college would probably agree that studying at university has a steep learning curve. You will learn so many new things while you are there – some useful and some not so useful.