Tokyo is a place of contrasts, where tradition meets modernity, the ancient mixes with the contemporary and the past meets the present.
It has developed from a cultural centre steeped in tradition to a skyscraper city at the forefront of technological innovation. This rapid innovation extends to the higher education sector too, with the country investing heavily in bringing its universities in line with those around the world.
Shanghai is the largest city in China by population and is the second most populous city in the world.
It is a major administrative, shipping and trading city and located on the estuary of the Yangtze River.
There are many sights and sounds to take in while exploring Shanghai, such as the soaring skyscrapers, traditional gardens and shopping districts.
For students who are night owls, there are plenty of things to keep you busy until the early hours of the morning, including The Bund, night markets, and night time cruises on the Huangpu River.
As one of the oldest cities in the world, Beijing has a rich history stretching back 3,000 years.
The city is home to seven Unesco World Heritage Sites including the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudian and parts of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.
However, with a population of more than 21 million people and as China’s capital, the city's modern buildings such as the China Media Group Headquarters, China World Trade Headquarters, and Capital Museum are also impressive sights.
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Low tuition fees, a reputation for good public education and a stunning location makes Cyprus a popular choice for international students. The lingering British influence also means that many courses are taught in English.
As a university student, you will probably spend the majority of your time on campus. And so, while this certainly isn’t the most important factor to consider (in fact, we strongly advise that it isn’t), it helps if the campus is somewhere you enjoy spending your time in.
Universities come in all shapes and sizes and architectural styles. From the traditional grey stone buildings to the more avant-garde modernist structures, university campuses are some of the most interesting collections of buildings you can find.
You don’t have to be an architecture student (or indeed know anything about architecture) to appreciate the beauty of a well-designed or unusual university building. Although university architecture may bring to mind ancient cloisters and dimly lit old libraries, campuses around the world are home to some of the most unique, modern buildings on the planet.
At the end of the day, your campus is probably where you’ll be spending most of your time as a student so it doesn’t hurt if it also happens to be nice to look at.
As the American writer Shelby Foote once said: “A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library.”
Though so much information for most people’s studies is now online, you can’t beat the feeling of sanctuary and calm you get from a good library. Whether you use them for research, reading or just to escape the world for a few hours, libraries are an essential part of the university experience.