Blogs

I’ve always thought that travelling and starting a new life in a different place would be something that I would enjoy and become accustomed to.

However, relocating to a country where I didn’t speak the language, understand the education system or have a support structure proved more challenging than expected. After the outbreak of the war in Syria, I had to leave my home country and begin a new chapter of my life as an undergraduate student in Turkey.

For the bulk of my jam-packed summer, I interned for the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in his Washington DC office. It was an experience unlike any other. I went from reading articles on President Donald Trump’s policies to actively partaking in the DC political machine.

As a staunch Democrat, Governor Cuomo is a force against President Trump’s advancing political agenda and he has been cited by The Washington Post as a possible 2020 presidential candidate. It was a privilege to work for Governor Cuomo and to have learned as much as I did from his staff. 

I am a routine fiend, but after five years at university, I have realised that a structured day is a rare occurrence. Although I have managed to achieve some kind of daily routine, my days as an arts/law student at the University of Queensland (UQ) can be very varied.

Getting ready

A level results day is done for another year  and it was well documented on social media. Emotions ran high from those who were ecstatic with their university choices to those who were sad they missed their grades. 

Check out the posts below on social media that take you through the emotional journey that was A level results day 2018. And Jeremy Clarkson. 

I was once a student at a dilapidated government school in rural India. I dreamed of becoming many things; perhaps a soldier, a clerk or a government official. Had it not been for a giant book fair where I chanced upon the Spanish novel La Familia de Pascual Duarte (The Family of Pascual Duarte), by Camilo José Sela, translated into my mother tongue, Hindi, I might well have ended up doing something else.

On the Times Higher Education Student Twitter feed (@THEUniAdvice, if you aren’t already a follower), we have spells where we ask students to look after the account for a week to share their university experiences. 

Although I was born with full hearing, I caught measles when I was six years old, which resulted in a 70 per cent loss of hearing in both ears. I’ve been wearing hearing aids ever since.

Becoming a paramedic was a dream from quite early on. I was a competitive camogie (women’s hurling) player in Ireland, and we often ended up in A&E. I would notice the ambulance staff bringing in patients.

I am a graduate from the University of Bedfordshire (Beds), with a BA Hons in criminology. However, Beds and criminology were not my first choice (or indeed any choice) when I was planning where to go to university.

For many of you awaiting A-level results, this week will be one of the most important of your lives. On results day morning, you will be waiting at your computers and tapping on your phones to see whether you’ve secured your chosen university place. For many, this will be a positive and exciting experience. But if you don’t get the grades you’re expecting and can’t confirm your university place, it can feel extremely daunting. 

To my college tutors I was a typical A* student – destined to achieve top grades that would open the doors to any university in the country. 

They set the bar high with my predicted grades: A* (psychology), A (geography) and A (English literature and language) and assumed I could go anywhere and do anything. The world, as they say, was my oyster. Unfortunately I didn’t share the same belief.