Blogs

When I embarked on a teacher training course at the University of East London seven months ago, I spent my days somewhere between feeling overwhelmed and excited by the prospect of being in a classroom with 30 students between 11 and 18 years old. I soon realised that I was looking forward to this challenge, despite its unpredictability. So, when my university presented me with the opportunity to teach prison-based learners in a London prison, I jumped at the chance.

“Ensure students have the money to live.” This was the top recommendation in the National Union of Students’ first report into class and poverty in post-16 education in the UK.

The recommendation struck me. It struck me that we still have to remind the government to provide enough funding just so that students can survive and that those in power still need to be told that students are struggling to make ends meet.

Starting one’s university life is no easy feat. There are numerous aspects of applying to, deciding on and going to university that students have to deal with. For international students, however, making those decisions can be much harder.

Summer internships or study abroad programmes are an expectation at Harvard University. Every year, the university connects students with hundreds of organisations and schemes to encourage us to have a productive three months during the summer. Conversations about summer plans start as early as Christmas and often by February many students have a placement secured. I was not one of those students.

When I lived in Singapore and Japan, my only encounters with racism were anecdotes from my non-East Asian-looking friends living in Asia. I am privileged enough to be of Chinese heritage so I was able to “blend in” with the dominant ethnicity.

However, in the six months since I’ve been in England, I’ve had a small taste of what it is like to be on the receiving end of racism. I’ve written a series of open letters to those who have displayed such behaviour to encourage them to reflect on their actions. 

Having just been named one of the best university cities in the world, it is clear that London is a top study destination for both domestic and international students. 

April is the month of career seminars. As soon as term ended, I started seeing some people in my student halls wearing suits and hurrying outside early in the morning, or looking dishevelled and exhausted in the lift.

Having almost finished the second semester of my freshman year in New York, I have learned a few things that have helped my time in the US run that little bit smoother. With spring being the time when US universities release their decisions on admissions, here are some tips for students who are preparing to set off for the States later in the year.

For four years, I managed to keep my anorexia hidden from friends and family. But, on 17 November 2007, I was admitted to a mental health hospital. My skin was yellowing and my heart was failing. Over the next year, I had to face my anorexia and learn to eat and exercise in a healthy way.

After a year of living at the hospital, I just wanted to get away. So I convinced those around me that going to university straight after my discharge would be the best plan.

A little while ago, I attended a one-day training session for PhD students on the subject of decolonisation. It discussed how we can address and critique the legacies of imperial racism that persist in our research, the curriculum and the university at large.