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I graduated with academic honours without ever meeting my professors, embarking on an all-nighter with classmates and, technically, never having gone to a class at all. I was an online-only student, and as online degree programmes grow in popularity, my past three years of study were a crash-course in the unique challenges of learning online, as well as a glimpse into what the future of higher education might look like.

While at university, I and many of my friends were sexually assaulted on a regular basis. This can be a tough statement to accept for some people, but virtually every woman (and some men, too) can unfortunately confirm that it is true.

Sexual assault doesn’t just mean rape in a dark alley by a stranger – it’s groping on a night out, inappropriate comments or being pressured by a friend or partner into a sexual act.

Misconceptions around consent, sexual assault and even rape are inescapable and far too common. It’s almost become normalised, an accepted part of student life.

My name is Gwen and I was born in Singapore but I lived in Japan for a few years too. Although I graduated from an Australian high school, I have also experienced the Singaporean and US school systems.

After high school, I spent a year at the Durham University.

I chose to do a foundation year programme with Durham University is part of that exclusive list.

We’re told that free speech should not be limited, most of all not on a university campus. Even the current government recognises that speech should be free and unfettered, represented best by the push by former universities minister Jo Johnson.

Globally, student debt is rising. According to 2016 data, the average student debt for US graduates is $37,000 for bachelor’s degrees and $57,000 for graduate degrees. Students in the UK are in even greater debt, owing $55,000 (£40,000) for a bachelor’s degree, while in Sweden – where tuition is free – students can owe $20,000 on average upon graduation.

In a moment of optimism several months ago, I signed up to lobby with the Harvard Democrats at the Massachusetts State House. I was reminded of my decision a couple of days before the event by an email detailing my shifts and the bills I had to lobby on behalf of.

On a recent trip to Dublin I decided to visit some of the universities in the city to speak to students about why they chose to study there. 

The students were only too happy to list the things they loved about studying in the city, from the vibrant social life, to the friendliness of the locals, to the ease with which they could explore the rest of Ireland and Europe.

If Bridget Jones were writing this PhD diary, she might begin a review of her first term with an inventory like this:

“Supervisions – six; books read – 37; words written – 25,764 (hurrah!); free glasses of wine drunk – 142 (gah!); hours lost being lazy or procrastinating – oh thousands.”

I didn’t keep track of my first term with such precision but I have been thinking about what went well and not so well in 2017.

As the Christmas break drew closer, I was asked many times by friends what I was doing over the holidays. My plan was to spend a few days in Paris, then head back to Tokyo for two weeks.

Stepping into the unknown, I decided to attend a new college known as Ada, National College for Digital Skills. I was fascinated by the fact that the college specialised in digital skills and it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

I am surrounded by a dynamic community of digital thinkers who have similar interests and values.