Blogs

Marika Santala and Raphaël Beaulieu are graduates of the National Film and Television School’s directing and producing television entertainment master’s course. They recently picked up the Postgraduate Comedy and Entertainment Award at the Royal Television Society Student Television Awards for their programme The Love Gym. Here, they offer other student film-makers their tips on creating a successful film or TV programme. 

1. Build your film or TV programme around a fresh idea

As a recent graduate, I’ve been interested to read all the comments around the release of the UK government’s teaching excellence framework (TEF) results, and I am pleased that teaching is now in the spotlight. Current students and recent graduates are likely to be looking at the results with interest and comparing them to their own experiences. People will be interested in the rating for their own university, particularly as there have been some surprising outcomes.

In university offices, staffrooms and newsrooms across the UK, there has been much discussion of the teaching excellence framework (TEF) outcomes. We followed the debates with interest. But now, the key question on our lips is: "what does this mean for our university?"

By the time I finished med-school in Mexico, I felt like I was supposed to follow the path that every potential doctor has to take: prepare for residence entry exams (similar to the United States Medical Licensing Examination). But I was keen to continue my studies abroad, and having spent a few months in Spain as an intern in a couple of hospitals, I chose to go and give it a try there.

Education. From the age of five until we become real adults, we spend most of our time in a place of learning. It’s arguably the most important time of our lives because it shapes who we are going to be. The things we learn, the subjects we study, our teachers, our friends – these are the factors that help to determine our future.

Although there is some momentum in trying to get more women into STEM, only 13 per cent of the overall STEM workforce in the UK is female – a clear indication of how we are under-represented. I often wonder what the reasons are for the under-representation of women among STEM degree holders?

The answer seems to be a of lack of exposure to prospective careers in STEM for girls. In addition, there are just a few female role models working in STEM roles in male-dominated workplaces, and some employers don’t actively seek female candidates. 

Sara Tabin is an English major at Yale University 

I decided I wanted to attend Yale while visiting my sister, who was an undergraduate there when I was five years old. As a child, Yale meant visits to the Peabody Museum, carrot cake from Claire’s Corner Copia and ivy-covered stone walls. In high school I went to see the campus again, and was impressed by the kindness of the students I met and the opportunities that Yale could provide.  

The top 50 universities by reputation 

The University of Toronto takes 24th place in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2017. It was the highest-ranked Canadian university and one of three institutions in the country to feature in the top 100.  

The top 50 universities by reputation 

I was drawn to apply to the University of Cambridge because enough people at school and home seemed to think that I would have a decent chance of getting in. I never really thought that I would end up there. I had only ever heard of geniuses going to Cambridge and I did not think that I stood much of a chance competing with them. 

France has always been my first choice of country for study. This is due to the quality of education, culture and life in general. So when I was in my third year at Hanoi University of Sciences, Vietnam National University, I worked hard to pass École Polytechnique’s entrance exam.

I did not speak French at all in the beginning. With about 30 other students from all over the world (for example China, Cambodia, India and Russia), we went to stay with host families in the south west of France.