Blogs

In graduate school, the emphasis on the current mission can be so constant and so blinding that students forget the tasks without deadlines. In the spirit of the new year, I've created a list of twelve monthly resolutions for graduate students.

These resolutions round out the graduate experience and prepare students for the long term.

1. Map out the year

The relentless focus on the next deadline causes grad students to ignore longer-term planning. Map out what the next 12 months will look like.

We are living in an age where information is, quite literally, at the fingertips of students looking for careers advice. As well as the more traditional careers advisers and jobs fairs, this wealth of resources now extends to smartphones via email, the internet and an ever-growing array of social media networks.

But it seems that university students still see parents, friends and family as the most useful for counsel on their future careers.

BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company, gave University College London $10 million in 2011 to establish an Institute of Sustainable Resources: a situation as ironic as a tobacco company funding cancer research.

British universities are undoubtedly among the most expensive in Europe. The same goes for the costs of living as a student in the UK. The situation in Germany, on the other hand, could not be more different. Freed of exorbitant university fees, German students enjoy higher education of a comparably high standard that usually does not see them graduate with a huge pile of debt that then has to be paid off. 

As we approach the end of Barack Obama’s presidency, it will be high time for experts to begin evaluating the significance of his legacy. Many will discuss the hallmarks of his administration such as healthcare reform, the elimination of Osama bin Laden, and diplomacy with Cuba, weighing these achievements against the deficits and lost opportunities that critics associate with Obama’s handling of foreign policy and the economy. But I suspect not as much will be said about the gems we’ve gleaned from observing Obama’s character.

It will come as no surprise to most people that the real estate market news magazine, Property Week, and university students, have different definitions of the “best student experience”. Well, except for those organising the publication’s inaugural Student Accommodation Awards, who apparently didn’t expect this tension.

As you’ll know, when it comes to student life, money is very limited and so we’re always looking for ways to try to save or make money, whether that’s through signing up for experimental medical trials or shopping in the reduced section in the supermarket.

However, I have found a rather unique way of saving money: I enter competitions as a hobby.

I meet with Susan, my mentor, once a week, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for two. We sit and chat about uni and life; it’s a chance to speak to somebody about any concerns I have or any anxieties I may be feeling. I have Asperger’s syndrome and I have just finished a degree in English Literature at the University of Bedfordshire.

You’ve earned your bachelor’s degree and are probably at a crossroads wondering whether you should pursue postgraduate studies or enter the workforce.

Getting another qualification may lead to a wage premium, while work experience early on may equip you with skills that cannot be learned at university.

Increasingly, students are looking to earn money while they are completing their studies to alleviate some of their post-graduation student loan debt. There are positions in institutions that have long been student jobs – leaders in students’ unions, for example. But now, careers centres are not waiting until students have become alumni to connect them with employment opportunities. Working while at university is valuable for both the student and the institution.