For another side of the story, read medical student blogger Katie's defence of the admissions process.
A straight-A British student who was rejected before interviews to study medicine in the UK for a second year running is looking on the bright side as he reflects on his first months studying in Italy instead.
“Like many children, I dreamt of going into space but never really considered it a possibility,” writes Tim Peake for the BBC, ahead of his departure as the first British European Space Agency (Esa) astronaut to live on board the International Space Station.
So what skills and qualifications do you need to become an astronaut? Growing up, I often heard the answer “perfect vision and a physics degree”. While this response is slightly simplistic, it’s not far off the mark.
It’s that time of year when university departments all over the country open up their doors in a bid to recruit students and graduates onto one of their Masters courses. But, with so many institutions, and even more courses, there’s a vast amount of choice out there, which can often make thinking about postgraduate study a very overwhelming and difficult experience.
When you apply to medical school there is the unspoken idea that the London medical schools are best. With three of them consistently in the top ten for medicine in university league tables it’s unsurprising ‒ they boast high levels of research, wide catchment areas for placements and some of the brightest and best lecturers and clinicians to learn from.
My philological studies have satisfied me that a gifted person ought to learn English (barring spelling and pronouncing) in thirty hours, French in thirty days, and German in thirty years. It seems manifest, then, that the latter tongue ought to be trimmed down and repaired.
So what do you want to study at university?
Geography, I think. Yes, Geography. I'm good at Geography and it’s interesting. I mean, I really love English Literature but there are so few contact hours and it’s not really that employable…so I want to do that, but I don’t think I can justify it, not for £9,000 a year. So Geography, that’s better, I’ll do that.
From now, you’re getting even more than you bargained for at Times Higher Education – in a good way, of course.
For 12 years we’ve given you rankings, data and table upon table for you to use in one of the most important decisions of your life: which university to choose.
But we want to make that decision process even smoother for you, by guiding you each step of the way and using our resources to help you to really understand all the options on offer and factors to consider.
Studying abroad can be an eye-opening experience wherever you go. But if you want to maximise your opportunities and get the most out of your experience, it is crucial to make an informed decision about where to study.
Luckily, there are plenty of resources to help you make a good decision, and I’ll take you through all the factors you should consider.
Rankings should not be the sole basis of your decision, but there are many good reasons to use them as a starting point.