Careers

Bill Aulet, managing director of the MIT Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship, says that entrepreneurship is fundamentally about having control over one’s destiny. The only way to control your destiny is to create it. A cliché, I know, but one that holds true, more so now than ever before. Our modern, global economy and our technological progress mean we are all inextricably interconnected, in the way that we live and in the problems we face.

Choosing where to study is no easy decision, especially when your options span the whole world.

But student satisfaction data from the International Student Barometer reveal the comparative advantages and disadvantages between studying in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US.

Reports by the International Unit show that international postgraduate students on taught degrees in the UK, along with those in Canada and the US, are generally more satisfied with the learning experience than students on similar degrees in Australia or New Zealand.

Is it possible to predict the future? This is the story about how I chose to study medicine, and how some random occurrences changed my life.

Right before finishing high school, I had decided to apply for university but did not really know what or where to study. So I wrote down six different alternatives, numbered them one to six and threw a die to decide. The die ended up showing number two – medicine – and from there it all started.

I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria to a loving Christian family. I grew up aspiring to become a medical doctor. Unlike many of the professionals in the sector, my passion for medicine came not from the security of great career prospects but from an earnest desire to help less privileged individuals across the globe. I was determined to emigrate to a nation in sub-Saharan Africa after completing my studies, open my own practice in a rural village, and offer free health services to people in need.

Straight after I finished my psychology undergraduate degree, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: travel and work. As much as I enjoyed full-time study, I had reached what psychologists might term “saturation” and I couldn’t wait to have the independence associated with exploring the world and earning my own pay packet. Ten years on, I’m back in full-time education as a PhD student and discovering the cheapest brands of dried noodles and baked beans again. So…what happened?

One of the most popular questions that secondary school students get asked is “what do you want to be?”. But the thing is, in a world where the types of jobs are endless, choosing is tough.

I’m Marie Rosszell, a year-4 foreign student in the Faculty of Business Administration (FBA), specialising in brand management. I am half Japanese, half Canadian and I grew up in Tokyo, Japan. I’ll start my full-time job in sales at Google Japan in October 2016 after my graduation in June.

View the 200 most international universities in the world 2016

Ashley C. Pilipiszyn writes about moving from the US to Geneva to further her career opportunities in international policy:

I am originally from Chicago and was living in Boston prior to moving to Geneva. I currently am completing a master’s degree in international relations and political science with a specific research focus on environmental security, energy diplomacy and policy entrepreneurship within global cities.

When you join university, your acceptance usually depends on whether you have or haven’t met your entry requirements . The admission-tutors will most probably not take into account the many other ways you are suited to or can positively contribute to your degree course. How can they? Unless you are applying for a master’s or a PhD degree at the same university at which you completed your bachelor’s, they won’t know you. Similarly, they won’t be aware of your full potential.

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.