To my college tutors I was a typical A* student – destined to achieve top grades that would open the doors to any university in the country.
They set the bar high with my predicted grades: A* (psychology), A (geography) and A (English literature and language) and assumed I could go anywhere and do anything. The world, as they say, was my oyster. Unfortunately I didn’t share the same belief.
With A-level results day fast approaching in the UK (results are out on 16 August), students will be eager to find out whether they have achieved their first (or second) choice of university. Results day in Scotland is slightly earlier, on 7 August.
While in the throes of senior year, it can be hard to imagine the ways your life may change when you go to college. Whether you’re dreading the day you finally leave the family home or you can’t wait to move across the country, it’s more than likely that you have not thought about the small adjustments that you will have to make when living away from home.
On the other hand, you may not have completely thought about all the new opportunities that arise from being isolated from your old life.
Starting one’s university life is no easy feat. There are numerous aspects of applying to, deciding on and going to university that students have to deal with. For international students, however, making those decisions can be much harder.
To retain the benefits of an international student body, including the economic contribution, it is important that students, universities and employers are all aware of the routes through which individuals can remain in the UK after their studies have concluded.
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.
As a final year undergraduate at City, University of London, I’m on the cusp of the working world. Right now, I’m trying to crack the journalism industry. In fact, I’m quite worried about my future and how my life will pan out after I graduate. However, the fact that I’ve carried out a lot of work experience throughout my studies helps me stay calm. I think not only has it prepared me practically for this industry, it’s also helped me refine my career choice.
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.
In the British public’s imagination, Oxbridge is the pinnacle of academia.
There is a belief that Oxbridge is full of rich, white, private schoolers with the brainpower (or amazing general knowledge) of University Challenge contestant Eric Monkman. The media often sensationalises the admissions process, taking questions out of context to make these universities sound unreasonable.
Over the next week, prospective students from across the country and, indeed, across the world, are coming for interviews at the University of Oxford.
But what can you expect if you are coming for an interview?
Here, a selection of current students at Jesus College at the University of Oxford provide some top tips on how you can prepare.
Ayesha, first-year medicine student, from Blackburn