Student life

I teach a first year undergraduate sociology course at the University of Manchester in which students examine social scientific perspectives on major global challenges such as inequality, climate change, migration, radicalisation, ending poverty and corporate power. 

University is a funny old place. Will there ever be another time in your life when you can make friends just by standing outside your bedroom? Any other place where you can learn to salsa dance and join a Harry Potter society while expanding your knowledge of your favourite subject?

Most people who have been to university or are currently at college would probably agree that studying at university has a steep learning curve. You will learn so many new things while you are there – some useful and some not so useful. 

New research has revealed that Cardiff is the cheapest city in the UK for students to live in. 

The Welsh capital was closely followed by Aberdeen and Durham as the most cost-effective cities for students, according to the latest Natwest Student Living Index.

One of the things that we’re regularly told about the transition from school to university is that we will have to become increasingly independent. Where once we had – or should have had – teachers guiding our learning at every step, we are now encouraged to take responsibility for our own education.

Making the right choice of where to live at university could make the difference between making life long friends or having your cheese stolen from the fridge. 

Although you cannot be sure which of the above you'll end up with before you move in, there are other factors to take into account when choosing your university accommodation such as value, location, and sociability. 

The International Baccalaureate diploma programme is better at encouraging a “global outlook” in students, while A levels give students more “in-depth” expertise, according to the findings of the University Admissions Officers Report 2017.

UK university admissions officers were invited to rate both qualifications on how they develop a range of different qualities in students. The results found that there was a considerable difference in the two study programmes. 

I chose Princeton because I loved books; because I wanted to write a thesis; because I fell in love with the Chancellor Green library when I first visited campus; because I saw the integrity in the university’s commitment to service, and because I thought I wanted to study comparative literature (spoiler: I’m a politics major!). I chose Princeton because I saw passion and curiosity and energy reflected in every aspect of the university.

As the dust settles after Hurricane TEF swept its way through UK higher education, it seems the right time to return to one of the main reasons it was set up in the first place: to help students choose a university. 

With this in mind, I've been speaking to students and staff in secondary schools to find out how they are planning to use the results. 

Gold-rated university – University of Cambridge

Lili Bidwell is an undergraduate French and Spanish student at the University of Cambridge

It does not surprise me that the University of Cambridge has received a gold award in the TEF. 

When I first told close friends that I was thinking of pursuing civil engineering at university, lots of them discouraged me.