Student life

Your voice is the most valuable tool you have in communicating effectively. So why do so many students and university teachers not invest much energy in their public speaking skills?

Bangor University student and vlogger Hannah Jukes is bucking that trend, and has already noticed the wide-ranging benefits to her confidence and communication skills.

The Flatmate Factor

Casting calls, callbacks and rejections have all kept me busy over the past four months. Here I am referring not to my up-and-coming modelling career but rather to my search for accommodation in Berlin. , the most popular website for finding accommodation in Germany, served as my “agent” during this trying time. While you might not associate a flat hunt with an audition process, the enormous competition for a “WG” (flat-share) has allowed a casting culture to emerge in which Berliners can afford to play Simon Cowell in their search for a new flatmate.

Forget the piles of textbooks or the long academic reading lists; preparing for university is as much about preparing for a whole new stage of life as it is about broadening your intellectual horizons.

And to help you along your journey of self-discovery, 12 students from Singapore to Germany have recommended the books – both fiction and non-fiction – that they wish they had read to help with their own transition.

Adam Bradford, now 23, achieved 27 GCSEs. Astounding as that is, perhaps even more surprising is that, for all his academic credentials, he decided not to go to university.

Encouraged by his school in Sheffield – nicknamed ‘The Exam Factory” – and his parents, Adam completed his A levels in just one year, applied for business and IT degrees, and received offers from universities in Sheffield, Lincoln and Bradford.

Ironically, it was the universities’ attempts to sell themselves that put him off.

Have you ever found yourself racking your brains in order to remember a book title or to find a topic for the seminar paper you should have already started?

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.

Volunteering can play a significant role in helping international students integrate into their new communities. This is especially true now that, according to the British Council, “safety and multiculturalism” are becoming more important for people looking to study in the UK.

The pressure is on. As academics reveal the extent of their overwhelming obligations, and a study shows that successful academics must possess a “superhero” ability to multitask, it’s clear that all areas of academics’ personal and professional life suffer under this pressure.

So what of their students, who rely on their lecturers and, fairly or not, expect attention and support, irrespective of the other jobs that their teachers are managing?

“Rising numbers of stressed students seek help” (BBC 2015)

“72% of respondents declared personal experience with mental health problems” (Student Minds 2011)

“13% of students have suicidal thoughts” (NUS 2013)

The thought of studying in London can be overwhelming for some people when they first consider it and realise that they might become just one small ant among tens of thousands. It doesn’t help that Londoners are often labelled as “cold” or “unfriendly”, but don’t let the misconceptions about London and its inhabitants put you off.