Student life

As an international student, there are so many different processes you’ll need to understand and navigate when applying to universities in the United States. Here’s a breakdown of the three most important aspects: admissions, funding and visas.

Twitter can sometimes be an absolute minefield of different opinions, angry comments and just downright rudeness. But every now and then a Twitter thread appears that is helpful and insightful and sparks thoughtful discussion and advice. 

One such thread was by Dr Sara Althari, who recently received her PhD from the University of Oxford making her part of just a small handful of Saudi women who have ever achieved this. 

Remember everything: our university packing list

Packing for university is no easy task. You have to figure out which items are the most important to you. 

It’s pretty inevitable that you will end up forgetting something, no matter how well you pack. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, take a look at our list of all the things that you are likely to forget and add them to your suitcase now.

Knowing what to expect on A Level results day on Thursday 16 August will make the experience much easier to handle, and any decisions you have to make won't feel quite as daunting.

I am a graduate from the University of Bedfordshire (Beds), with a BA Hons in criminology. However, Beds and criminology were not my first choice (or indeed any choice) when I was planning where to go to university.

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.

ShanghaiRanking have released the results of their 2018 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, which shows the best performing universities across 54 different subjects. 

In total, more than 4,000 universities were ranked in five different fields: the natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences, and social sciences. This is the second year ShanghaiRanking have published the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, but the consultancy has been ranking international universities since 2003, and has ranked universities by academic fields since 2007. 

The one activity I didn’t mention in my previous article that I would be doing this summer was Dorm Crew Clean-Up. Reflecting on why I had not mentioned dorm crew, I realised that I was embarrassed by the fact I would be kick-starting my jam-packed summer by sweeping, vacuuming and mopping college dorms. 

China is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional international student cities of London, New York or Paris. With ambitious plans to significantly increase the number of international students in the country, the Chinese government seems committed to showing a new side of an ancient country.

But what exactly should you expect from going to university in China?

Spain, South Africa and Singapore have some of the cheapest weekly rates for student accommodation in the world, according to new research. 

Accommodation search engine Student.com found that the lowest rents for students around the world were in Albacete (Spain), Johannesburg (South Africa) and Singapore. In fact, four Spanish cities (Albacete, Murcia, Granada and Alcalá de Henares) are among the top 10 cheapest for weekly rents. 

Three US cities feature in the top 10 (Tallahassee, Athens GA and Columbia MO). Derby in the UK rounds out the top 10.