Student life

The news that Harper Adams University) in 2017.

“I am absolutely delighted,” says Allison. “But I am delighted principally for the staff and the students here, because I know it will mean so much to them.”

I began my career in the private sector, having first obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Copperbelt University in Zambia in 1995.

After graduation, my passion for children’s rights led me to work for an international development organisation, providing public services to rural communities in Zambia. The role involved advocating government to develop and implement public policies for children.

However, I wanted a more influential and direct role closer to where public policies were developed. 

London is the most popular destination for students, followed by Sydney, Melbourne and Manchester in second, third and fourth place respectively, according to research by Student.com.

Student.com, an online marketplace for student accommodation, compiled the list by looking at the number of accommodation enquiries between 1 January and 31 December 2017. 

Almost two thirds of UK students and graduates have experienced sexual violence while at university, according to new research by Revolt Sexual Assault in partnership with The Student Room.

The partnership launched the first national consultation for students and graduates on this issue in a decade to demonstrate the scale of the problem. 

In the wake of the documented rise in student mental health rates, and on University Mental Health Day, I wanted to discuss my own experience of depression as a student, as well as share my thoughts about what universities should be doing to tackle this potentially devastating illness.

Having been in the US since August, I’ve become more than aware of the cultural differences between myself and my classmates. I had been aware of the disparities between home and the States prior to my arrival in New York but now, in my second semester, I can attest to the benefits of my experience of both cultures.

The strike action of academic staff over changes to their pension has dominated conversation among the student body here at UCL over the last few weeks. Some  whispered excitedly at the prospect of classes being cancelled. Others looked apprehensive about the issues facing their professors and vowed to join the student demonstrations. 

Classes are about to start up again for me over on the Camden campus at the University of Sydney. After a lot of debating, I have decided to stay in my apartment for the first part of the year and maybe move out to Campbelltown, which is closer to the campus, later. One of the things I’ve been thinking about because of this though, is who I am going to hang out with for the next chunk of the semester.

Now that the average student rent is £566 a month and the average maintenance loan from the government comes in at £602 a month, students are left with just £36 of their maintenance loan to cover the rest of their living costs. 

According to findings from the National Student Accommodation Survey, carried out by Save the Student, 44 per cent of students are struggling to keep up with high rents as the maintenance loan is just not enough to cover them. 

My university, King’s College London, sent an email to students about the planned staff strikes on 5 February, but there was very little detail. The email mentioned the University and College Union (UCU) and Universities UK (UUK) without any context and, while references to pensions were made, it failed to explain exactly what the strikes were about.