Study abroad

Globally, student debt is rising. According to 2016 data, the average student debt for US graduates is $37,000 for bachelor’s degrees and $57,000 for graduate degrees. Students in the UK are in even greater debt, owing $55,000 (£40,000) for a bachelor’s degree, while in Sweden – where tuition is free – students can owe $20,000 on average upon graduation.

In a moment of optimism several months ago, I signed up to lobby with the Harvard Democrats at the Massachusetts State House. I was reminded of my decision a couple of days before the event by an email detailing my shifts and the bills I had to lobby on behalf of.

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.

As the Christmas break drew closer, I was asked many times by friends what I was doing over the holidays. My plan was to spend a few days in Paris, then head back to Tokyo for two weeks.

Whether you love it or hate it, Christmas is nearly upon us and universities around the world have been embracing the festive season with open arms. 

From setting up Christmas trees and decorations, organising seasonal events and capturing beautiful snowy campuses, universities are sharing the Christmas joy across social media. 

Here at Times Higher Education Student, we have scrolled through Instagram and picked some of the most festive posts to help you get into the Christmas spirit.

One thing I don’t think I’ll get used to is the warm weather in Sydney around Christmas time.

For the past two years I have returned to the States so that I can spend the holidays with my family. Considering that I grew up in Midwest America where we definitely don’t have any shortages of white Christmases, it feels rather strange for me to be in a warm place like Sydney around December. For me, there is something a bit unsettling about people singing Let it Snow when it’s getting close to 30ºC out.

As​ ​my​ ​first​ ​semester​ ​in​ ​New​ ​York​ ​comes​ ​to​ ​a​ ​close,​ ​I​ ​can’t​ ​say​ ​I’m​ ​not​ ​a​ ​little​ ​bit​ ​excited about​ ​returning​ ​home​ ​for​ ​winter​ break.​ ​As​ ​fun​ ​and​ ​unconventional​ ​as​ ​my​ ​university experience​ ​has​ ​been​ ​so​ ​far,​ I'm eager to return to the normality of Scotland.​ ​The hectic​ ​city​ ​life​ ​​over​ ​the​ ​past​ ​four​ ​months​ ​has​ ​left​ ​me​ ​longing​ ​for​ ​the peacefulness​ ​​of​ ​home.

My name is Fatima Afzal and this is my story of how I became a female engineer in an international environment.

My experience began when I applied to a British petrochemical company for my industrial placement year, as part of my chemical engineering degree at Aston University. Immediately after accepting the offer I started working in one of the facilities in Malaysia. This provided me with a great platform to launch my engineering career.

The international community at Harvard University adds another dimension to the educational experience. The diverse network allows for the views of students to be challenged and debated along a wide range of perspectives.

The London Business School has been number one for four years in a row. 

This year’s ranking includes 95 universities in total, a slight increase from the 91 ranked last year. 

The 2017 top 10 is essentially a reshuffling of the top 10 from 2016, with the first and second place positions remaining the same.

Switzerland and Spain are the most represented countries in the top 10, each with two universities present.