United Kingdom

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.

I began my first term at the Durham University International Study Centre (DUISC) in September 2017 as part of its first intake of students. I tried to research the DUISC before arriving, however, because it is a new institution, it was difficult to find information beyond their website. Although going blind into a new experience may make it more exciting, many prospective students might prefer to be more informed about an institution before attending.

I first visited the UK on a vacation as a curious and impressionable 15-year-old in 2013. The rich culture of London, the beautiful highlands of Scotland and the sunny beaches of Wales fascinated me. Having lived most of my life in the South Asian subcontinent and the Middle East, I was enthralled by the liberal ways of British life. I decided then that I wanted to pursue my university education in the UK.

Girls are still failing to show as much interest as boys are in studying sciences at university, despite the surge in popularity of STEM subjects at A level, according to a study of more than 100,000 sixth-formers.

Computer science, mechanical engineering, maths, medicine and physics are all in the top 10 preferences of degree programmes for boys but only maths and medicine made it into the top 10 for female students, according to research conducted by Unifrog, a platform to help students pick courses and universities.

The one thing I can say with certainty about life as a student is that there is no typical day. A first year’s day will be completely different from a third year’s, a classicist’s different from a chemist’s. Every day is different.

Owning a car is pretty pricey full stop, but even more so if you are at university and are paying for it through your student loan. If you are thinking of taking your car to university in England, take a look at which universities are the cheapest and which are the most expensive for taking and keeping your car. 

This is based on analysis into parking, petrol and insurance costs in the largest cities in the UK, based on this list. 

The most expensive universities for taking your car 

After my first term at the University of Oxford, I was invited back to my old sixth-form college in Norfolk to talk to students who were thinking about university applications. Norfolk has a historically low percentage of young people applying for higher education. Trying to convince them that they should try applying to Oxbridge was an uphill battle and I could see why – I had also been there.

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.