First of all, congratulations! If you’re reading this, we’re assuming you’ve received an offer for a place on a PhD program in the UK. It’s not everyday you get to be rewarded for the ingenuity and feasibility of your research project, and finding a PhD supervisor to agree to mentor your project is definitely a step ahead in the right direction. If the elation you first felt when hearing the news has already given way to worry over money, hopefully we can help to ward off some of those concerns for you. If you can’t afford to pay for your fees out of your own pocket and haven’t received a university scholarship, here are some other ways to pay the fees.

Regularly search university job websites for available positions

Often universities will advertise research posts on specialist jobs websites like UniversityJobs.com or Jobs.ac.uk, so it’s a good idea to check these daily to find out about any part-time or full-time openings on campus that may contribute toward your fees, rent and living costs. Whether it’s a research post, or even just an admin job, being able to say you study and work “at the university”, especially if it’s in your research department, could open doors for you, in addition to being a convenient arrangement.

Explore your funding options both at home and abroad

You may be eligible for funding opportunities both at home and in the country of study, so if you’re coming to the UK from abroad then explore all of your options. If you’re from the US, for example, you could apply for a Fulbright grant. European Union residents could always try to apply for an ERASMUS overseas placement or get funding for a joint degree through Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Explore other funding opportunities here. 

Shoot a promotional video and set up a campaign on Hubbub

If you’re thinking of going down the crowdfunding route, Hubbub.org is a good place to start. Set up an account either through your university if they subscribe to the site or individually. It’s much more geared toward education than other sites like Kickstarter so your campaign won’t get lost among a sea of artists and entrepreneurs. To promote your campaign, film a promotional video with your smartphone and offer symbolic gifts to donors, keeping them updated on your project. Share a link to your campaign on a dedicated Facebook and Twitter page, with your own hashtag, asking your friends and relatives to share on their accounts.

You could also try to contact your local newspaper, like Oxford University student Genevieve Richardson, who raised over £2,000 for her MPhil in Development Studies after appearing on the Yorkshire Evening Post and BBC Radio Leeds’ Breakfast Show. Depending on the newspaper’s news agenda at the time, they might want to slot you in for an interview and get your crowdfunding campaign lots of extra clicks.

Apply for charity awards

Did you know charities funded PhDs? Well, they do, and you might be able to get a charity or trust to contribute toward your living costs, fees, research expenses, conferences and/or travel. In the UK, there are thousands of organisations offering grants to projects they find interesting or even to students from certain demographics, such as the Vegetarian Charity, who give grants to vegan and vegetarian students, or the Leverhulme Trades Charities Trust, who help students whose parents are grocers, chemists, and commercial travellers.

Consider taking out a postgraduate loan

If you’re from the EU or the UK, you’re eligible to take out a PhD loan of up to £25,000 from the UK government. Repayments are 6% of your annual income when it reaches £21,000.  You would get £8,300 a year on average if your PhD takes three years, less if it takes longer. Obviously, this won’t be enough to cover all your fees and living costs, so you’ll need to consider the full cost of study and where the rest of your money will be coming from.

Apply for a QS scholarship

Top Universities offers a US$10,000 PhD scholarship to applicants who attended a QS World Grad School Tour event and completed a QS Graduate Applicant Survey by April 30 2018. To apply, you would also need to write a short essay about how the PhD will help your career ambitions. More information can be found on the QS events pages.

Sponsored by the University of Helsinki

You’ll find a lot of advice on the internet with “simple hacks” outlining how to get into a top grad school, but only very rarely will you hear from admissions officers themselves. They are, after all, the eagle-eyed luminaries who make a living out of sorting through piles and piles of motivation letters to find the brightest brains of tomorrow.

Have you ever wondered what an admissions officer’s biggest pet peeve is? What they look for in an applicant, or where most applicants fail? Or even what advice they’d give a friend or relative starting out? Well, you’re in luck. To give you the very best advice, we spoke to Jutta Ruuskanen, Admissions Specialist at the top-ranking University of Helsinki, to find out how you can maximise your chances of getting into a top graduate school.

What are some of the most common mistakes people make in their applications?

The University of Helsinki has very strict country requirements for the documents people have to send in, so it can be an issue if someone applying with an international degree fails to send the right country-specific documents. Every year, around 50% of our master’s program applicants fail to do so and get rejected before they even reach the academic evaluation stage, where their motivation letters and interviews would be assessed. It’s very important to follow all the instructions given to you during the admissions process.

What exactly do you look for in a motivation letter?

It should be really fluent and written like an essay and show you are familiar with your field, and know what you want to study and research once you have completed the degre It should tell us about your academic or professional background in relation to the master’s program and it’s not a bad idea to present questions you would like to find answers to through research. We want to see that you have some idea as to what you would like to research in the future and how your previous academic degree supports your preliminary master’s thesis topic and future research goals after you have completed the master’s degree.

So, you wouldn’t recommend anything too creative or out of the ordinary like the teenage activist who got into Stanford University after writing “Black Lives Matter” a hundred times on his application?

Creativity probably won’t get you too far, but of course, it’s not a bad idea to refer to an interesting news item that is related to your field of study. We usually ask people to think about the preliminary topic of their master’s thesis and you can reflect that for example with current events in your field of study. It’s not a bad idea to show that you have been following the news in your field, not just to show that you keep up with the news, but also to demonstrate you actually like to do research keep up with things happening in your field of study.

How strictly do you abide by minimum entry requirements? Could a student with incredible personal achievements, but poor exam results or undergraduate scores stand a chance at all?

High school scores don’t really matter when you are applying to a master’s program at the University of Helsinki. We do look at the academic scores in your bachelor’s though. The weighting is always specified in our admissions criteria. It’s usually around 25-50%, though it varies between programs. You don’t need to be a straight-A student, but you should at least have performed well in your studies.

If applicants are required to interview, what are some typical questions an applicant might be asked?

Only a couple of our master’s programs feature an interview as a selection criteria to help us figure out how motivated the applicant is and whether he/she has already familiarised themselves with what they want to study. We look for signs the student has already figured out the degree structure of the program they are applying to and evidence of good communication skills, such as whether they answer the questions being asked.

What does a good answer sound like?

That’s a tough question! [laughs] I don’t know actually. I think a good answer should be well structured and sound professional. It should suggest you know your field and what you’re coming here to study.

What does a bad answer sound like? It might be easier to pinpoint…

A bad answer might entail not sticking to the facts or failing to answer the question that was asked. It might needlessly mention stuff already in your CV that you don’t need to reiterate. It could sound too much like a travel advertisement for Finland. There’s no need to make Finland sound like the best country on Earth. It’s better to just stick to why you want to be admitted to this specific master’s program.

Do you have any final tips for prospective students?
Yes, I’d like to stress how important final deadlines and instructions are because it doesn’t matter how brilliant your motivation letter is if you never reach the academic evaluation stage.

More than a week after Hurricane Maria plunged Puerto Rico in darkness, a number of South Florida colleges have announced tuition fee discounts for students affected by the hurricane.

Palm Beach State, Broward and Miami-Dade colleges pledged in-state tuition for Puerto Rican students, after Florida Gov. Rick Scott asked all public colleges and universities in Florida to make the move.

St. Thomas University promised free room and board to the first 100 college students from Puerto Rico and affected Caribbean islands, and Florida Atlantic University said it will waive tuition fees this school year for all current students with a permanent address in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico’s 258,000 enrolled undergraduates already saw their colleges close down earlier this month after Hurricane Irma wrecked havoc on the island.

Fabiola Victoria Pagán, a fourth-year chemistry student at the University of Puerto Rico, said to the Chronicle of Higher Education: "We've only had three days of class. I have no idea how they will make up for all of this lost time."

J. Miguel Santiago, a fourth-year journalism student at the University of Puerto Rico, tweeted: "Pretty much everyone is worried. The UPR has probably had its worst year in modern history."

The University of Puerto Rico will remain closed for at least several weeks, while students, volunteers and staff clean up. The island continues to struggle with a lack of power, water and food, and residents are also suffering a significant cash shortage.

San Juan resident Monica Morales spoke to NBC news about the precariousness of the situation, including hours-long waiting lines at ATMs and stories of residents robbing the few who were able to take out any cash at all.

She said: “There’s a lot of tension, it’s hard to find water and food right now and we still don’t have any supermarkets open near us.”

According to Walter Alomar, president of the University of Puerto Rico’s board of governors, it could take months to repair the damage.

He said: "They have been working, cleaning, and they have a really good attitude. In spite of the severe damages, we’re now starting to rebuild."

Donate here to vetted local organizations through the crowdfunding platform GlobalGiving to get emergency supplies on the ground and help with long-term recovery.  

By Charlotte Stevenson

Remember all those clichés in movies and YA novels about college cliques or stereotypes? Well, they’re not all completely off the mark. While university is very much about your own individual experience and shaping your own path, it’s impossible not to fall into certain tribes and become partly defined by the course you study. After all, what does a math student really know about what it’s like to read Shakespeare every week?

If you’re studying English literature for the next few years, everything below should be painfully familiar.

All that reading basically makes you an expert on everything

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Studying literature means you’re also studying pretty much every subject under the sun. In each text you study, there will be elements of history, sociology, art, music, natural science and even math. While this means you get to learn some really interesting things, it can leave you feeling like you’re running out of room to store information in your brain.

For example, when I studied Frankenstein I ended up having some very in depth philosophical debates which required a lot of scientific research into the ethics of cloning. And yet people will still behave as if my course is nothing more than a glorified book club…

Tracking down primary sources for your essays is impossible

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There’s nothing more rewarding than the feeling that, after countless hours of research online and in the library, you’ve discovered that one book or essay that will be completely perfect for your upcoming essay. Which is why it’s so frustrating when this source of information has already been checked out of the library and can’t be found anywhere else on the internet. Faced with an imminent deadline, you’re left finding creative solutions to bulking out your essay (will they notice if I make the font bigger?).

You’re only ever either writing or preparing to write

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Unlike many subjects, the work pace for literature studies is constant. Assignments are likely to include weekly tasks (such as the mandatory and critical reading for each module) as well as monthly graded assignments (essays and reviews), and so you’re constantly either writing an essay or planning your next one. How you’re meant to find the time to actually read books is beyond you.

Writing 1,000 words suddenly becomes the easiest thing in the world

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With all that writing, you soon learn that writing 1,000 words isn’t really that difficult. Having three 2,000-word essays due in the same month is completely normal so you stop being fazed by high word-counts. That is, until it’s the night before the deadline and you still have 1,500 words to write. Which is why it would be useful to acquire some successful time management skills.

You find words inherently hilarious, to the confusion of anyone not on your course

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Despite the stress of having lots of work, reading and writing about books is actually really fun. It’s especially hilarious when you get to learn an unfamiliar word or phrase from a medieval text or from some nonsense poetry. For this reason, the word snafu has already become a running joke among me and my friends, though to anyone not on our course it must seem like we’re telling jokes in code.

You’ll start to over-analyze everything you read

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Once the introductory lectures are out of the way and you’re up to speed on literary theory, you’ll soon find your own interests and original thoughts developing about literally everything you read. Your favorite novels will be re-read with a critical eye, and even messages from your friends will be searched for literary value. On the bright side, this means you’re gaining confidence as a literary writer and critic, but it’s probably best not to start telling friends about the hidden subtext in their late-night DMs.

By Laura Kabelka

From Klimt and Freud to hot-dog stands and Schnitzel, Austria’s capital city offers a very broad range of events and activities for tourists and locals alike. If you get the chance to spend some time abroad studying in Vienna as part of a study abroad program, you should seize the opportunity and pack your bags.

Here are some recommendations about where to go, what to see and what to eat when on your year abroad in Vienna:       

The sights you absolutely have to see

Vienna is one of those cities where sightseeing is a great form of getting to know your way around and beautiful, historic buildings are pretty much everywhere in the inner districts. Merely by going for a stroll in the first district you’ll see the stunning Parliament, County Hall and Votiv Church along the “Ring”, and during summer the parks flourish with flowers and open-air music events, breathing soul into the city.

The Albertina and the Leopold Museum are also highly recommendable, especially if you’re interested in Klimt, Schiele, Picasso or Monet. The Leopold Museum is located in the Museums Quartier (MQ), which is also home to the Kunsthalle Wien or the MUMOK and located right at the beginning of the popular shopping street Mariahilfer Straße. The MQ is also a great spot to just go for a meal or a drink with friends. Spritz wine is a local specialty and comes in various forms, but the most common is white wine with sparkling water, which is very light and refreshing; for the non-alcoholic option a soda zitron might be the best choice on a sunny day (or an almdudler, of course).       

When it comes to the Palace of Schönbrunn, you don’t need to be a history nerd to love Maria Theresa and Franz Joseph’s former summer residence. The palace is simply stunning, surrounded by a grand park with a beautiful view over Vienna; you can even find the zoo right on its doorstep. The little hike up to the Café Gloriette should be rewarded with a tasty apfelstrudl and a melange.

Lastly, don’t miss the Belvedere, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and a visit to the opera.

Living like a local while studying in Vienna

Eventually, moving to another city is not only about visiting all the big museums and impressive buildings. Instead, you want to get a feel for the place you’re staying, find new favorite bars, restaurants and social haunts. When studying in Vienna, you’ll find it’s a city ready to satisfy every need and desire you have during your stay. A must-try is the classic Viennese schnitzel with potato salad at a Heuriger, a traditional restaurant. Notoriously, typical Viennese waiters are described as harsh and biting, but if you challenge yourself to raise a smile you might come to adore their tartness. Fear not vegans, there are also a number of great options available to you, especially in the trendy districts like the sixth, seventh and eighth.

Even though the Naschmarkt is recommended in every tourist guide and is always pretty crowded, it’s still a place worth going to regularly. Whether it be for food or drinks in one of the international restaurants, or for a stroll along the many little stands offering falafel, hummus, antipasti or fresh fruits and vegetables. The merchants will not let you pass without trying a little appetizer or paying you a compliment. If you know what you want and where to go, you can get goods for a fantastic deal there. For those who cannot handle all the tourists, the Brunnenmarkt is a chilled version of the Naschmarkt. Wherever you go, don’t miss out on Austrian cheese.        

Whether it be summer or winter, the County Hall Square is home to many events, from food festivals and ice skating to open-air cinemas and if you like second-hand markets and vintage fashion, you should really check out the Neubaugasse flea market and the seventh district in general at some point. If you’re into theme parks, you should spend an afternoon at the popular Prater and take a ride on the big wheel with a great view over the city.

In summer, going for a barbeque at the Danube island might be a nice plan for a relaxed afternoon with friends.           

Where to eat and drink

Being a rather big city, Vienna plays host to a variety of different cuisines and, after trying other national dishes like kaiserschmarrn, spätzle and knödl, you shouldn’t be afraid to branch out and try some food from other countries too. Apart from the Naschmarkt, where you can get anything from Japanese to Mediterranean food, the Croatian restaurant Konoba has amazing fish platters and great service. Also, the Vietnamese restaurant Nguyens Pho House is highly recommendable, especially for its inexpensive lunch menu and the unbeatable soups.

Generally speaking, the Gumpendorfer Straße in the sixth district and the Donaukanal are the real deal for foodies. Watch out for further food events that frequently take place at the MQ like Veganmania or the ice cream festival at Burggarten.

When it comes to drinking, everyone from wine-lovers and beer fans to cocktail enthusiasts or coffee specialists is well looked-after. For younger people, the Zollergasse is a suitable street to go for drinks and great coffee is available at every corner in the inner districts. If you prefer sipping a hot drink in a traditional café you might want to visit Café Central, Café Landtmann or Café Sperl.

Another specialty drink to try is a sparkling fruit wine called most, while in winter you should definitely enjoy a warm mulled wine at one of the many Christmas markets all over Vienna. Wherever you go, don’t forget to tip the waiters. Ten percent is average in Austria and giving less means you didn’t like the service.

Depending on what time of the year you are studying in Vienna, you will see different faces of this beautiful city. From below-freezing temperatures in winter to hot and vivid summer nights, Vienna is full of surprises. One thing is for sure: you will not get bored here.

Laura Kabelka works in Communication and Marketing at StudentJob AT.

Ask somebody on the street what they think about CERN and more often than not you’ll be met with a blank face. At best, someone might remember hearing CERN mentioned in the same breath as the Large Hadron Collider but they’ll still probably struggle to tell you what CERN (otherwise known as the European Organization for Nuclear Research – the acronym is French) actually does. For physicists, however, it’s one of the most exciting places in the world.

Brenda Penante could barely imagine she’d one day be working at CERN when growing up in Recife, Brazil. However, after studying physics in Canada, working as a teaching assistant in South Africa, studying for her PhD at Queen Mary University of London and completing a postdoctorate in Berlin, Brenda finds herself working at CERN in a job she loves. We got in touch to learn more about her role, and to get her advice for other young women interested in studying the sciences.

What sparked your initial interest in science?

My father played an important role for sure. He loves astronomy, and could go on for hours into the night talking about constellations and the movements of the moon and planets. I remember finding it all fascinating, especially his passion for it, but it never occurred to me to study astrophysics. At school my favorite subject was math, but what made me decide to study physics at university was some old science books I found on my father’s bookshelves. I was 15 years old and started reading about quantum mechanics, relativity and string theory and got really into it. From then, my goal was to become a theoretical physicist, although I had little idea what that entailed.

What was your university experience like?

I enjoyed my time at university very much, I had very high standards for myself and put a lot of effort in to not fall short of them. In my year’s intake, there were just five women studying physics and there were only two of us left by the time we graduated. Back then, it didn’t occur to me that this female to male ratio was abnormal as I was used to it from school. Only years later did it hit me that there must be something wrong with how few women develop an interest in science, let alone pursue it.

One thing I do remember is feeling very insecure and finding the guys on my course to be more confident and assertive, even when their results weren’t as good as mine. This feeling has been with me ever since, and it’s an ongoing challenge for me to feel I’m worthy of my achievements.

Were there any differences when it came to be studying for a PhD?

It’s hard to keep your head firmly on your shoulders when doing a PhD. When you find yourself stuck on a problem, you can feel trapped, but other times the calculations work out and everything magically becomes wonderful. It was a constant struggle to keep my mind healthy, and I spent a lot of time and energy learning meditation in my spare time.

Looking back, my experience was definitely positive. I made good friends, had support from my supervisors and progressed professionally. During the first two years, I was the only woman in the string theory department, but I wasn’t surprised by this. I was able to make friends with other women working in the astrophysics and condensed matter departments and occasionally took part in events organized by the WISE (Women in Science and Technology) committee. It was good to exchange experiences with them and provide mutual reassurance; there were things I didn’t feel comfortable discussing with my male colleagues, such as my lack of self-confidence.

Now you’re working at CERN. What does a typical day look like for you?

I’ll get to work around 9am. The first thing I do is to check the arXiv webpage for today’s new papers in my research area and then get on with my tasks. I normally work on two or three projects in parallel, and every day I devote time to getting my head around a bite-size chunk of them. I do that typically by reading articles, discussing with my collaborators (either in person or via Skype), thinking and coding, with regular pauses for meals and coffee. I also attend local seminars and occasionally prepare to give one myself. My work day finishes at around 8pm usually, depending on deadlines.

What are your thoughts on the gender pay gap, particularly in the sciences?

Up to a postdoctoral level, I’ve noticed positions are advertised with a fixed salary which is fair. However, as one becomes a lecturer or professor, salary becomes negotiable and that’s where there is an imbalance, especially as women seem to be less likely to ask for a high salary and will also often have the issue of deciding to start a family. In my opinion, salaries should be regulated in a transparent way to avoid any disparities.

Until that happens, women should research the expected salary for their job and demand to be paid fairly. They could also discuss the issue with their colleagues to find out if they’re each being paid fairly and work together to demand better pay if necessary.

Why do you think there aren’t more women working or studying in STEM-related fields?

The main reasons, in my opinion, are a lack of role models and the fact it’s not a traditional path to follow. Boys are encouraged to be explorers but girls are expected to be pretty and not get dirty. This diverts attention of girls away from any initial scientific curiosity. Then, at school, students learn about science in a way which overlooks female contributions and role models, and so young people develop a stereotype of what a scientist looks like. I’ve lost count of how many times I was told I didn’t look like a physicist, which is a shame.

Some young women will overcome these obstacles despite the fact working in science means being more alone or having to spend time surrounded by guys all the time. Others will simply find something else where they feel they “fit in” better, and their talent is wasted.

What advice would you give to young women looking to study or work in STEM?

Try it out. Conditions are slowly changing, awareness of the gender imbalance is growing and it’s up to us to drive through change. If you’re really interested in something and there’s an opportunity to spend the best part of your days dedicating yourself to it in a job with fantastic prospects, then do yourself a favor and go for it!

Lead image: the Large Hadron Collider (Credit: Maximilien Brice)

The University of Cambridge has been ranked as the best university in the UK in the 2018 edition of the Good University Guide.

The table-topping institution retains its place at the top from last year, with the University of Oxford again coming second. The University of St Andrews is in third.

Published annually by The Times and The Sunday Times, the Good University Guide ranks institutions on nine different factors, including teaching quality, entry standards, percentage of students receiving at least a 2:1, and student-staff ratio.

The complete top 20 can be seen below. Of these, the highest climber is the University of Glasgow, up nine places since last year to 20^th. The University of Glasgow was named Scottish University of the Year to mark its strong performance.

Separately to the rankings, Lancaster University, ranked an all-time high of sixth this year, was named the University of the Year by the Good University Guide. Lancaster’s diverse intake, international diversity and strong graduate prospects all contributed to it winning the award.

The Good University Guide also revealed which graduates earn the most money within six months of finishing their studies. Leading the way at the top of the table are dentists, medics and vets. The median yearly salary earned by dentistry students six months after graduation is £31,000.

Arts graduates typically earn the least, accounting for seven of the bottom 10 subjects for earnings. Dance, drama and cinematics graduates can expect a median annual salary of just £12,000.

Want to know how the Good University Guide rankings compare to the QS World University Rankings© 2018? Click here to find out.

Sponsored by Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore

If you’re hankering after a graduate job surrounded by culture and history but don’t know your Caravaggio from your Correggio, don’t panic. There are a whole range of jobs in the cultural heritage sector that don’t specifically involve curating a museum collection or identifying historical artefacts. Most museums and art galleries tend to hire graduates with a broad range of specialist skills and experience that extend far beyond conservation and curation. We spoke to the Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, who are now running a new executive master’s in cultural heritage with the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, to help you decide whether a swanky museum job could be right for you.

You’re a museum nerd

At the risk of sounding trite, the best tell-tale sign that a career in cultural heritage is right for you is if you can’t envisage a career in any other sector and feel happy at the mere thought of rubbing shoulders with centuries of culture every day for the rest of your working life. Are you a lover of art, history or archeology? Whatever it is you’re interested in, you need to be passionate about it and carry that enthusiasm into your daily work.

You’re a creative entrepreneur

Museums aren’t the dust-filled rooms of old books and skeletons that they used to be. Working in the cultural heritage sector could see you joining one of a new generation of museums which are using cutting-edge technology to improve visitor experience and produce new exhibits. Last year, for example, the Norwegian National Museum created an algorithm designed to interpret and map their collections, which allowed them to highlight unexpected connections between items. The Norwegian National Museum aren’t the only ones dabbling in artificial intelligence. The Musée du quai Branly in Paris recently got an AI art critic to judge one of its exhibits which explored how the “inanimate becomes animate” through its relationship with people.

To prepare for the future and attract funding, many museums and galleries are now behaving like startups, seeking to collaborate with businesses, NGOs, communities and young people. To join the museum industry today, you need the left and right sides of your brain: creativity as well as management. Do you think you’ve got what it takes?

You have a varied background you can draw upon for experience

Unless you’re working as an art educator, you probably won’t need a great deal of obscure knowledge of art history in your day job. In fact, whichever field you come from, whether it’s social media, fundraising or even virtual reality, your seemingly-unrelated specialist knowledge could prove prodigiously useful to a museum or an art gallery, especially if you have the drive and creativity to see your project through. One of the most exciting ways into the museum industry nowadays is by finding a new technology-assisted way of rendering cultural heritage more palatable and accessible to the ordinary person, while improving visitor experience at the same time. Museums usually welcome interdisciplinary collaboration and are always looking for exciting ways to breathe new life into old artefacts and vestiges and to improve their connection to local communities.

You’re thinking of doing a master’s in cultural heritage in Florence…

The Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore just teamed up to offer an executive master’s in cultural heritage, creativity, innovation and management, a one-year program specifically designed to train you in a number of careers in the creative industries and tourism.

Fully taught in English, the course imparts students with a critical understanding of cultural heritage development and promotion abroad, place branding, conservation, entrepreneurship and the skills needed to work in the sector for business. You will learn how to appraise, conserve and promote a country’s cultural heritage internationally and locally.

Sponsored by UCLan

We asked Serena, a third year student at the University of Central Lancashire, about her life as a medical student.

When I flew to England from JFK two years ago to do a bachelor of medicine and surgery at the University of Central Lancashire, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I’m so glad I did because applying to med school was the best thing I ever did!

I want to help people, and every day, I’m surrounded by students and teachers who are in love with what they do, and their passion makes me love what I do too. I’ve met some truly incredible people on this course, people I am certain I will remain lifelong friends with after uni. They’re ambitious, caring individuals, and they make my time here 100% worth it.

Despite the heavy workload, it’s important to take some downtime and do things unrelated to medicine once in a while. I regularly go for a walk in the park, sit in a coffee shop, take a weekend break and do things I enjoy like playing field hockey, rehearse with the school’s dance teams or travel around Europe during the holidays. Since I moved to the UK, I have had the chance to visit really beautiful places like Spain, Croatia, Budapest, Netherlands and Germany, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. I truly believe that everyone should explore the world – see different cultures and communities and understand how others live. Especially if you’re studying medicine away from home, like I am.

Of course, med school is hard, but a little organisation goes a long way! Flashcards are my go-to revision technique, but there are lots of other ways like watching YouTube videos or drawing mind-maps, all of which can help with your long term memory and understanding. When the going gets tough, I try to set a rough plan of my day and set goals of what I want to accomplish. It keeps my stress levels low and makes me feel accomplished at the end of the day when I get to satisfyingly cross them off the list. Trust me, there is no better feeling. Also, remember: a little work every day is more effective than trying to cram at the end of the year. Cramming never, ever works.

When I feel tired and stressed, I try to imagine myself as a physician treating a patient… And it’ll all be worth it. Sometimes, sleep is the only answer. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation is real… Especially when you’re a medical student. When that happens, though, you just need to shut off and sleep because you’re just so much more efficient when you’re well rested.

I can’t believe it’s been over two years already. It goes by so quickly! Before you know it, you will have graduated. So I try to enjoy the learning process and my mentors’ words of wisdom.

When it comes to picking which universities to apply to, there’s no better way to get a feel for whether an institution is right for you than attending an open day or visiting the university in person. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. It might be your preferred universities are abroad and too difficult to visit, or you’re unable to find time to travel and visit. Whatever the reason, your next-best option is to attend a university fair near you.

Packed to the rafters with admissions staff and current students from dozens (if not hundreds) of top universities, fairs such as those organized by QS allow you to speak to people who will be directly involved in assessing student applications, allowing you to get first-hand advice on how to catch their eye. They also allow you to learn more about each university than you could possibly get just from looking at a prospectus or a website, helping you to whittle down your list of preferred universities to a select few.

The one down-side of these events is it can be tough to fit everything in. With multiple universities to speak to, and only so many hours in the day, it’s important you head into a university fair with a clear idea of what questions you’re going to ask. To help, here’s our list of the essential questions to ask at a university fair.

What to ask at a university fair…about the university

Does your university offer the course I’m interested in?

This might seem obvious, but it really needs to be the first question you ask. Don’t waste time on a university that can’t offer what you want. Even if you’ve found the course advertised on their website or in their prospectus, it’s worth double-checking as there might be plans to change the course format or remove it altogether.

Why should I apply to your university?

University staff at fairs will be in a relentless PR mode, repeating the same sales pitch to student after student. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth hearing though, as you’ll surely still learn something from hearing what they think the university’s best qualities are. Don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions either, as this will be your opportunity to break away from their pre-prepared script and get information which might be a little more honest.

What are the university facilities like? Is the library open 24 hours a day?

It’s easy to forget in the rush to learn about a course and its structure that you also need to get a feel for what it will be like to actually study at the university. Learning more about the facilities, whether it’s labs if you’re a science student or provision of library books if you’re a humanities student, will give you a better idea of the wider university experience and also how well you’ll be supported academically. If a university hasn’t bothered to invest in upgrading their teaching facilities and keeping their library stock up to date, how can you trust them to bother investing in you?

Is accommodation guaranteed? How much do students typically pay in rent?

Away from the academic side of university, you’ll also want to learn more about university accommodation. Not all institutions guarantee accommodation to students, so find out if you’ll definitely have somewhere to live. This, and financial considerations such as how much rent costs, might be the decisive factor if you’re struggling to choose between two university offers.

What to ask at a university fair…about the course

What’s the weakest aspect of this course at your university?

Obviously, you’ll hear a lot about how a university’s course is amazing, the best in the world, absolutely top-notch, can’t be beaten. But once the hyperbole has died down, asking this question is a good way to gain insight into where the course perhaps still has some improvement to do. If this weak area is something which is really important to you (e.g. number of contact hours, focus on a particular module), you’ll probably be better choosing another university.

What are the employment prospects for this course? What have previous graduates gone on to do?

There’s little point in going to university unless it’s going to boost your career prospects once you’ve graduated, especially with tuition fees rising in most, if not all, countries. Asking these questions will give you an idea of how well-prepared you’ll be for the working world when your degree is over, and may even provide inspiration in terms of the types of careers available to you.

What to ask at a university fair…about the application process

How do you select applicants? What aspects do you look for in an application?

If you’ve asked the questions above and still feel the university may be right for you, it’s time to get some more detail about the applications process. If you’re chatting to an admissions officer, there’s a good chance they’ll be the person who will eventually read your application, so learning what will impress them the most will give you a massive advantage over other applicants.

What should I read to improve my personal statement?

As well as learning which of your attributes you should be highlighting in your application, it’s a good idea to also learn of ways you can self-improve before writing your personal statement. Asking about extra reading you could be doing demonstrates a willingness to learn too, which will create a positive impression. If the person reading your eventual application remembers you asking a question like this at an event, and your application shows you took their advice on board, they’ll undoubtedly be impressed.

Is there an advantage to submitting my application early?

This is a more functional question, designed to learn more about how applications are actually handled. Even though universities won’t often say places are operated on a first come, first served basis, there can be an advantage to being one of the first applications that’s reviewed instead of one of the last. Don’t harm your chances by leaving your application to the last minute if it’s going to penalize you.

What bursaries and scholarships are available?

This is always a good question to throw in there, especially if figuring out how you’ll afford tuition is already making your head hurt. Rather than having to deal with impersonal leaflets and brochures explaining the various financial options available to you, you’ll be able to explain your own situation and receive tailored advice about how to handle the cost of attending university.

Armed with these questions, you should come away from a university fair with priceless information. Find a QS event near you by clicking here.

Lead image: COD Newsroom (Flickr)