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As you may already know, university is significantly different to sixth form or college, which also applies to term dates. Although the academic year is somewhat shorter – often beginning in late September/early October and ending in May/June – universities do not have a half-term holiday, an aspect of sixth form that I really missed when I first began my studies last year.

However, some universities, including my own, have ‘reading weeks’ which, in other words, are like a half-term break. Usually situated in the middle of a semester, reading weeks serve the purpose of enabling students to get a head start for the work and reading in the remaining weeks until the longer holidays (and exam period!) begin.

Given that the workload at university can feel so daunting at times, a reading week is often strongly appreciated because it allows you to breathe for a little while without worrying about time constraints as you might experience during the semester. I...

Exam season can be a stressful time for many, but with a bit of preparation you can do well! These seven tips will get you started:

1. Have a plan
Create a timetable in the weeks leading up to your exams. Jot down when your exams are and what topics you need to revise. You know yourself what subjects you may need to commit more time to so keep this in mind when planning your revision.

2. Take regular breaks
Shorter revision stints work much better than trying to do hours at a time. Try 40 minutes revision with regular ten minute breaks. This will keep you focused and help you retain more information.

3. Use Post-its
Keep Post-its with key info dotted around your revision space – these will act as reminders for the stuff you’ve previously revised.

4. Practice exam questions 
These will be available at your school, college, and even...

Moving to another country is a big leap. Moving to another country when you’re still a teenager and your adulthood has just begun – that’s an even bigger one. So applying to an overseas university is a difficult choice to make, and honestly, not for everyone.
 

But, as a Korean American faced with multiple options (Korean, American, and overseas unis), that’s the choice I made when I opened my UCAS account and applied to schools in England and Scotland. And maybe the one you will make as well. Here’s why.

1. The Degree Structure – What and How I Will Study
 

In some countries, notably America, going to university doesn’t always mean you will pick a course and study it for three/four years of your uni life. In some places, you will start studying your course of choice in your second or third year. In some places, you can choose two entirely different courses (Music and Physics, for example) and study them...

As the demand for STEM subjects seemingly increases in our society, often students who are interested in pursuing a more artistic (and certainly less scientific!) route may feel neglected in terms of discovering what ‘arts’ degrees are like. One of these degrees is English Literature, which I am currently studying as a single-honours degree, although I will change to a joint-honours course with French (another ‘arts’ subject) from September. And what better way is there to discover what studying English is like than by hearing the thoughts of a current English student?

Be prepared for a lot of reading

Yes, it goes without saying that every degree requires a significant amount of reading – especially independent research which extends beyond what is covered in lectures and seminars – but English is definitely one of the most reading-heavy (if such a term exists!) subjects that you can study at university!

Of course, reading books is less of a chore...