Many UK students hoping to embark on their year abroad are instead stuck in this constant limbo – will we go or won’t we? And at the moment, it sadly feels like the latter due to the aftermath of Brexit and COVID restrictions. New COVID sanitary measures have resulted in flights abroad becoming practically impossible […]Read More
Theatre critic and associate editor of The Stage Lyn Gardner recently investigated the rise in “theatre hopefuls” who are choosing University courses over applying for drama school. It is no secret that the UK’s leading drama schools have a reputation for being elitist. With extortionate audition fees and limited places, they appear somewhat inaccessible and yet still […]Read More
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government has shown a growing contempt towards the arts as restrictions and lockdowns have continued to put theatres, cinemas, museums, galleries, and gig venues under forced closure. This dismissal of the arts has been most infamously demonstrated in the government’s “Rethink. Reskill. Reboot.” campaign, or the better known “Fatima” […]Read More
This year has proven to make itself a struggle for those like myself at university, and despite the growing dialogues about mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, there are still some things worth learning. Students are often placed under the stereotype of being all about the party life, and caring little about their work. For the […]Read More
It’s time to broaden our concept of no detriment policies and redefine the university experience I went to university with a clear objective: to get a degree and to get out. Up until this point, any career I had considered would require at least a degree level qualification so this seemed like a practical next […]Read More
Performing arts has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember: school plays, trips to watch theatre shows, and eventually my university degree. Without it, I don’t know where I’d be today. The possibility of scrapping the BTEC Performing Arts qualification in England has emerged, which means that students won’t […]Read More
There is not a universe where I would consider lying about a Cancer diagnosis in order to scam family and friends out of thousands of dollars as a harmless ‘white lie’. I feel safe in the knowledge that I must be in the majority here. However, directors Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas made me face […]Read More
There is an age-old question that many students will face throughout university; can a long-distance relationship survive the student culture? All I had to do was Google “do relationships last at university” to be met with a full page of negativity. Even The Guardian has published an article titled “Don’t even think about starting university […]Read More
‘Oh, the virus is spreading because of the students, it’s all their fault’. It’s all well and good putting the blame on students and slandering their actions, but has anyone actually stopped to think about how it feels to be one of these ‘hooligans’ during this pandemic? We’re nearing the end of 2020, and it […]Read More
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to suicidal thoughts. If you are affected by any of the issues mentioned please contact a mental health support line. In November 2018, I sat in the harsh light of a university counselling office and told the lady sitting opposite me, through tears, that I was thinking about ending […]Read More
Students were sent back to university in Autumn term with nothing but uncertainty on how this academic year would unfold. With teaching being conducted predominantly online, our university experience has been vastly different to the one we expected. Being confined to cramped university accommodation and spending most of our days in our bedrooms is detrimental […]Read More
I spoke to a number of university freshers from across the country to see how they have been affected. When Tizzie arrived at halls in Edinburgh in early September, she was excited to start her life at university. However, since then her existence at university has become a sort of dystopian nightmare. For Tizzie and […]Read More
I like to think of myself as a relatively fun person, so yesterday I spent two hours analysing the skills I had garnered from my French language and literature degree. Like I said, I’m a hoot. Six months into unemployed life, I have been delving back into the depths of my degree to discover every […]Read More
My two remaining grandparents both passed away during my final year of university. My granddad at the very start, in October, my grandma at the very end, in June. It was the first time in my adult life that I really experienced loss. It was a shock to my system. My family lives in Germany, […]Read More
TRIGGER WARNING: This article includes references to mental illness (OCD; depression) and self-harm. Since their return to campus, students have faced mass isolations due to COVID-19 outbreaks in accommodation blocks. Students were already facing a dramatically different year. But the isolation and increasing social restrictions could also have a severe impact on their mental health. […]Read More
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