Brits drink tea all the time

When the Sons of Liberty tipped 45 tons of tea into the sea during their Boston Tea Party, Britain was mortified. Not because of the lost tax but because, well, it was such a waste. We consume a whopping 2.3kg of tea per person each year.Most native Britons would hook themselves up to an IV drip of the stuff if they could. That doesn?t mean you?ll struggle if you don?t like it, though: global coffee chains and fruit/herbal/green teas ( Read more... )
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While this is the closest most of us will come to the island nation off the south-east coast of Africa, someone who is much more familiar with the country is Nigerian-born travel writer and broadcaster Christina Dodwell. She spent time there while writing her travel guide, Madagascar Travels, and fell in love with the country.

Fifteen years ago Dodwell started her own charity, the Dodwell Trust, to bring connections and education to the people of Madagascar. ?It ( Read more... )
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2005 marks the 10th anniversary of the RfO campaign and the fifth year of benchmarking with member companies. During that time, by far the biggest changes have been around the motivation for achieving diversity, says RfO's director, Sandra Kerr.

"Ten years ago many organisations in both the private and public sector would ask us why there should be a need for diversity. Now, newcomers to the network can see the benefits of diversity and are asking how they can improve their performance ( Read more... )
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?I was initially apprehensive about showing paintings and pieces that didn?t work,? says Andrew Bentham, a graduate in fine art from Manchester Metropolitan University. ?However, I was convinced by tutors that when it comes to an interview, someone who brings in a lot of experiments that might not have worked out ? rather than a rack of similar portraits ? will have a far better chance of winning a place.? Bentham also ensured that each piece had a story to it. ?I think ( Read more... )
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With courses available in subjects ranging from water sports to stage make-up and from conservation management to forklift truck driving, it's little wonder that colleges boast endless examples of how they have attracted people who would not traditionally be interested in education. In many cases, courses are created with the sole purpose of appealing to groups of people who have historically turned their nose up at classrooms.

Take Gateshead, where 77 per cent of adults who take part ( Read more... )
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Sex is a serious business, but in the heat of the moment people rarely think clearly about it. Yet it can affect your health, or even land you with a child you?re not prepared for, so it?s important to consider how you want to approach it in your time at university or college.

But what?s different about sex at university/college?

Well, potentially quite a lot. For a start, you might not have had sex yet, and there?s nothing wrong with that. In fact, you ( Read more... )
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Hard cell

Q. Later this year I'm starting a doctorate in stem cell research, but I have been rejected for a scholarship by the Medical Research Council (MRC). My financial situation is fairly desperate ? is it true that some charities offer funding to postgraduates?

A. First, the MRC is only one of seven research councils in the UK. Before giving up, you could also try the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, as this fits ( Read more... )
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The idea would be to help students avoid falling into debt while they study.

The government is currently carrying out a review of tuition fees and is due to announce its findings later this year.

The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills said the plan was speculative and might not be in its final proposals.

Currently universities can charge up to around 3,000 pounds a year in tuition fees and earlier this year university chiefs said the charges needed ( Read more... )
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After finishing my A-levels, I chose to take part in the Year in Industry scheme run by the Royal Academy of Engineering. This consisted of a year working for a global, multi-disciplinary engineering firm. It was really good. I got exposure to some huge projects, as well as getting a project to call my own. It was the first time that I was ever given responsibility in a job, which made me enthusiastic about getting started with my degree.

Straight after I took the gap year I applied for ( Read more... )
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An apprenticeship is a combination of on- and off-the-job training available to young people aged 16-24. The training offers a structured route to a successful career, with learning constantly monitored and your performance checked regularly to ensure you are getting the most out of it.

As an apprentice you would work alongside experienced colleagues to gain job-specific skills. Off-the-job, usually on a day release basis, you would receive training with a local college to gain all the ( Read more... )
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Just think of what you've done today: boiled a kettle; squeezed toothpaste from a tube; walked along a pavement; caught a bus; sent an email; got cash from a hole in the wall; and had lunch in a canteen. None of this would have been possible without the research, design and manufacturing efforts of mechanical, chemical, civil and electrical engineers. And these examples cover a mere fraction of the areas of life where engineers are indispensable.

So, it should be no surprise to hear that ( Read more... )
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I always liked cars, so when a teacher at my school offered me the opportunity to study mechanics I jumped at the chance. I was able to go to college and school at the same time. Three days a week I would do my GCSEs at school and the other two days I?d study mechanics at college. I was 14 when I started that, and it was great to get out of school for two days a week to go to college, which was really different because you could speak to the teachers in a way you couldn?t at ( Read more... )
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Most importantly, start thinking about your finances before you get to university. Luckily, I had sorted out my student account before I arrived at the fresher's fair, because otherwise I would have been lured by the big banks' stands offering freebies ranging from cash to Indian take-outs. Later in the term your choice of student account might make the difference between big nights out and boring nights in - so choose the account offering the biggest interest-free overdraft.

An overdraft ( Read more... )
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Job description (what it says): A designer who prepares plans for buildings and supervises their construction. Architecture combines art and science, and requires drawing skills, building and construction knowledge plenty of creativity. The aim is to design a functioning structure that is superficially pleasing, to you that is. Architects are trained to produce detailed working drawings and specifications in response to a client's brief. Architects are expected to control a project from ( Read more... )
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This might sound like a common problem - plenty of people can't sing, after all - but amusic people can't tell the difference between one tune and another. Non-sufferers can hear subtle differences in pitch between two similar notes, but for amusics the difference has to be really large before they notice.

Watching contestants trying to sing on talent shows can be pretty hilarious, but in fact amusia can be a very difficult condition to live with. Imagine if all music just sounded like ( Read more... )
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What documents will I need when I arrive?

First up, your passport. It?s best to make sure that this is valid for the duration of your stay in the UK, avoiding the cost and difficulties of transferring your visa to a new passport later down the line. You may also need to show the acceptance letter from your place of study, as well as proof of your own funds (or that of a sponsor) to pay your way, such as your last three bank statements. Be sure to carry all your ( Read more... )
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History: It's been a centre of learning since being founded in 1888. But described by the Scottish Office as "an industrial university" in 1902, it wasn't allowed to call itself a university proper until April 1994. It's also had three previous incarnations: Dundee Institute of Technology; Dundee College of Technology; and Dundee Technical Institute.

Address: Centre of Dundee.

Ambience: One of the UK's smallest universities, with mostly local students but a growing ( Read more... )
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?Everyone is the same. It?s impossible to tell them apart!? Words I hear regularly from both university admissions tutors and graduate recruiters. Admissions tutors, especially for competitive courses such as medicine, veterinary science and law, face a stack of UCAS applications from ?straight A? students all professing to have shown an interest in their subject since the age of three.

Very few, however, demonstrate relevant work experience to back up their claims. ( Read more... )
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The Higher Education Policy Institute's (Hepi) review of bursaries highlighted "serious shortcomings" in the current bursary system.

It said that under present arrangements, hugely different bursaries were given to poor students with similar needs - a system that was unfair to both universities and the students themselves.

It argued that a national bursary scheme would provide funding to students on the basis of need, not where they study.

So today's schoolchildren are growing up surrounded by examples of people making their way in another country and speaking another language, namely English. But, according to British businesses, we shouldn't just sit back and let foreigners come here and master our tongue. We should follow suit.

A recent report from the CBI, the employers' organisation, showed that around three-quarters of companies look for recruits with some foreign language skills, and are likely to demand more such expertise ( Read more... )
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