We’re proud to present our latest subject-specific magazine, i-LASH, for courses in the liberal arts, social sciences and humanities.

These subjects are consistently popular with international students, providing an insight into the way we live, think and experience the world around us. This issue explores a range of subjects such as history, philosophy, psychology, geography, international studies and more, with discussions on how studying such subjects can provide a fantastic education as well as open up a wealth of rewarding and inspiring career opportunities.

As always we love to hear feedback from our readers so if you want to share your thoughts on i-LASH or any of the i-studentadvisor publications you can contact us through editorial@i-studentadvisor.com

We hope you enjoy this issue and will join us again for our next subject-specific magazine, i-MHS, for courses in medicine and health science.

The study, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, found that three of the top performing universities were the University of Surrey (96.9%), Robert Gordon University (95.9%) and the University of Cambridge (95.2%).

One of the reasons for Surrey’s success maybe the practice of encouraging students to take a professional training placement as part of their studies. This usually happens in the third of fourth year. Head of careers at the University of Surrey, Russ Clark said that “Surrey has always been committed to producing employable graduates” and that the university “attracts students who are very focused and have one eye on the world of work”.

The study also seems to show that specialist universities tend to do better when it comes to graduate employment. Institutions such as the Central School of Speech and Drama and the Royal College of Music both performed well with over 98% of students in employment six months after graduation.

The overall statistic for all graduating students in employment after six months is around 89%. This leaves around 10% of students unemployed after six months, up on the figure of 8% from last year. The study follows on the heels of a another recent survey that found that for each graduate job advertised there was an average of seventy applicants, suggesting the market for graduate jobs was becoming incredibly competitive. This may be one of the reasons that specialist schools perform better, as their students are already trained in certain fields rather than broader subjects.

It has also emerged recently that record numbers of students will be applying to universities this summer in the UK, up a massive 11% on last year. This has led to fears that similarly large percentages may be left disappointed by the lack of university places. Government restrictions and funding cuts are being blamed for the shortfall in places.

As the fight for university places and graduate employment becomes more competitive, students are advised that being an organised, hard working and persistent candidate will benefit them in both instances.

With its young, fresh design and simple navigation i-studentlife is the ideal starting point for students looking to find out about degree programmes, study abroad programmes and the student lifestyle in the top study destination countries. On the site you will find a variety of interesting articles that cover all aspects of studying overseas and life beyond. We work with students globally who are already studying overseas and are keen to share their experiences with other students looking to follow in their footsteps.

The i-studentlife writers are based around the world, either providing on-going blogs allowing their readers to follow their experiences or writing one-off articles on subjects such as volunteering overseas, travel, internships, entertainment, fashion and more. We also regularly feature interviews with young professionals to provide insight on the best way to pursue a particular career.

Our Community also allows students to interact with our writers, editors and other readers to get the very latest on international education and student life around the world.

i-studentlife was created to provide a voice for students, so if you’re a student yourself with something to say, email us to find out how you can get involved.

The following measures are in place with immediate effect:

• Non-EU applicants will need to prove they have an almost-GCSE standard of English, rather than the beginner level currently required.
• To ensure applicants are coming to the UK to focus on study rather than work, students on courses below degree level will be restricted to 10 hours paid work a week instead of the current 20.
• Students on courses that last less than six months will not be permitted to bring dependants into the country, and dependants of students on below degree-level courses will not be permitted to work.
• Visas for courses that include work placements will now only be granted if the institution is on the Highly Trusted Sponsors List, a new register for educational establishments.

The increased restrictions on student visas are part of the British governments response to concerns about students coming to the UK and failing to leave at the agreed time, as well as others abusing the system and taking university places away from genuine international students.

The UK is one of the most highly-sought destinations for international students, who are thought to be worth between £5m and £8m to the UK economy.

For more information on UK visas visit the UK Border Agency and read the latest UK edition from i-studentadvisor.

Currently there are 2000 students who graduate from counselling programs a year from the nations 12 institutions but the country only has a mere 1865 counsellors for a total population of 25 million. These counsellors come from various sectors – Government, private, academic, teaching and non profit organizations

“We can’t deny the importance of counselling and we are looking at the effectiveness of counselling programmes at these institutions” Said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin at the 2009 National Counselling Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Mohamed Khaled has suggested that employers should provide mental health insurance for their workers from private practitioners as burnout and other stress-related issues are common in the workplace.

Counsellors face several common issues which include sexual harassment, domestic violence, child abuse, rape and teenage angst.

It has been recommended that counsellor to student ratios at schools should be 1:500, 1:10,000 for career and vocation and 1:5,000 for crisis counselling and 1:2,500 for family and marriage counselling.

Latin America, the Caribbean as well as Central Asia show an increase in female enrolments and in a number of countries, a female-to-male ratio being two to one. North America and Europe show there are a third more women than men on campus. In Canada, women make up 55% of masters students. A connection has been established between the high proportion of women in Canadian Universities and poor performances of boys in high school. It is found amongst school exam results that 46% of girls earned an average result of 80% and above while 32% of male students earned results of the same standard. Similar situations have been found in Australia too.

Enrolment in Arab states show equality in both genders which shows a great increase in females furthering their education. Reports show that if the trend continues, women will soon take the lead in that region as well. Saudi Arabia plans to launch the world’s largest women’s university in 2010. Enrolment in the Arab states may be high but female employment remains extremely low.

South African government statistics show 59% of graduates were women despite them only representing 55.5% of all enrolments. Women began making remarkable gains in South African higher education after the first democratic election. By this time, the number of female students grew by 5.5% a year against the overall undergraduate enrolment growth of 4.9%

Ireland’s seven universities show a female majority of 59% to 41%. Irish lawyers, pharmacists, dentists, doctors and physiotherapists in the future will be female dominated occupations.

Though Men still dominate fields of engineering, manufacturing and construction, there is no doubt that women are planning to leap into the professional world. A third of the world’s countries have achieved parity and it is fair to say the rise in female graduates will push to take a greater place in the world job market.

Next week we will be launching the new sister site to i-studentadvisor, i-studentlife.com. Unlike the i-studentadvisor publications and i-studentadvisor blog which are aimed at guidance counsellors and education professionals, i-studentlife is solely for the students who are considering studying overseas and want to find out more.

i-studentlife is for the international student who wants to take control of their search for a higher education overseas and gain additional knowledge of international study that they won’t get from their guidance counsellor.

Working with our team at i-studentlife is a fantastic group of international students who are already studying overseas at institutions in the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. These students will be writing regular blogs about their experiences as international students abroad and sharing advice with the students who are considering following in their footsteps.

For students already at college or younger students thinking about the future, there is a careers section featuring interviews with graduates and young professionals that offers a valuable insight into various career paths. There is also a section of articles about gap year experiences, study abroad programmes and various other opportunities for  study and travel before, during and after a degree.

On top of all that, the ‘international study’ section includes key information about applying to study in the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand in an easy to read format. Finally, the ’student life’ section offers students a glimpse into the youth culture of the countries they want to study in, from fashion in California to university sport in Australia.

i-studentlife will be launching on September 1st 2009 and will be updated weekly from then. If you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see on the i-studentlife website or if you are an international student and would like to write for us, leave a comment or email me at nikki.t@isa-media.com.

The data contained in the preliminary report is an annual survey of almost 4,000 graduates on NUI Galway full-time programmes. The survey is conducted nine months after graduation and gives an invaluable insight into employment opportunities and further study trends.

The survey found that the proportion of primary degree graduates seeking employment is 3.7%. The numbers of primary degree graduates entering further study is, as expected, up on last year, to nearly 51%.

John Hannon, Head of the Career Development Centre in NUI Galway, commented: “At a time when national unemployment figures approach 12%, we are delighted to see that NUI Galway graduates have particularly high standing among employers. Graduates are our future leaders and their energy, skills, knowledge and contribution to enterprise and innovation will help bring us back on the road to economic recovery”.

Mr Hannon added: “NUI Galway statistics are very positive when compared to the national average.  However, we cannot forget how challenging the current economic climate is for graduates who are looking for employment. Students who take postgraduate diplomas, masters and PhDs not only enhance their learning; they gain additional evidence of transferable skills that improve employability such as problem-solving, teamwork, communication and leadership”.

To learn more about studying in Ireland, read the i-studentadvisor Ireland edition at www.i-studentadvisor.com/ireland

i-studentadvisor would love to hear from any international students who have recently graduated in Ireland and are looking for employment, e-mail your stories or experiences to: editorial@i-studentadvisor.com