The guide contains a range of interesting and informative articles exploring the study of specific subjects overseas, written by experts and professionals from within the six main areas of higher education and industry. The guide also contains select articles from counsellors and students about their own experience and their advice about overseas education.

The guide is divided into sections according to subject, with correspond with our interactive online subject guides, where you can find even more useful articles and information.

We’d like to thank all of our contributors who have shared their knowledge and expertise to make this guide as extensive and informative as possible. We are confident that the articles and information within this guide will help students to embark upon the wonderful experience of international study.

If you would like to request a free copy of The Subject Guide 2012, please click here and provide us with your name, school name and address. You can also preview some of the pages from The Subject Guide 2012 in the gallery below.

Interested in contributing to the next issue of The Subject Guide? We are always looking for new associations, organisations and counsellors to contribute to our guides. Please contact us at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

If you are from an institution and are interested in featuring in any of the i-studentadvisor resources – online or in print – please contact us at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

View a gallery of sample pages from The Subject Guide 2012…

This issue features a range of interesting and informative articles about studying these popular subject areas in different countries, and the careers they can lead to. Along with a wealth of information about what you can study within this area, it also includes firsthand advice from an entrepreneur, and an interview with an organisational development consultant about using psychology in the business world.

Click here to read this issue now.

As always, we’d like to say a big thank you to all of our contributors who have taken the time to share their experience and expertise in this issue. We really appreciate all the hard work of the organisations, professionals, experts and students who have made this i-BEL guide as extensive and useful as possible.

Once you have read through this guide and have an idea of what, and where, you would like to study, browse the country pages on this website to find out all about fees, visas and more in your chosen country.

We always love to hear feedback – good or bad – so if you have any thoughts of comments about this issue or suggestions for future issues, please let us know, either in the box below or by emailing – editorial@i-studentgroup.com

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of i-BEL and it proves useful in helping you research your study options.

If you are a professional or an association/organisation and are interested in contributing to the next issue of i-BEL, or any of our other guides, please contact us.

The new website offers all the country-specific information a student will need to start researching their options for studying overseas. On our country pages you can find information about visas, the application process, entry requirements, travel and much more in six of the most popular English-speaking countries – Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.

Plus, you can still read all of our extensive interactive subject guides on the Subjects page, which are great for students who know which subject they want to study but are not sure on the country, or for those who want to find out more about a certain subject area. You can also read more subject- and country-specific articles by professional and educational organisations, plus blogs by our i-studentlife bloggers that show what it’s like studying overseas from a student perspective.

For counsellors and advisors, we also have our Counsellor Chronicles page, which contains articles written by education experts and counsellors from around the world about their work. Also, have a look at our News page for all the latest international news stories affecting education around the world.

We will be continuing to update and add content and features to the website in the coming months, as we strive to make the website as useful and enjoyable as possible. If you want to keep updated with all the latest news and articles, you can Subscribe or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

We always love to hear what our readers and visitors think, so if you have any comments or suggestions about the new website – or any of our resources – please get in touch at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

We hope you enjoy our new website!

Best wishes

The i-studentadvisor team

Professor AC Grayling, former Professor of Philosophy at Birbeck College, University of London is leading the launch of the College, along with other world class academics Richard Dawkins, Sir David Cannadine and Niall Ferguson.

Speaking of the college, which will offer eight undergraduate degrees in five areas of the humanities, Grayling says, “Our students will be challenged to develop as skilled, informed and reflective thinkers, and will receive an education to match that aspiration.”

The London-based College, which is due to open next September, has sparked much debate among educational professionals and professors across the UK in regards to equality and financial fairness.

Commenting on the institution, Baroness Blackstone, Vice Chancellor of the University of Greenwich said that The New College of Humanities would be “an institution for the very rich”.

Whilst General Secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) Sally Hunt said, “While many would love the opportunity to be taught by the likes of AC Grayling and Richard Dawkins, at £18,000 a go it seems it won’t be the very brightest but those with the deepest pockets who are afforded the chance.”

Speaking at an event in London on Tuesday, Grayling found himself facing stern criticism and angry chants about budget cuts and his responsibility to the education sector from audience members. Defending his position Grayling stated: “We’ve set up a charitable trust as well that is already taking endowments. We want to be able to educate gifted people from the state sector for free – we might be the only institution doing this.” He continued “We are not in it to get rich, God knows that is not going to happen.”

What do you think? Is The New College of Humanities a good idea? Do you think it discriminates against poorer students?

i-studentenquiry.com, the free service matching students with universities, colleges and English language schools around the world, has relaunched and now offers faster, clearer results for both students and institutions.

First launched in 2010, i-studentenquiry allows prospective students to fill out one simple form for either undergraduate, postgraduate or English language study. Students enter their requirements, such as the courses they would like to study and in which countries, along with their qualifications and personal details on a secure form. The form is then processed by the intelligent algorithm powering i-studentenquiry.com to find which universities and colleges around the world could provide the education the student is seeking.

The latest version of i-studentenquiry includes a range of new features to make the system more accessible and easier to use, such as:

• The “My Account” page, allowing students to log in and view their enquiry history and matches
• Easier to fill out forms, allowing students to complete their enquiry quickly and simply
• Improved control for institutions, ensuring faster responses to student enquiries

i-studentgroup would like to thank all of the students, counsellors and university admissions professionals who provided valuable feedback during the development of the new and improved i-studentenquiry service. To fill out your form, visit http://www.i-studentenquiry.com

You can also join the i-studentenquiry Facebook page here – http://www.facebook.com/istudentenquiry

The Russell Group, which represents 20 of the UK’s top universities including Oxford and Cambridge, recently sparked controversy with it’s new guide, Informed Choices, to help students choose A levels in preparation for university. Some, including the British Journal of Photography (BJP), felt that the guide has attacked so-called ‘soft subjects’ and accused the Russell Group of short-sightedness.

The guide warns students considering taking more than one ‘soft’ subject – usually courses that are vocational or practical based such as art, music or business studies- that “some caution may be needed” and encourages students to take two or more A level qualifications in ‘hard’ or ‘facilitating’ subjects such as English, maths and the sciences in order to have “a much wider range of options open to you at university”. They also state that general or critical studies should only be taken as an additional subject and not be one that students rely on for entry requirements.

But in an article the BJP editors, and the photography lecturers they spoke to, argued that it was absurd to consider some subjects as ‘soft’ and that these subjects could teach students independent thinking and creativity. However, although it may be aggravating to those involved in the ‘soft’ subjects it should be considered that this is not a new categorisation created by the Russell Group; the grouping of subjects as ‘soft’ and ‘hard’, whether correct or not, has been a persistent problem.

The BJP also pointed out the need for encouraging students to take up arts and humanities subjects, especially after government cuts meant a withdrawal of funding for these courses in the university sector. At a time when unemployment is high and university fees are set to increase, there are already fears that students will not take creative/humanities subjects, instead opting for subjects they think can lead to a specific job. There may be a worry that the Russell Group’s guide may discourage students further from taking a broad range of subjects, instead promoting the traditional ‘hard’ ones.

The guide could be of great use to students considering their post-16 study choices, though some of it’s recommendations may not sit comfortably with some. For example, the guide states: “By choosing facilitating subjects at advanced level, you will have a much wider range of options open to you at university. An advanced level qualification in any facilitating subject will keep open to you a number of degree courses” and also states that choosing non-facilitating subjects doesn’t increase your options at university.

Whilst this may be true in some circumstance, evidence shows that a majority of courses do not require specific subjects and will consider most subjects, whether ’soft’ or ‘hard’. Recent research titled ‘A level subjects: What universities want’ by The Guardian showed that many universities do not require or discount specific subjects, with the exception of general studies which some of the universities involved said could not be part of the entry requirements. Most outlined that for some courses specific A levels may be needed but this is not ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ based; i.e. whilst engineering may require a ‘hard’ subject such as maths, other subjects such as art will require a ‘soft’ qualification such as A level art.

For example, in the research Canterbury Christ Church University said: “We do not differentiate between A-level subjects and accept general studies. However, for some programmes a specific A-level or equivalent is required, eg a music A-level for the music degree, art for our fine art degree programme and most of our science programmes require at least one science A-level.”

City University London also said: “General studies is the only A-level generally excluded. Having it would not damage their chances of winning a place, as long as there was sufficient preparation elsewhere on the form.”

In any case, students should make sure they are aware of the requirements for the courses and universities they are interested in. If you are unsure of what you would like to study at university, you should try to keep your options as wide as possible and study subjects that may be required for subjects you think you might want to study.

To see the Russell Group Informed Choices guide, click here. To see the The Guardian’s ‘A levels: What universities want’ click here.

What do you think about the categorising of subjects as ‘soft’ and ‘hard’? Have you taken an A level subject that you don’t enjoy in order to have better qualifications? Let us know your thoughts.

In England, applications before Christmas rose by 3.3% compared to the previous year, and in Wales they rose by 1.7%. The biggest rush was experienced during November. Applications from students from the rest of the EU and from non-EU countries also grew.

The rising of university tuition fees in the UK, meaning students will pay up to £9,000 a year, has led to a frenzy of students trying to start their course before the rise, along with the large numbers of students who did not manage to get a university place last year. Many of the extra applicants are from older students, with high increases in applications from 19- and 20-year-olds.

Competition will be fierce, with over 8,000 more students applying this year. However, there are the same number of university places as there were last year, so many students will be left disappointed; one in three applicants did not get a place last year.

Application numbers have risen most significantly in subjects related to medicine, law and education, but fell in linguistics and classics, perhaps supporting the view that rising fees will mean less people will study subjects that are not considered to lead straight into a specific job, such as the humanities.

Despite the rises in England and Wales, Scottish institutions saw applications fall by 15.2% from last year. This could be a backlash to new proposals to raise tuition fees for students from the rest of the UK by up to three times in 2012. Currently, students from England and Wales pay under £2,000 but Scottish students pay nothing, as do EU students due to European Union rules that state they must be charged the same as home students.

It gives us great pleausure to welcome you to the latest i-BEL guide with information about the worlds of business, economics and law study.

These subjects are always popular with students around the world and within the following pages you will find articles from the very best sources. There is information about how globalisation is affecting international business, how the global economic crisis has affected study and the future opportunities for business, economics and law students.

As with our other subject specific guides, the main focus is on the main English-speaking study destination, with a wealth of information about Australia, the UK, the USA, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand.

We would like to thank all the associations, academics and other professionals who have contributed valuable articles. The guide is packed full of insight, advice and knowledge and this is largely thanks to their generous efforts.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we have making it. As always you can have your say about the magazine at editorial@i-studentadvisor.com.

The results were released by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) in an analysis of higher education applications.

The new trend marks the re-emergence of scientific subjects after a lengthy period of relative unpopularity during the economic boom, as major employers in key industries have indicated that such skills will be in high demand in the coming years.

The CAO, Ireland’s centralised college admissions service, is currently handling a record high number of 77,126 higher education applications, an increase of more than 17% when compared to figures from 2007.

Science subjects are currently the first preference for 7% of applicants, up from 5.4% in 2007.  Also in 2007, only 1,835 students listed computing as their first preference; this year, however, that figure has jumped to 4.7%.

Other subjects, however, have seen a decline in interest; in areas such as nursing, education, architecture and law there have been fewer first preference applications, though these remain popular subjects.

Commenting on the increased interest in the areas of science, engineering and computing a HEA spokesperson said: “These are the areas where we need more people. Career opportunities are and will be available in the future.”

For further information on studying science, engineering and computing subjects in Ireland read the latest i-SECT guide from i-studentadvisor, containing a special Irish supplement: http://www.i-studentadvisor.com/isa/2010/isect/isect-2010.html

The first such summer school was held in Beijing last year, and CUPL students will be attending Exeter’s first summer school at the same time in order to follow a bespoke programme in Law.

CUPL is generally regarded as the top-ranked university for Law in China, and as in 2009 Exeter students studying Law and the Social Sciences and going to CUPL will be accompanied by members of academic staff keen to develop research links.

Dr Greta Bosch, lecturer in Law at the University of Exeter said, ‘Our students are very excited about visiting Beijing in July.  At Exeter we are committed to fostering an academic experience that is international in outlook. This programme represents a unique opportunity for our students to visit partner university CUPL, and to participate in an academically and culturally enriching experience. At Exeter we recognise the importance of Study Abroad as a means of enhancing life and employability skills already developed at the University, and I am delighted that financial assistance has been provided by Exeter under its Internationalisation Strategy to help students achieve this dream’.

The three week Summer School will run from 11 to 31 July and is built around daily lectures – including comparative study of e.g. Chinese and UK law, Chinese policy affecting the European Union, Human Rights Law – and various cultural excursions. CUPL is also organising visits to various non-Governmental organisations and talks by law companies.

Prof Zhu Yong, the Vice President of CUPL, said ‘Following the success and enthusiastic response to last year’s programme we welcome this year’s students and staff from the University of Exeter. This is an excellent opportunity to build upon the already strong ties between our two institutions, and to develop further both research linkages as well as the interchange of students.’
Prior to the summer school the University of Exeter provides Mandarin language and Chinese culture training. A ‘buddy system’, whereby CUPL designates students to help team up with Exeter students on arrival, helps Exeter students and staff to settle in.

Article courtesy of the Press Office at the University of Exeter.