The Guardian newspaper has teamed up with Ones to Watch – a website showcasing the best UK student journalism – to launch a writing competition for UK undergraduate or postgraduate students.

The competition hopes to explore the issue of how the rise in tuition fees next year will impact students, their parents and the institutions. It will explore the debate about whether the student will become a consumer, and The Guardian thinks who better to ask than the students themselves!

The competition asks students to write a 600-word blog answering the question: “With fees tripling to £9,000 a year at most universities, is it inevitable that the student will become a consumer?”

The deadline for submissions is Sunday December 4th at 5PM (UK time) and the competition is open to any current UK undergraduate or postgraduate student.

The best entry will be published on Education Guardian’s Mortarboard Blog and on Ones to Watch.

The Guardian says: “We are open to any interpretation of the question, but are looking for something original, engaging and well-researched, that is written clearly and accurately.”

More details and information on entering can be found here: www.guardian.co.uk/education/mortarboard/2011/nov/30/students-higher-education

The term ‘Mickey Mouse’ was first used by education minister Margaret Hodge in 2003 during a discussion on higher education in the UK. She defined ‘Mickey Mouse’ courses as those “where the content is perhaps not as rigorous as one would expect and where the degree itself may not have huge relevance in the labour market”. In 2000, Staffordshire University was mocked for its module on footballer David Beckham and the debate flared up again last year, when a leading scientist, Dr Richard Pike, attacked the government for funding students doing degrees such as celebrity journalism and international football business management, saying that the funding should be channeled into science degrees and research instead.

But others insists that the degrees are of worth and have said that derogatory comments by the media rarely look beyond the titles of the courses to the actual content. Earlier this year, the first ever graduate from Liverpool Hope University’s master’s course in British band The Beatles, Mary-LU Zahalan-Kennedy, defended her course to the BBC, saying: “It’s absolutely academic […] It was an examination of how the Beatles came to be. What the political and social climate was and the cultural aspects that helped to facilitate an environment where the Beatles could happen.”

Last year, New York anthropology professor Philip Haseley claimed that UFO studies should be a ‘legitimate university subject’, saying: “It’s about time we looked into this as a worthy area of study [...] It’s important that the whole subject be brought out in the open and investigated.” He also said: “We know people who think this is a nonsense subject. And we’ll refer you to voluminous literature and facts about UFOs.”

Here’s some of the courses often quoted in the media as ‘weird and wonderful’ or ‘unusual’:

• Harry Potter – Durham University in the UK is offering a unit called ‘Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion’ as part of their Education Studies course. The module “places the Harry Potter novels of J.K. Rowling in their wider social and cultural context”, allowing students to explore themes such as ‘Harry Potter and Britishness’, ‘Gryffindor and Slytherin – prejudice and intolerance in the classroom’ and ‘the moral universe of the school – the legacy of the school story’
• Star Trek – Georgetown University (USA) offers a course in Philosophy and Star Trek, which looks at themes such as ‘is time travel possible?
• Star Wars – Queen’s University Belfast (Ireland) offers an open learning course in ‘Feel the Force: How to Train in the Jedi Way’, teaching students the psychological techniques behind Jedi mind tricks and looking at wider issues in Star Wars such s balance, destiny and fatherhood
• Maple syrup – Alfred University in New York (USA) offers “Maple Syrup – The Real Thing” as an honours seminar, looking at the profession and production of maple syrup
• Lace knitting – The University of Glasgow (UK) offers a fully-funded doctoral studentship on the ‘History of Lace Knitting in Shetland’.
• Zombies – The University of Baltimore (USA) is offering students the option of studying zombies, taught by Arnold Blumberg, who has written a book on zombie movies
• Vikings – The University of Nottingham (UK) offers a course in Viking Studies, where students can learn about Icelandic medieval literature and the archaeology of Medieval Britain, Celtic Britain and Ireland

What do you think about ‘unusual’ university subjects – valuable or useless? And what subjects would you consider to be a ‘Mickey Mouse’ degree? Would you ever study a degree in one of the subjects above? Join the debate!

The survey of over 1,000 international students studying in Brisbane, conducted through Brisbane Marketing’s www.studybrisbane.com.au website, also showed students chose Brisbane because it was a safe place to live and was recommended to them by friends.

Brisbane Marketing CEO John Aitken said it was not surprising safety and the environment were key factors in the choice of study destination. “Brisbane is known for its great weather and it has an international reputation as a safe and secure place to study,” Mr Aitken said.

More than half of the students surveyed nominated the climate and safety as their top reasons for studying in Brisbane, with other strong drivers being the lifestyle and local attractions and reputation of Brisbane’s education institutions.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Business student Yeting Xiao from Shenzhen confirmed Brisbane’s sunny reputation and safety record swayed her decision: “The fantastic environment really allows students to relax and enjoy the study process,” Ms Xiao said. “Unlike some of the larger cities, Brisbane provides a flexible lifestyle and it is one of the safest cities in the world, so my parents don’t worry about my safety here,” she said.

International students also indicated that a key influence was the number of job opportunities available after completion of their course and 45% said if granted a visa, they would stay if offered a job.

“These results show international students choose to study in Brisbane because they realise that this city may also provide further opportunities for them in their future careers,” Mr Aitken said.

Students considering study in Brisbane can find out more at – www.studybrisbane.com.au

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?

This week sees i-studentgroup head to west coast Canada to attend the 2011 Annual NAFSA Conference and Expo in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The conference, which officially opens its doors on Sunday the 29th of May and runs through to Friday the 3rd of June, features hundreds of educational sessions and workshops, guest speakers, plenary panels and networking events. Each year the conference attracts thousands of participants representing institutions, educational organisations and service providers from over 100 countries.

One of the highlights of the conference is always the International Education Expo, where this year over 400 institutions and organisations will be exhibiting including i-studentgroup. If you are attending the conference, don’t forget to stop by and visit i-studentgroup at booth 906 to view our full range of websites and online services.

Throughout the expo i-studentgroup will demonstrating a range of their interactive brochures and apps as well as offering previews of the newly designed i-studentadvisor and i-studentlife sites due to be launched in mid June. Recent apps designed by i-studentgroup include the Flinders University app (Australia) and the University of Limerick app (Ireland), both available to download for free from the iTunes store.

“We’re all really excited to show the apps at NAFSA this year” says Louise Singleton, Head of Design at i-studentgroup, “both the i-studentgroup team and and the universities have worked very hard. A lot of the university apps in the App Store at the moment are templated so our bespoke design really stands out. We’re very happy with how the apps have come together!”

For more information on the NAFSA Conference, visit the NAFSA website at: 
http://www.nafsa.org

See you in Vancouver.

The QS rankings, which are scored out of 100 and based on research, internationalism, teaching and graduate employability, have been running since 2004.

Scoring over 90 out of 100, Harvard University easily came out on top for each of the three categories and both the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford feature in the top 5 on each list.  Yale University, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) also feature heavily in each of the top tens.

The University of Melbourne is the only Australian institution to have made the top ten, featuring at number 8 in the Psychology list. Other high listing entries from Australia, Canada and Singapore also mark a slight shift in the heavily US dominated list.

Talking of the new subject specific rankings, Ben Sowter, Head of QS Intelligence Unit says, “The new QS World University Rankings by Subject respond to a need for comparative data at a more granular level.

“In many countries students are being charged more than ever before for their degrees. So assessing the potential career outcomes of one’s study choice is becoming increasingly important”, he continued.

The Guardian asked Paul for his thoughts on the effects of the higher fees – now that it has emerged all universities will charge at least £6,000 – on the number of British students going abroad for their education, and how universities overseas are responding to the increase in demand. They quoted him as saying:

“Meanwhile, it has emerged that overseas universities are redoubling their efforts to recruit English students to their universities.

Paul Loftus, managing director of i-studentgroup, which helps universities in the UK, Australia, Canada, the US and New Zealand with their recruitment, said foreign universities were targeting the UK. “If overseas universities haven’t started lifting their recruitment efforts to try to get British students, they are now.”

Loftus said more British students than in the past were considering going abroad for university, in part because of higher fees. “Although the Australian dollar is strong, many British teenagers are enrolling on courses in Australia, Canada and New Zealand in particular.” ”

To see the full article, please click here.

For more information about studying abroad, please see the i-studentgroup website

As universities announce their proposed fees for 2012 under the new tuition fees rules, it is becoming clear that government calculations were not quite right. With most universities choosing the highest fees of £9,000 – which the government predicted would only be in “exceptional circumstances” – the average fees now stand at nearly £8,700, compared to the £7,500 predicted by the government. This equals bad news in terms of finance, with the government having to provide more money for loans than they had calculated for, resulting in an estimated shortfall of £450m by 2014. This could lead to a reduction in the number of student places, or further cuts to teaching grants.

The high fees are also feared to push UK and EU students to choose to study elsewhere in the world or on distance learning courses, resulting in lower students numbers. Universities are therefore looking for other ways of funding, and appear to have high hopes for the income from non-EU international students – which is often used to subsidise home students, with high international fees with no cap. There are also no government limits on the number of non-EU student places at universities, unlike for UK and EU students, which are limited to minimise the cost to the taxpayer (their fees are subsidies by taxes). In 2010, the income from non-EU student fees in UK higher education stood at 9.6% of the total income (£2.1 billion).

However, with the recent changes to student visas feared to put off international students and increased competition from other nations – not to mention between UK universities -some have said these hopes are unrealistic. The numbers being predicted include plans to raise non-EU international student numbers by up to 100% over the next four years in some cases. According to Times Higher Education (THE), the University of Exeter if planning a 73% increase in non-EU undergraduates between now and 2014, with Durham University planning a 79% rise.

THE reports that Les Ebdon, chair of  Million+ -  a university think tank with a membership of mainly newer universities, many of which used to be polytechnics – said: “Every (institution’s) strategic plan includes losses of money on home students and a massive increase in international students. (Hefce) says it is unbelievable. It is unlikely the numbers would increase by the amount people are predicting. However, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) declined to give an official comment until they have reviewed the universities’ long-term financial plans, which were due last week.

The plans by universities will be good news for non-EU students, and will likely result in more offers for them in UK universities especially as, although they have been tightened, the new student visa rules are not as restrictive as first feared. However, it may not be such good news for UK and EU students, though a spokesman for the Durham University said: “Increasing the number of international students is not at the expense of UK/EU enrolments. Regrettably the number of UK/EU students we can accept is capped by government”. He also explained: “We receive far more highly qualified UK/EU applicants than Government allows us to admit and we would like a change in Government policy on this.”

To find out more about studying in the UK, see i-studentadvisor’s UK guide.

The theme of the competition is: “How will I use my learning to become a ‘Graduate with Impact’?” This theme has been chosen because:

• Obtaining a degree is important but the whole university learning experience should contribute to your effectiveness as a citizen, in work and in the world
• Employers have expressed views about the suitability of new graduates for the world of work and the concept of ‘global citizenship’ is an expectation that graduates will contribute more widely than within employment

This competition offers the opportunity for students currently in business education to have a voice and identify within your learning experience ‘What works for me?’

BMAF is looking for bright, enthusiastic students to submit a podcast, video, A1 poster, article or likewise describing their experiences studying and how they intend to make an impact with their experience.

When submitting their entries, students should consider:

• Which elements of your learning experience make you feel you will have impact in the world in the future?
• Why was that experience effective for you?
• How do you intend to have impact? What have you contributed already?
• What could other students and academic staff learn from your experience?

What can you win?

The author of the winning submission will be win:

• a cheque for £300 from the Higher Education Academy BMAF Network
• an iPod Touch donated by the Association of Business Schools (ABS)
• and will be invited to attend the Higher Education Academy Annual Conference at the East Midlands
• Conference Centre, Nottingham, on 5-6 July 2011

There are also two runner-up prizes of £150 available from the BMAF and these and other submissions will be made available via the HEA/BMAF website.

Plus! School awards

The School or Faculty that the winning student is registered with will be presented with a Certificate to recognise the positive environment that student has described. The outcomes of all submissions will be aggregated and shared with business and management schools and students and may contribute to future BMAF/ABS activities.

Criteria

If you fulfil the following criteria, you are eligible to enter the competition.

• Open to students registered on programmes with business and management schools in the UK. Please identify the university you are at
• Submitted to bmaf@brookes.ac.uk on time – 17:00 on Friday 18th March 2011, accompanied by a completed Entry Form
• Maximum size of 1100 words if written, 5 minutes if podcast or video, A1 if a poster (Contact bmaf@brookes.ac.uk for arrangements if submitting video or audio)
• Of a standard of writing, language, presentation, content, etc. acceptable for the BMAF website, and for use in their publications where appropriate
• Describes particular learning experiences and how those influenced you, why the opportunities were of benefit, with linked advice for students and university staff
• Outlines how you hope this experience, knowledge, etc. will enable you to have impact in work and society, or possibly already has
• Contains interesting, thoughtful and constructive discussion
• Appropriate use is made of the format chosen

More information

To learn more about the competition, and about last year’s entries, and to download an Entry Form, visit the BMAF website here . For queries, please contact the BMAF Network office at bmaf@brookes.ac.uk or 01865 485670.

Undoubtedly there has been progress since the times when women weren’t allowed to study at all. UNESCO reports that more girls and women are in education than ever before, from primary through to tertiary education, and evidence supports this. For example, in Chile, last year the number of women in higher education topped the number of men- at 51% and similar figures are seen in Australia. In the UK, figures show that over half of women in England are now going into higher education (as of 2010), compared to just 1 in 20 in the 1960s. Reports in the US showed that in 2010, women doing PhDs in the USA outnumbered men. In the protests against tuition fee rises in the UK last year, women were often at the forefront of the action – organising, planning, leading.

However, this progress is not seen in every country. Two thirds of the world’s illiterate adults– of which there are just under 800 million – are women, and less than 40% of countries provide equal access to education to both sexes.

Even in the western world, there are still massive divides and inequalities in representation, especially in certain subjects. As an example, there are far less women studying engineering than men in most countries – in Australia, the number of women in engineering and related fields is just 4.6%. This is despite initiatives designed to combat this such as the UKRC in the UK, who support and promote women in science, engineering and technology.

This inequality is seen in the world of employment as well as in education. Despite continuing pressure and campaigns, women in Britain earn on average 10% less than men for doing the same jobs, and this pay gap is not only experienced in the UK. Women hold only 11% of the world’s parliamentary seats. In Germany, women  hold just 5% of management positions, according to official figures. There are many more examples.

Although great leaps forward have been made, it seems women still do not experience full equality, whether it be in education, work or life. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been quoted as saying: “There’s still a lot to do to obtain real equality in a real everyday sense”, and this seems true also in the world of education. Hopefully International Women’s Day will raise awareness, and developments will continue to be made to make education accessible to all women.

To read the United Nations’ Secretary-General’s message about International Women’s Day, click here.