今天早晨（2019年8月14日），英国工党的教育大臣安吉拉·雷纳宣布了一项新的大学申请程序计划，该计划将在工党上台后的“首届任期结束时”实施。根据这一新提出的计划，学生只有在收到他们的A级成绩后才能申请大学，以避免让来自有特权背景的人相对于来自无特权背景的人具有任何优势。雷纳表示，为了解决这一问题，需要进行“激进的改变”。

现有制度如何不利于来自不太有特权背景的学生？

当前的申请制度依赖于大学根据学生的预测成绩给出录取通知。工党认为这种做法有两个歧视性原因；首先，他们表示，大学可能会预测较低的成绩，导致学生错失了本来可以申请的其他大学的机会，或因预测成绩低而未达到大学的入学要求而被拒绝。其次，他们建议，大学可能会过高地预测成绩，导致学生申请了入学要求更高的大学。

预测成绩到底有多准确？

就像所有预测一样，可能至少会有一些出入。英国商业创新与技能部在一项2011年的研究中证实了这一点，声称只有51.7%的预测成绩是准确的，其中6.6%被低估，47.7%被高估。

学院协会（Association of Colleges）的首席执行官David Hughes称，这个数字实际上要低得多；“只有16%的申请者实现了他们的预测A级成绩，这明确说明了在成绩出来之前申请是有问题的。”

我们询问了现在的学生他们的预测成绩是否准确，以及这是否影响了他们对大学的选择。

一名学生说，“我实际上得到的成绩比我的预测成绩高，如果我提前知道，我本可以申请其他大学。”另一名学生说，“我没有进入我第一志愿的大学，但那是因为我申请了一个入学要求比我的预测成绩高得多的大学——我的预测成绩非常准确。”相反，一名学生告诉我们，“我的预测成绩更高，但我没有收到我第一志愿大学的录取通知，因为我没有通过面试。”

那么，这是一个好主意吗？

你对这种情况有什么看法？当我们询问了一群学生关于这个主题的观点时，我们得到了非常不同的反应。

这是一个好主意

Adam，一个当前的历史和国际关系学生，说他同意工党的提议，他觉得当前的制度有点“赌博”，解释说“不了解可能会让你在选择上更保守——就是说你会选择较低的目标以确保你能进去。”另一方面，他补充说“或者相反的情况也可能发生，人们过于自信，然后得不到预测的成绩，无法进入。”

一名充满希望的学生，Hattie，目前正在等待看她是否被她选择的大学录取，说，“我不认为预测成绩很准确，所以之后申请能避免给你带来虚假的希望”，并补充说她不认为这会对申请系统有多大影响，因为“大家都是同时申请的。”

或许并非如此…

然而，有些人强烈反对这个主意。一名学生争辩说，“你可能不会联系到那些可能会接受你的，但入学要求更高的大学。例如，我被预测为AAB，但实际得到了ABC，仍然被接受了。”

另一名学生建议，提出的改变是不必要的，声称，“你现在已经可以在清算和调整阶段这样做”，并补充说，“如果你要休一年，这可能会有用，因为你有更多时间，但如果你不休年，我只认为这会更加紧张，因为名额有限。”

最近的一名化学毕业生，Andy，提出了一个有趣的观点，即在提出的新制度下，“大学面试会非常仓促”，并补充说，“我在拿到最终成绩之前的面试是进入大学的一个非常重要的因素。”

Aima，另一名最近的毕业生，说，“我只是认为，在申请和收到录取通知之间的时间窗口太小了，学校可能无法在这段时间内提供足够的支持。”

还有什么其他的解决方案吗？

可以说，解决这个问题的另一个方法是回到旧制度，即在申请大学时考虑AS级成绩。这曾经是这样，直到2017年，英国的学生在第12年（AS级）完成了他们A级的一半，第13年（A2级）完成了另一半，大学则根据这个AS达到的成绩和预测成绩做出决定。

--

你对这个提议计划有什么看法？在下面的评论中发表你的意见。 

头图：Crawley学院（Flickr）

By Jenny Scott Russell – Local Leo

It came as quite a surprise to me that eating out in London can be affordable, even on a student budget. You just have to be smart and look out for deals, food markets and cheap eats. If you’re anything like me, after a long day of uni, the last thing you want to do is cook. I often find myself picking something up on my way home. And that doesn’t always mean fast food or unhealthy food, in fact most of my favorite places are relatively healthy! So, these are my top recommendations for cheap eats in London…

Camden Market

There’s so much variety in Camden Market and I’m still overwhelmed every time I visit! However, some of my favorite cheap stands include Maize Blaze which is Colombian street food, Vburger and Magic Falafel. There is a lot I haven’t tried here though, including endless stalls selling Chinese, Thai and Indian at amazingly inexpensive prices. Camden Market is perfect for a group outing because you can all get exactly what you want. However, it is open air so make sure to check the weather first!

Pizza Express with o2 discount

Two main courses for £10 at Pizza Express basically means you can eat out as much as you want! Okay maybe not, but that is a great deal. If you’re on o2 make sure to make the most of your priority discounts. This one is my favorite along with the Café Nero free coffee voucher. I’m sure all students out there can appreciate how great a free coffee tastes.

Andu Café

If you haven’t tried Ethiopian food then Andu Café is a must. Take away is £5 and it’s a you get what you’re given situation although you can always count on the food being delicious. If you decide to eat in there is a bit more choice but the menu is pretty small. Andu Café is a really popular spot in the center of Dalston and for the price you get a huge portion of healthy, home cooked food.

Too Good to Go

A must download app for all students on a budget in London, Too Good To Go is an amazing resource for finding cheap eats. The way it works is, at the end of the day traders who have surplus food sell everything at a discounted price on the app, rather than creating food waste. You can find some amazing bargains on here and can keep an eye out for your favorite places easily on your phone.

Pizza Union

There are Pizza Unions all over the city and with 12” pizzas starting at £3.95, you can’t go wrong. Sides and drinks are cheap too and the restaurants always have a fun, lively atmosphere.

Dou Dou

A vegan option for you, Dou Dou is an all you can eat Chinese/Thai buffet in the center of Camden. During the day it costs £5.90 while for dinner and weekends it costs £6.90. The food here is really inventive with interesting meat alternatives for all traditional dishes. You can also get a takeaway box for even less.

Foodilic

Another all you can eat buffet for you is Foodilic, costing just £7.50. The food is very healthy, locally sourced and always delicious with a wide variety of food catering to all dietary requirements including gluten free and vegan. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but it’s the perfect spot for students based around Kings Cross.

Mercato Metropolitano

You can find this indoor food market in Elephant and Castle and it’s a great place to go as a group with plenty of cheap street food to choose from. They also have a distillery, brewery, and cinema and put on a variety of great events. The market is centered around communal benches which are often full come the evening.

Berwick Street Food Market

Next in our look at the best cheap eats in London is one of the oldest street food markets in the city, ideal for grabbing lunch at when you’re in the center. The market operates Tuesday to Friday with different stands every week. On Mondays the market is specifically vegan. I love this market for trying new and exciting foods. They support up and coming businesses and generally attract a very trendy crowd.

Yo Sushi with Unidays discount

Sign up for a Unidays account with your university email to access lots of amazing student discounts on cheap eats in London. My favorite discount through this app is for Yo! Sushi where you get 25 percent off all items at any time. If you combine this with a third off vegetarian dishes on Wednesdays you can eat here like a king for a fraction of the price it would normally cost.

Your local kebab shops!

Not very specific, I know. But kebab shops in London are a really cheap way to eat and actually pretty good quality on the whole. I have my favorite local kebab shop which makes an amazing falafel wrap. They even have vegan mayo so I can’t complain about anything. You’ll have to do some research to find your best one but it is always worth knowing where to head, especially at the end of a night out.

Franco Manca with Unidays discount

Another pizza place but this time with Unidays you can save with a meal deal that gets you any pizza and a drink for £7.40. Franco Manca pizzas are by far my favorite in London and this deal makes eating out there an even more attractive option!

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Have you ever wanted to go to an Open Day at Imperial College London but never had the physical opportunity to do so? Being far away or having a lack of funds can make it very difficult to physically visit your prospective university.

Luckily, we’ve partnered with Imperial to give you an in-depth look at what you expect if you study there…and we mean everything! From location to accommodation, to studies and free time, plus so much more. Watch our video to see what else we chatted about with Lawrence Barnard, the International Officer at Imperial College London. And if you enjoyed it, subscribe to our channel for more!

Video by Pavel Petrov for TopUniversities.

One major draw of studying abroad is the opportunity to meet with other students from various locations and backgrounds, opening your mind to people from different walks of life, and often forming real friendships in the process. So, if you see diversity as an important factor in where you’d like to study, you may be interested to read about the 10 cities below – all included among the top 120 places in the world to be a student in our QS Best Student Cities 2019 index.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the cities below also achieve an excellent score in the student mix indicator, one of the five categories used to compile the rankings, which looks at the student make-up of a city.

Read on as we count down the best student cities with the highest ratio of international students out of its total student population, plus more info on why they’re great places to study.

=9. Brisbane

Starting off with a slightly overlooked Australian city, Brisbane is the third highest-ranked of Australia’s seven entrants in the Best Student Cities index at 22^nd, and comes fourth in the student mix indicator. 36 percent of the student population in Brisbane comes from outside Australia, making it an ideal choice for students looking for a sunny, laid-back and diverse student city. For example, more than 18,000 of the 53,700 students at the University of Queensland (the highest-ranked university in the city) are international.

=9. Edinburgh

Heading to the UK, the Scottish capital is joint ninth with Brisbane for diversity, with 36 percent of its student population of 51,300 coming from outside the UK. Edinburgh came 15^th overall in this year’s Best Student Cities index, with its best score for the student mix indicator. 

When asked in our student survey what the best things are about studying in Edinburgh, one respondent told us “Feeling safe, being surrounded by an abundance of nature and meeting people from all over the world” while another said “A combination of many things: nature, history, world-class facilities, diversity. Everything was in a perfect balance.”

8. Auckland

Heading back to Oceania, New Zealand’s largest city is also one of the most diverse places to study abroad, and places joint 27^th in the city ranking this year, achieving fifth place in the student mix indicator. The city’s highest-ranked university in the QS World University Rankings®, the University of Auckland, is also number one in New Zealand and consistently places in the global top 100. More than 8,000 of the university’s 42,759 students come from outside New Zealand, and one person has this to say in our survey: “There are many places to go, many things do and so much to see, it is a diverse and multicultural city indeed”.

=6. Canberra

Australia’s capital is another ideal choice for those looking for a multicultural study destination – 6.9 percent of the population are students, and of these, 39 percent are international. Canberra also placed 23^rd overall in the QS Best Student Cities index, with one individual in our student survey stating: “Almost the entire population is made up of students or diplomats so it’s a pretty cool mix of people.”

=6. Sydney

The joint sixth most diverse city according to the QS Best Student Cities index is Sydney, which was also rated ninth overall. It gets the second-highest score in the city ranking for the student mix indicator, thanks to its large and multicultural student population. Respondents in our student survey said they loved the opportunities to meet people from other countries, while others pointed out the relaxed lifestyle, friendly people and employment opportunities.

5. Melbourne

The final of the four Australian cities to feature in this list is Melbourne, which is the most diverse city in the country according to our data. Students in Melbourne make up 4.7 percent of the population, with 40 percent coming from abroad – no doubt attracted to the amazing lifestyle, cityscape and cultural offerings available. Melbourne was ranked third in the QS Best Student Cities this year, and first in the student mix indicator.

4. London

In fourth place in our list of the most diverse cities for students is London, which was also featured in first place overall in the QS Best Student Cities index in 2019. Perhaps unsurprisingly given its huge population (over 14 million, depending on who you ask), London has the highest number of international students of any student city (more than 107,000), making up 41 percent of the student population. It also boasts the largest number of ranked universities in the World University Rankings (18).

3. Coventry

As well as being the third most international location in the QS Best Student Cities index this year, Coventry boasts the highest ratio of students to overall population in this list, with students making up 8.1 percent of its 652,000 population. Located in the West Midlands of England, Coventry’s highest-ranked university, the University of Warwick, is consistently ranked in the global top 65 of the QS World University Rankings.

2. Abu Dhabi

Given the huge expatriate population in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it’s probably unsurprising to find Abu Dhabi in this list. 46 percent of students in the Emirati capital are international, and around 80 percent of the overall population is made up of expats. Abu Dhabi was a new entry in this year’s Best Student Cities index at 88^th, with Khalifa University its highest-ranked university in the world rankings at joint 268^th.   

1. Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman

And finally, the number one student city when looking at the ratio of international students is the combined metropolitan area of Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman in the United Arab Emirates, which was ranked joint 60^th in the Best Student Cities index and is home to around 5.6 million people. Half of its student population of 20,800 are from outside the UAE, reflecting the diversity of the country itself. One student said this about Dubai in our survey: “Very diverse but very friendly and tolerant. Also, the city has so many activities, you can never get bored.”

Other diverse places to study abroad…

Of course, you’re not limited to Australia, New Zealand, the UAE or the UK if you want a diverse study destination. Other diverse cities featuring in this year’s QS Best Student Cities index include:

• Brussels – 33 percent of students at Belgium’s capital are international, and the city is ranked joint 43^rd overall in the QS Best Student Cities index
• Vienna – 32 percent of students come from outside Austria, and the city was ranked 13^th overall
• Hong Kong – Ranked 14^th overall in the city ranking, 32 percent of Hong Kong’s 90,800 students are international
• Tomsk – The Russian city of Tomsk is home to nearly 5,000 international students, or 30 percent of the student population. It places 73^rd overall in 2019.

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此时你刚刚为漫长的大学暑假安顿下来。你已经和你的朋友们一起度过了时光，大肆观看了Netflix，你现在正在寻找更充实的事情来度过你的暑假。还有什么比为你未来的职业做准备更好的方法呢？

请继续阅读关于如何在今年夏天提高你的就业前景的10个方便的提示!

1.研究你选择的职业（或你认为你可能感兴趣的职业）。

首先，重要的是要认识到，如果你不知道你的生活想做什么，这很正常。你不是唯一不知道的人--大多数学生（和毕业生）要么不知道他们想做什么职业，要么甚至最终在某一时刻改变主意。

尽管如此，试着对你毕业后可能想从事的行业或角色有一个模糊的概念总是好的；在这里可以找到方法。一旦你缩小了对一些听起来很有趣的角色或行业的范围，就花时间去真正研究它们，包括所需的资格，工作的内容等等。把你遇到的任何发现记下来，以便将来再去找它们--你永远不知道它们何时会派上用场。

2. 培养你的自我意识

花点时间更好地了解自己。你认为自己的优势和劣势是什么？勾勒出它们，然后想出更小的步骤，说明你打算如何改进它们。

例如，如果你的弱点之一是人际关系，你可以列一个清单，列出你可以联系的人，或者可以更好地了解的讲师，你可以在将来把他们作为推荐人（LinkedIn是一个非常有用的建立联系的工具）。

尽早了解自己的长处和短处，并采取措施加以改进，将阻止它们在未来可能给你带来的麻烦，同时也帮助你弄清哪些职业和行业可能适合你。

3. 重写你的简历/LinkedIn

你的简历可能是你在大学里忽略的东西，而且很可能不是最新的和精心制作的，或者你甚至还没有一个。不用担心，夏天是刷新它的最佳时机，并添加你今年所做的任何新事情！了解如何改进你的简历。在这里了解如何完善你的简历。

你也应该留出一些时间来建立一个LinkedIn账户。LinkedIn是一种互动式的在线简历，是寻找工作和结识有用联系人的绝佳方式，同时也能让潜在的雇主了解你的最新情况。你甚至可以关注特定的公司或工作角色，并在他们有新的机会时得到提醒。LinkedIn似乎不会很快消失，所以它值得投资一些时间。

4. 获得暑期实习机会

虽然这似乎是提高你就业前景的一个明显方法，但它仍然是一个非常重要的方法。实习是赚取一点额外收入的好方法，同时学习一些重要的工作场所技能。

你可能认为在你不知道自己想做什么的时候做一个实习是毫无意义的，特别是当你的朋友似乎完全知道他们想做什么的时候。然而，在你认为听起来很有趣但又不太了解的领域进行实习，可能会成为激发你对该行业热情的催化剂，或者告诉你该特定职业不适合你。你至少会获得一些宝贵的工作场所经验，并提高你的毕业生就业能力。

例如，在我大学二年级的时候，我完全不知道我想做什么。我攻读的是经济学学位，但我知道自己喜欢阅读和写作，所以那个夏天我决定去做营销实习。虽然我很快意识到，从长远来看，市场营销并不适合我，但那为期六周的实习让我学到了许多关于在办公室工作和互动的宝贵技能，以及安排工作量优先次序的重要性。能制作出专业的作品也很好，我可以在面试中向未来的雇主展示和讨论。

关于如何获得暑期实习的一些提示，请看这里。

5. 获得一份暑期工作

无论是在当地的咖啡店还是在繁忙的车间，你都有可能学到吸引未来雇主的素质，如团队合作、领导能力和沟通技巧；当你被要求举例说明时，所有这些都将在基于能力的面试中发挥作用。

例如，如果你必须处理一个不满意的客户，你可以谈论你如何处理困难的情况，以及你采取了哪些措施来解决这个问题，这也是你解决问题的能力的一个例子。你还有可能获得一些商业意识，因为你将有机会体验企业的日常运作。

了解如何获得一份学生工作>

6. 开始一个新的爱好

当你想到要提高你的毕业生就业能力时，开始一个新的爱好可能不是你首先想到的，但是尝试一些新的东西，比如一个体育俱乐部或一种乐器，是一个认识新朋友，学习新技能的好方法。在你的简历上有一个有趣的爱好可以帮助你从人群中脱颖而出，让你比其他申请者有更多的优势。

如果这个爱好能让你稍微离开你的舒适区也是很好的，因为这不仅对建立你的信心很有帮助，而且也是为你的工作生活做了很好的准备，在那里你无疑会被置于你有时感到不适应的环境中，找到有效的方法来处理这些时刻是很有用的。你也很可能最终会结识一些伟大的新朋友!

7. 参加志愿者工作

就像开始一个新的爱好一样，志愿工作是一个认识新朋友和建立联系的好方法，同时也能提高你的技能。志愿工作也是提高你的毕业生就业能力的理想选择。点击这里了解志愿服务的好处。

志愿服务的好处是有大量不同的领域可供选择，你甚至可以到国外做志愿者。这取决于你想投入多少时间，许多机会提供广泛的培训，所以你在帮助别人的同时也在帮助自己--这真是一个双赢的局面。

8. 尝试在线课程

在线课程是提高你的就业前景的好方法，甚至不需要离开房子! 由于互联网上有大量的课程，你可以毫不费力地找到你感兴趣的东西。在codeacademy学习编码，在谷歌学习数字营销，或者在futurelearn、Vision2learn或coursera学习其他任何东西。

你还会很高兴地知道，这些在线课程大多是免费的，尽管你可能需要付费购买证书，以证明你获得了公认的资格。

一位学生告诉我们，她喜欢商业和行政管理在线课程，以提高她的职业前景；"该课程让我对行政和商业有了很好的总体了解，可以应用于很多不同的事情"。

9.开设博客

开设博客是找到你的声音并写下你所热衷的东西的一个好方法。如果你想进入一个更有创意的角色或行业，这尤其有用，因为它让你有机会以专业方式表达自己。你应该让它与你所申请的行业相关，并写下你感兴趣的相关话题。

写博客是补充你的简历的一个好方法，而且创建一个免费的博客比以往任何时候都容易。在此了解如何创建。

10.建立人脉

那句老话，"不是你认识什么，而是你认识谁 "再次得到支持。在你翻白眼，把目光移开之前，值得注意的是，研究表明，有高达60%的工作是没有广告的。现在比以往任何时候都更有必要建立人脉，幸运的是，有了社交媒体、应用程序和互联网，它也比以往任何时候都更容易！甚至有专门的网站可以为你提供信息。

甚至有专门的网站可以告知你所在地区的社交活动，例如Eventbrite，它提供各种网络活动的详细信息。在此阅读我们关于有效建立人脉的提示。

As the eclectic and multi-cultural center of the UK, Birmingham’s festival scene is vast and varied.

There are a whopping 50 festivals on every year in Birmingham, celebrating everything from St Patrick’s Day to Caribbean culture and 1920s swing! To help you choose from the abundance on offer, we’ve compiled a list of our favorites.

MADE Festival, Perry Park

First on the list is Birmingham’s biggest music festival, bringing together the best urban music acts and showcasing the city’s top creative industries.

Taking place every summer since 2014, MADE Festival has grown year on year, consistently booking internationally acclaimed house, drum and bass and garage acts.

The one-day festival pays homage to Birmingham’s long-established rave culture and warehouse clubbing scene and if you still have the energy, you can continue the party the following day at the Sunday dance festival, Legends in the Park.

Birmingham Pride, Gay Village

This is the largest, two-day LGBTQ festival in the whole of the UK and an extravaganza that’s not to be missed. Welcoming people of every gender, race and religion, this huge street party brings together the whole community every May bank holiday for a fabulous celebration.

There are six stages to choose from, including a cabaret tent and lip-sync stage, each showcasing world-famous musicians, the UK’s best-known drag queens and top local talent. Also check out the amazing shows on at the local pubs and clubs where the party continues into the early hours.

St Patrick’s Festival, Digbeth High Street

Birmingham’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations are the biggest in the UK and the third biggest in the whole world!

Every year the beginning of the parade kicks off with a giant confetti blast followed by the drums of the marching band as they lead the procession through the city center.

But it’s not just Irish culture being celebrated, Birmingham’s Paddy’s Day has a long running tradition of celebrating the city’s multicultural heritage, which explains why you will also see Caribbean dancers, Welsh dragon flags and Chinese dragons dancing down the street.

Foodies Festival, Cannon Hill Park

Birmingham also puts on one of the biggest food festivals in the UK, this time bringing together top chefs, incredible food, creative cocktails and live music for a two-day foodie celebration in one the city’s most loved parks.

There are a huge range of activities to choose from. Sharpen up your culinary skills and take part in a masterclass led by a Michelin-starred chef or join in the chili eating competition if you’re feeling brave!

What’s not to love about a weekend spent sampling the very best of the city’s food and drinks scene? Best of all, it’s free!

Swingamajig, Botanical Gardens

Set amidst the beautiful backdrop of Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens, this one-day festival celebrates all things 1920s.

Expect electro swing music from live bands and DJ sets that put a fun, modern twist on vintage tunes. Join in the fun by getting dressed up in 1920s costume and learn the classic moves in a swing dance class.

There are also gravity-defying circus acts, spectacular dance performances and an extravagant burlesque finale to finish off an incredible day of entertainment.

Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival, Moseley Park

Recently celebrating its 10-year anniversary, this has become a firm favorite in Birmingham’s festival calendar.

Over the years it has drawn huge acts such as The Jacksons, Grandmaster Flash and Craig Charles for a celebration of jazz, funk and soul music. Taking place over three days, you’ll have plenty of time to soak up all the action at a leisurely pace and relax in the beautiful surroundings of Moseley Park.

They also have some incredible food on offer, with Indian and Caribbean street food stalls as well as pop-up stalls from some of the city’s top restaurants.

Lead image: metrogogo (Flickr)

London boasts a jam-packed festival line-up all year round, but the summer months are when festival season really kicks off. There are a dizzying array of music festivals catering to every genre, with one taking place almost every weekend!

If you’re studying and living in London, it’s a great opportunity to see live music and enjoy the festival experience without having to worry about camping or booking accommodation.

Not sure where to start? Here are some of our favorites from London’s epic summer festival line-up.

British Summer Time Festival, Hyde Park

This 10-day extravaganza includes two show-stopping weekends, with the 2019 line-up including musical legends Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion and Florence + The Machine.

As if that’s not enough, there are heaps of free mid-week activities to keep you entertained, from open-air movie nights to circus performances and live screenings of Wimbledon.

With the sheer amount of entertainment on offer, this event is an amazing all-rounder with something for everyone.

Wireless Festival, Finsbury Park

If hip-hop, grime and garage are more to your taste, then you can’t miss out on Wireless, the UK’s biggest urban music event.

Taking place over one weekend, usually in July, the line-up is guaranteed to be packed with hip-hop heavyweights and the biggest names in rap. The huge 2019 line-up was headlined by Cardi B, Travis Scott and Migos.

Lovebox, Gunnersbury Park

London’s most loved summer dance music festival is a buzzing two-day event that happily doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Taking place in Gunnersbury Park in West London, it’s just a hop on the tube to Acton Town and a short walk before you’re in the middle of the action.

A mix of house, techno, hip-hop and R&B acts draw in an eclectic mix of friendly revelers who are all ready to dance the day away. Beyond the tunes, the park is also dotted with some great extras such as a vintage fair and roller disco.

Citadel, Gunnersbury Park

If Lovebox left you pumped and wanting more, fear not! Citadel takes place almost immediately after Lovebox wraps up and is a slightly more chilled way to finish off your weekend.

The one-day Sunday festival is packed with indie heavyweights such as Catfish and the Bottlemen, Bastille and Friendly Fires. Alongside the music there are workshops, talks and activities for all ages. Fancy a mass yoga class or space pub quiz? Citadel has it covered.

The Mighty Hoopla, Brockwell Park

The ultimate pop festival, The Mighty Hoopla is now in its third year and is quickly becoming known as London’s most fun, welcoming and glitter-filled festival.

The 2019 line up was packed with pop superstars, with Chaka Khan, All Saints and Artful Dodger all taking center stage over the one-day festival.

If your idea of the perfect festival includes a day packed with cheesy tunes, pop classics and extravagant outfits, then this is the event for you.

South West Four, Clapham Common

Now over 15 years old, this festival has established itself as one of London’s leading dance festivals and is well-known for its humungous and diverse line-ups, catering to EDM, techno, grime, house and drum and bass fans alike.

Taking place on Clapham Common, the event is very easily accessed from the tube’s Northern Line. Another bonus is that it’s always held on August bank holiday, meaning you get an extra day to recover!

All Points East, Victoria Park

Although only a few years old, All Points East has established itself as one of the biggest and best of London’s festivals.

Similar to British Summer Time, there are two headliner weekends with free activities taking place all week in between, but this Victoria Park festival has a slightly more alternative feel to it. The 2019 line-up included world-famous acts such as The Chemical Brothers, The Strokes, Bring Me The Horizon and Christine & The Queens.

Earning the title of the best student city in the world (according to the QS Best Student Cities 2019), London has undoubtably captured the heart of many students around the world. Containing no less than 18 world leading universities, more than its fair share of famous landmarks, and enough history to amuse history buffs for a lifetime, London really does have something for everyone.

In this article we have done our best to take some pictures which truly capture why London is the best city to study in (although pictures can barely do it justice). Read on to find out why you should study in London!

1. Because you can buy cute vintage clothes in Camden Market

Camden Market, Camden

2. Because when you study in London, you can causally walk past and admire views like this

The Houses of Parliament, Westminster

3. Because the parks here aren’t too shabby!

Regent's Park

4. Because Sherlock Holmes lived here* (what better reason is there to study in London!?)

Sherlock Homes' house, 221b Baker Street

*What do you mean he’s a fictional character?

5. Because there are open air theaters you can visit in the summer dotted around the city.

The award winning Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park

6. Because if you study in London, you can walk past the Queen’s house and watch the changing of the guards.

Buckingham Palace, Westminster

 If you're lucky she might invite you in for afternoon tea... 

7. Because it feels like several cities in one.

Little Venice, Paddington 

8. Because you can watch the whole city go by on the London Eye.

The London Eye

9. Because the street food is unparalleled

The food stalls at Camden Market

10. Because you can walk up a hill and see the entire London skyline, even on a cloudy day!

Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath 

Get ready to study in London with our complete guide on How to Study Abroad in the UK

Every year, QS partners with Alliance Manchester Business School to offer the QS-Alliance Manchester Business School Masters Scholarship, offered exclusively to attendees of the QS World Grad School Tour who have been accepted at Alliance Manchester.

The scholarship covers 50 percent of tuition fees for two students to study a one-year MSc program at the school, and this year’s winners were Gabriela Souto Cardoso and Umberto Banfichi. We spoke to both of them to learn more about their plans and to ask what advice they’d offer other scholarship applicants.

Why did you choose Alliance Manchester Business School?

Gabriela: I chose the University of Manchester and Alliance Manchester Business School because it’s one of the best ranked institutions and among the most innovative universities in the United Kingdom. It also has an impressive employability rate according to recently published surveys.

Additionally, the city of Manchester manages to be the perfect blend of a warming environment and vibrant student city, with vast multicultural diversity. This is constantly celebrated by outdoor events, museums, restaurants, sports events, and music scenes, which makes Manchester the perfect city for me.

Umberto: I chose the University of Manchester because of its resounding academic reputation and because it provides a program that seems to better meet my needs. Indeed, I was looking for a course where the class composition would have a blend of cultures, and I found Manchester to be the best option, with more than 22 nationalities represented on the course.

What do you hope to gain from your degree? How will it affect your career plans?

Gabriela: With this course, I hope to acquire knowledge of the most important aspects in the field of administration, so I can develop myself professionally.

Umberto: During my bachelor’s degree, I had the opportunity to study in other two countries thanks to the Erasmus+ program. In those years, I realized how important it is to develop the ability to think and work across boundaries and borders.

For these reasons, I chose this program and I expect to acquire and develop skills to help me better understand today's globalised economy.

How did you find the scholarship application process? How many sources of financial aid did you approach?

Gabriela: I constantly used TopUniversities.com to consult rankings and I knew QS also organized several events about studying abroad. During one of my visits to the website, I came across the scholarship pages and since I’ve attended the fairs, I found out I could apply.

Umberto: In my opinion, the scholarship application process was very clear and intuitive. Once I had satisfied the eligibility requirements, I had to write an essay of 700 words explaining how this master’s would affect my career. 

I have to admit that I was quite lucky to have won this scholarship because it was the only one that I applied to. I wrote the essay just a few days before the deadline due to being busy with exams and this is also the reason why I did not approach other sources of financial aid.

What was your experience of a QS event like? What were the highlights of your time there, and what would you recommend to future attendees?

Gabriela: My experience of the QS event was wonderful. I discovered some great institutions with scholarships that I did not know existed. There were some interesting panels and discussion groups with some relevant topics and tips for students that were in the same situation as me.

I took many notes and asked questions and it was splendid to have contact with people that knew exactly what I was going through.

I had the chance to meet someone from the Alliance Manchester Business School. Jemma was the most helpful person, giving me advice on scholarships and loans. Meeting her gave me confidence and was the step I needed to be sure I wanted to attend The University of Manchester for my master’s.

Umberto: I attended the QS World Grad School Tour in Bologna and it was a fantastic opportunity to meet and better understand the universities that were there. Thanks to it, I had the pleasure to talk with the admissions officer from the University of Manchester who answered all my questions with incredible patience.

Some face-to-face meetings were also arranged with representatives of highly ranked business schools which I really enjoyed. Having the possibility to talk privately with them was very helpful as I could find out what admission managers were looking for in a student. 

What advice do you have for other prospective students who are applying for scholarships?

Gabriela: My most valuable advice is to plan ahead! The earlier you start planning, the better.

You will be able to spot every possible scholarship, work on your essays as much as you need to and make your applications as strong as possible.

Make a list of priorities, write down the name of your favourite universities, search which ones have scholarships and check what you need to apply for them. When you have all that information, make a calendar with all the scholarships and application deadlines so you don’t miss anything. It’s all about organization and always having a backup plan.

Umberto: My advice for all future candidates is to try to stand out. Try to catch the attention of the person reading your application right at the beginning and then maintain their interest for the entire length of your essay.