On May 9, the QS Best Student Cities 2018 will celebrate the world’s 100 best cities for international students.

Using a methodology that considers the affordability and desirability of a city, as well as the performance of its universities in ranking tables, the amount of employer activity in the city and the diversity of the student population – as well as what you, the students, think about each city – this ranking provides you with everything you need to know about some of the top study destinations in the world.

Last year, Montreal climbed up the table to be crowned the best city for students, but will it be able to hold on to its title for another year? Much will depend on the responses of over 50,000 students to our student survey.

Introduced last year, the survey adds a real-life perspective on what it’s like to study in each city and gives us a more complete picture of what it’s actually like to live there.

Potential challengers to Montreal’s Best Student Cities throne include Paris, the previous number one city. Other top European cities likely to be in the mix include London and Berlin, while elsewhere in the world the likes of Tokyo, Melbourne and Boston will all be hoping to improve on last year’s performance. 

Canada and Germany were the only countries to be represented twice in last year’s top 10, and it remains to be seen if they can repeat the trick again.

To get the 2018 results first, register for free email updates and follow us on social media.

Sponsored by EDHEC Business School

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, startup campuses are the latest craze in co-working. They  give budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to set up shop in a large space next to other startups and venture capital funds.

These campuses aren’t just swanky real estate: they run pitch nights, legal clinics, networking events, venture capital workshops, and talks to give entrepreneurs the support and community they need to thrive.

We spoke to Julie Chapon, co-founder of Yuka, a mobile app which lets consumers analyse the health impact of grocery products by scanning barcodes with their smartphones.

Julie Chapon joined Station F having taken part in an incubator run by EDHEC Business School for a year. Julie initially studied management at EDHEC Business School in 2011 before working for a digital consultancy firm for five years.

She said: “EDHEC contacted me about their partnership with Station F, and they asked if I was interested to have an office at Station F and I immediately said yes.”

A €250 million space inaugurated by President Emmanuel Macron

Since it was inaugurated by President Emmanuel Macron in July of last year, Station F has grown into Europe’s largest startup campus.

The mega-campus founded by billionaire Xavier Neil is home to over 15 venture capital funds and has its own tech lab and makerspace with 3D printers and laser cutters.

Julie Chapon, who spends most of her days working on her project at Station F, said: “It’s very big and everything is open, so the space in of itself is inspiring”.

Based in a former railway depot in Paris’ 13th arrondissement, the €250 million space is about 58 meters wide and 310 meters long, or the equivalent in size of the Eiffel Tower laid down (it’s huge).

It features 3,000 desks, arcade games, a post office and even a coffee shop with an unusual business model. The coffee shop is open to the public where you can eat and drink unlimited beverages and snacks, but get charged by the hour.  

Station F is currently building three tower blocks 10 minutes from campus, which will contain 100 apartments to house 600 entrepreneurs.

Learning from like-minded professionals and entrepreneurs

One of the biggest draws of Station F for Julie was the chance to meet and learn from founders across industries who overcame similar challenges.

She said: “There are hundreds of startups on campus and we often share our stories, difficulties and any tips, so it’s very interesting to have so many startups around to learn from.

“They organise events all week and get big startups to come and talk about their experiences, and Station F members get to attend and ask questions.

“So every week, there are many events we can participate in, which is interesting because we can learn a lot about our field. It’s like a big campus with many startups”.

But one of the highlights of her residency at Station F remains a free coding session where she learnt about the basics of computer programming.

“They ran a free two-hour workshop to learn the basics of coding for people who’ve never learnt and are from a marketing and communications background.

“These two hours spent learning the basics of code were incredibly interesting.”

Download Brochure to know more about the MSc in Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Download Yuka here or find out more about Station F here.

Sponsored by IE Business School

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or are interested in working in the worlds of banking, business, finance or even for a nonprofit, then a degree in either business management or finance is likely to stand you in good stead.

Both these degrees provide the transferable skills and expertise needed in these industries, but how are you meant to tell which degree option is right for your specific needs? To make that decision easier, here’s a closer look at what to expect from these two distinct degrees.

What to expect

Either degree would guarantee you a prosperous and stable future, but one might be better suited to your interests and skills.

Master’s in management degrees are usually aimed at students with limited professional experience who wish to move into managerial roles. They offer a grounding in decision-making and strategy and teach students how to work with others and develop the skills needed to be the next generation of leaders.

Degrees in finance, on the other hand, such as master’s in finance or global master’s in finance, are a lot more specialized and explore the nuts and bolts of financial institutions including credit unions, investment firms, banks, insurance companies and brokerages.  

There is some overlap between the two degrees, particularly in the first couple of semesters, when management and finance students are both likely to spend some time learning about accounting, statistics, economics and business law and pick up hard skills along the way.

However, as they make their way through their syllabus, management students branch out into areas such as organizational behavior or human resources, while finance students continue to delve deeper into global finance, risk governance and other topics.  

Salaries and job outlook

As can be expected, careers in both management and finance come with a terrific salary potential and good job security. While uncertainty in other industries is accelerating, business and finance jobs are expected to grow by 10 percent over the next decade, with 773,800 new predicted jobs in the US by 2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A finance degree would be advantageous in areas like corporate financing, commercial banking, money managing, investment banking, and financial planning. Possible job roles could include:

• Financial analyst (with an average salary of $58,343)
• Personal financial advisor (with an average salary of $59,869)
• Financial manager (with an average salary of $69,606)

Career options after a management degree are broad: your knowledge of business, finance, economics and marketing will be highly sought after by recruiters and for graduate schemes.

You could work as a:

• Management consultant (with an average salary of  $86,222)
• Production manager (with an average salary of $67,157)
• Risk manager (with an average salary of $83,763)

Of course, whatever you decide, a degree in finance or management would not necessarily shackle you to a career in banking or business. If you eventually decide to take your expertise elsewhere, you’ll have gained a unique set of skills including negotiation, numeracy, pitching, teamwork and networking, which are highly valued by employers in many other sectors.

A word of advice…

There are many amazing business schools that offer outstanding management and finance courses, and whittling down your list of programs can be challenging. Start a list with all of your leads and throw a few wild-cards in there, schools that are based abroad or that are slightly left-field. Compare brochures and cross out any schools that don’t meet your criteria.

Based in Madrid, IE Business School offers outstanding bachelor’s degrees, master’s programs, PhDs and executive education.

Their Master in Management is a full-time 10 month program fully taught in English or Spanish, with five different specializations and the possibility to spend a semester at a partner institution abroad or pursue a second specialization.  

Their Master in Finance is a full-time 10-month program fully taught in English designed to prepare students for the CFA level I exam and careers at leading financial institutions.  

All salary estimates were taken from PayScale.

Are you currently trying to decide on a university? It’s not a decision that should be taken lightly…luckily, our very own Dasha is here with advice on choosing a university, based on her own experiences of being a student.

Do you have any more advice to share? Let us know in the comments below, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more advice on student life!

Video by Yasmin Curren for TopUniversities.com (@YagmanX)

Sponsored by LUMSA

With admissions deadlines just around the corner, it’s time to start polishing and sending off applications.

If you’re applying to business schools in Europe, you’ll know just how exhausting and time-consuming the process can be.

Once you’ve tackled the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), a standardized test which can take up to several months to prepare for, you’ll be bracing yourself for the forms, personal essays, reference letters and in-person or Skype interviews that follow.

Read on to get the inside track on how to impress admission staff at your dream business school.

Read the Financial Times and Business Insider to stay up-to-date

Do you know what the European markets are doing and where the price of a barrel of oil is headed? If so, why not? You should be able to hold down your end of a conversation about the state of the global and European economy.

If your knowledge of business news and current affairs isn’t up to scratch, email newsletters are a great way to get up to speed. Sign up for the Financial Times’ Brussels Briefing for a daily digest of what is happening across Europe as well as Business Insider’s very engaging daily email listicle, 10 Things Before European Markets Open.

A low GMAT score isn’t fatal but it won’t do you any favors

Book a test date before you do anything else, ensuring you give yourself ample time to revise for the test.

Seats at test centers around the world can fill up quickly, and you need to make sure you receive your scores in time for admission deadlines.

How long should you set aside to prepare for the test? Kaplan recommends you spend between two and three months, or the equivalent of up to 120 hours, reviewing revision notes and taking practice tests. It’s worth remembering that while the GMAT can be challenging, like most standardized tests, it’s as much about knowledge as it is about technique and preparation.

It’s not uncommon for grad school applicants to retake the exam. If your score is low and you have a few months ahead of you before the deadline, allowing enough time for marking and for your results to get sent to you, consider retaking the exam. You’re allowed up to five resits a year, but no more than one per fortnight.

Spend time choosing your referees wisely

References are an all-too neglected aspect of grad school applications. While it can be difficult to find people with first-hand experience of you in a work or academic setting who are willing to write you a reference, try to find the best references you can.

You should have two equally strong referees to attest to your leadership skills, commercial acumen and work ethics. Ideally, you’ll have one reference from an academic background who has taught you personally and another reference with professional ties to you who’s worked with you in the past.

Treat your personal essay like a written interview

How will the degree help you achieve your long-term goals? The admissions committee reading your essay will be looking to find out about your background, career goals, and some sense that you know what you want to get out of the course.

Of course, recruiters will also want to find out about your potential and unique strengths. Striking the right tone is a tough balancing act: you should aim to sound conversational but not colloquial, thoughtful but not self-centered.

It’s really important that you use the essay to showcase your unique transferable skills. The admissions committee will be looking for signs of adaptability, problem-solving, and an innovative and entrepreneurial approach, as well as the capacity to work in a multicultural context, so try to provide evidence of times when you’ve demonstrated these abilities.

The key to bragging about yourself without sounding like you’re tooting your own horn is to back every assertion you make with solid facts. For example, if you make the claim that you have good commercial acumen or problem-solving skills, describe an instance in your life or career when you had to make use of those skills, what you learned in the process and how it might feed into your career trajectory.

Some business schools give students a prompt and word count. If that’s the case, stay within the word limit and don’t wax lyrical about a topic you’re interested in but is completely unrelated. Stick to the prompt, or your credibility will go out the window. And, of course, don’t forget to proofread for grammar, spelling and accuracy.

Don’t be afraid to be picky

Choose the right university for you. If you’re still researching business schools, we recommend you consider LUMSA, one of the oldest institutions in Rome within walking distance of the Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo and San Pietro.

Their outstanding MSc in Management and Finance will give you the skills and know-how you need to work as manager or consultant for businesses, financial institutions and public administrations.

The 24-month program offers two specializations: entrepreneurship and Innovation for Sustainability and Banking and Finance for Innovation.

Key features of the MSc include its focus on innovation and digital transformation, sustainability, international business, entrepreneurship and soft skills.

If you’re considering coming to Australia, to either travel or attend one of Australia’s top universities, you’ve probably got several unanswered questions racing through your mind. Before you get too carried away looking at airfares and planning your first beachside BBQ, make sure you’ve figured out the following basic things you need to know before moving to Australia.

Where will you live?

First things first, have you organized your accommodation? There are many things to consider before you finalize your housing arrangements. As well as considering your budget, think about how close you want to be to campus (if applicable), the kind of lifestyle you’re after – for instance, shared housing or not – and availability of public transport.

If you’re moving to Australia to study, you can start by looking at accommodation offered by universities. They aren’t as cheap as some other options, but you’ll probably be offered furnished places that are within walking distance of your campus.

You can also look for somewhere to live on independent websites like Gumtree, Flatmates or post adverts on social media. However, you have to be very careful and avoid being tricked by a scam. Don’t transfer any money without making concrete arrangements and signing a contact. If you’re overseas and your potential landlord wants you to transfer the money first so everything can be readied for you when you move in, there might be something fishy unless a trusted third party (a credible website or any real estate agent) is involved.

What will you do for money?

Life of an international student is fun and adventurous, partially because you’re living on a tight budget. Australia is generally an expensive country to live in and most students aren’t allowed to work full-time while they study, so you have to plan your lifestyle according to your budget.

If you manage to secure a part-time job, you could earn around AU$600-1000 per fortnight, which should be enough to cover your rent and food. If you’re really after some more cash, you can work full-time during your semester breaks and save up for rainy days.

Make sure you’re aware of your rights and wage entitlements. Fair Work could be a good place to collect some information. Also remember that while it’s important to think about sources of income, don’t let paid work take priority over your studies.

How will you get around the country?

It’s a good idea to own a cheap car while you’re in Australia, but don’t make getting one a priority. In many instances you can make do by using public transport.

If you do decide to buy a car make sure you’re aware of traffic rules and some other legal requirements. Most international students can use driving licenses issued by relevant authorities in their home country, but it’s still a good idea to check with Australian authorities too.

It’s also possible for laws to differ between the different states and territories in Australia, so check online to understand what is expected of you when you’re driving on Australian roads.

Who will be your support network?

Australia might be a long way from home, but there’ll always be support available. If you’re facing any issues and you’re here to study, your course coordinator or lecturers will be a good first point of contact. Whether your problem is to do with money, stress or an upcoming deadline, don’t be afraid to come forward and discuss your feelings. Depending on the issue, government agencies also offer readily available support which you might be able to make use of.

Of course, there are plenty of other things to consider before you board that plane but answering these basic questions will go some way to preparing you for your Australia adventure. Got a question which isn’t answered here? Let us know in the comments below.

Sponsored by EdUHK

Anyone who has visited Vietnam in the past two decades can witness the giant leaps forward the country has made in improving its living standards since the government’s economic reforms in the mid-1980s. From glittering skyscrapers sprouting from Ho Chi Minh city streets to top-rated restaurants packed by growing ranks of middle-class citizens, rapid economic development has propelled Vietnam to become one of the fastest-growing Southeast Asian countries.

While the story of how Vietnam picked itself up is inspiring, the work’s not done yet. To sustain this growth, the country needs to revamp its education system to train the next generations of innovators and workers. To this end, the Vietnamese government has been working with the World Bank and The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) to build capacity for its leading normal universities with a mission of nurturing educators who focus on skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving.

The new nationwide programme will see 600,000 school teachers and headteachers in Vietnam benefit from an enhanced teaching development system so they can adapt to new approaches to curriculum and instruction under the current education reform.

Since the start of the landmark 10-month Enhancing Teacher Education Programme, EdUHK’s team of experts - which includes academics in the fields of curriculum reform, educational leadership, quality assurance, teacher development, vocational education and teaching innovation - has flown to Vietnam multiple times.

Professor John Lee Chi-kin, Vice President (Academic) at EdUHK, said: “After several rounds of visits, the improvement was significant and the Ministry of Education and Training appreciated the efforts made by EdUHK. Throughout the process, we have engaged the senior management of the leading normal universities to devise their capacity-building and strategic plans and help them achieve their goals in line with international trends and practices in higher education.”

EdUHK is the largest provider of qualified teachers in Hong Kong and is home to influential educational experts.

It’s a publicly funded education-focused university, offering diverse undergraduate, taught and research postgraduate programmes up to doctoral degrees. Notably, the university has adopted an interdisciplinary method of academic development under its “Education-plus” approach, which has led to newly emerging interdisciplinary areas in psychology, the social sciences, and cultural and creative arts.

With its established standing in the Asia-Pacific region, EdUHK and its predecessor have provided thought leadership in education-related projects in collaboration with government agencies and international NGOs, including the World Bank, UNESCO, the Asia Development Bank and the European Union.

EdUHK is ranked ninth in the world and second in Asia for education, according to the QS 2018 World University Rankings by Subject.