By Felix Rante

Competition for high-quality jobs is getting tougher, so it’s more important than ever to have the best qualifications possible. Sure, young billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey can drop out of university and still be successful but following in their footsteps would require an extraordinary amount of luck.

Studying for an MSc won’t be enough by itself to get you to their level, but it could be extremely rewarding in other ways.

It allows you to stand on the shoulders of giants

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“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants” said Sir Isaac Newton. Getting an MSc from a reputable school is exactly like this, as you’ll have an opportunity to learn from other people’s experiences and develop your knowledge more before entering the workplace.

You’ll have a better chance of getting the top job

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Upgrading your qualifications and getting an MSc is a brilliant way to prove to potential employers that you have what it takes to work in a high-profile position. Not only does it demonstrate you can handle additional responsibility, it also suggests you can add value to their company. There’s a reason many of the senior managers at leading companies tend to have a master’s degree.

You’ll learn new skills and discover new areas of interest

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One of the reasons I enjoy my MSc so much is that I’m constantly upgrading my skills and learning from experts. Rather than having to teach myself about different technologies, I’m learning about particular areas from a professional developer. This also improves my knowledge of different technologies and provides me with more options when it’s time to choose a career path.

You might work on something truly life-changing

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Doing an MSc is intellectually challenging, but it’s worth it if you end up working on something that’s potentially life-changing. Who knows, you might even discover something so brilliant that you can afford to drop out of university altogether?

It’s a second chance to attend your dream school

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Didn’t get into your chosen university at undergraduate level? Competition for graduate places at top universities is actually less intense so you might find you’re finally able to get into your dream Ivy League/Oxbridge study destination. Time to find out what you missed first time around.

An MSc could be perfect if you fancy a career change

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If you’re reading this and it’s been a while since you left university, you might be feeling like you’ve hit the wall in your career. If that’s true, graduate school could be a great way to move into a different career. You might even find an MSc course you can do without having needed to study a relevant BSc first.

There are tons of interesting and industry-specific MSc courses available for you to take, so have a think about what industries you might like to work in and pick something that fits your goal.

MScs are demanding, intellectually challenging and (unfortunately) expensive, but they could be worth it in the long-run. Good luck!

Felix Rante is a Software Engineer and a part-time MSc student who likes travelling, photography and coffee.

Lead image: Southern Arkansas University (Flickr)

Qualifying for a scholarship or bursary to cover the costs of attending university is every student’s dream. Often, this means filling out never-ending application forms, proving your eligibility for financial support or taking additional tests.

Not every scholarship requires this much effort though. At a recent QS World Grad School Tour event in Canada, one lucky student was picked at random from the attendees to receive a whopping $4,000 scholarship.

That fortunate student was Amy Yu from the University of Toronto. After the shock had worn off, we got in touch to speak to Amy about her win and what she plans to do next.

Hi Amy, congratulations! How does it feel to have won a $4,000 scholarship?

Hi! I was shocked at first. I actually Googled the person who emailed me to check they were legitimate. Once I realized it was true, I was astonished and elated. I plan to study an MI in UX Design at the University of Toronto’s iSchool, so the $4,000 will make a sizeable dent in the grad school fees.

You’re studying at Toronto currently. How are you finding it?

Yes, I’m currently studying a double major in Neuroscience and Animal Psychology. It’s been hard work, but also thrilling and rewarding. My most memorable moments have definitely been the times when I performed animal and brain dissections or worked with cadavers.

These hands-on learning experiences have been excellent in helping me form an accurate 3D anatomical image of the body and have allowed me to appreciate how complex our bodies are. When I dissected a brain, it was awe-inspiring to know that I was holding in my hands all of an individual’s experiences and memories.

Wow. I think I’m far too squeamish to be holding a brain any time soon. So, how did you get from dissecting brains to attending the QS World Grad School Tour?

I heard about the event through the Student Life Network (SLN) and thought it would be useful to explore graduate programs and universities of which I might not have been aware. I was mostly looking forward to learning more about graduate programs offered abroad as well as within Canada. Also, it was a chance to see the inside of the One King West Hotel, which is stunning.

Were you still making up your mind about where to study next then?

Yes, I hadn’t even decided if graduate school would be the right path for me. I spoke to a representative at the University of Toronto – IMI booth, and they were very helpful. They offered advice on the paths I could take after finishing my undergraduate degree, what I should consider when choosing a grad school and gave some insights into what grad school life can be like. It really gave me a better understanding of the options ahead of me.

Was there anything about the event which surprised you?

I was pleasantly surprised by the vast scope of universities there because I didn’t think there’d be so many international universities in attendance. I was also pleased to learn about the various scholarships that are available through QS. It inspired hope that the financial aspect of graduate school could be less daunting.

So, you’d recommend attending the QS World Grad School Tour to other students?

Definitely. I wish I’d known how helpful the event would be earlier, as I could have gone to the summer Grad School Tour event too. I’d advise anyone who goes to an event like this to speak to lots of different schools, not just the ones you were already planning to see. By speaking to a more diverse group of people, you’ll pick up more information and advice which will help you in the decision-making process.

Amy Yu was attending the QS World Grad School Tour, an event run in partnership with the Student Life Network, a national community of high school, university and college students from across Canada.

由Sabrina Collier和Mathilde Frot撰写

过去的七天里，一位英国政治家威胁要与西班牙为吉尔伯特而开战，美国共和党人威胁要“核动力”并强行通过对最高法院法官戈尔苏奇的提名，百事公司威胁要通过一则令人不悦的广告活动冒犯每个人的敏感。简言之，这是一个奇怪而充满暴力色彩的一周。然而，一切都被美国对叙利亚进行的空袭所掩盖，这是对本周早些时候针对平民的化学袭击做出的回应，这次袭击与叙利亚领导人巴沙尔·阿萨德有关。

在剖析夸夸其谈、威吓和令人不安的头条新闻时可能会比较困难，因此在这里，我们为您提供了本周值得记住的一切的帮助性摘要。

特朗普本周

尴尬的双重约会特朗普与中国国家主席习近平于周四在马拉拉戈会晤，考虑到特朗普之前对中国的批评，这次峰会可能会有些紧张。梅拉尼娅也在那里，罕见地与丈夫一同露面。

朝鲜的行为非常不当。多年来他们一直在“玩弄”美国。中国没有做什么来帮助！

— 唐纳德·J·特朗普 (@realDonaldTrump) 2017年3月17日

叙利亚袭击这次中国峰会被特朗普总统批准对叙利亚进行空袭的消息所掩盖。这次袭击分裂了民主党和共和党，是对周二在肯·谢赫坤镇发生的一起疑似化学袭击的回应。至少有70人，包括儿童在内，死亡，这次袭击被广泛指责为叙利亚政府所为。特朗普称这次袭击是对人类的“公然挑衅”，并补充说“当你杀害无辜的儿童，无辜的婴儿，小婴儿...这越过了...许多底线。”

进进出出跟踪白宫内外的人事变动几乎变得不可能。有争议的布赖特巴特前主编史蒂夫·班农失去了在国家安全委员会的职位，许多批评者认为他根本不应该担任这个职务。众议院情报委员会主席德文·努涅斯已经暂时退出了对涉嫌俄罗斯黑客攻击的调查。他在处理此事上面临越来越多的批评，现在还受到众议院伦理委员会的调查。

然而，并非每个人在特朗普的世界里都度过了糟糕的一天。尼尔·戈尔苏奇法官在共和党人激发“核动力”并将批准他的提名所需的选票数量从60票降至51票后，被确认为最高法院法官。

#黑人的命也是命

我在我的@Stanford申请中提交了这个答案，昨天，我被录取了...#黑人的命也是命 pic.twitter.com/R5YxM77bWL

— Ziad Ahmed (@ziadtheactivist) 2017年4月1日

如何进入斯坦福大学你会如何回答斯坦福大学的入学申请问卷问题“什么对你来说很重要，为什么？”18岁的齐亚德·艾哈迈德决定选择与众不同的方式：将#黑人的命也是命标签写了100遍。他大胆的尝试成功了，令他感到惊讶的是，他被这所名校录取了。你可能会想知道他是如何成功的-毕竟，斯坦福大学很难进入，但似乎齐亚的出色履历在他 的录取中起到了很大的作用。他曾会见过希拉里·克林顿，创办了自己的国际组织Redefy，并受邀到白宫。对于一个十几岁的孩子来说，这表现不错。

如何不制作广告肯达尔·詹娜和百事公司因最新的百事广告在社交媒体上遭到了严厉批评，该广告于周三被取消。这则广告借用了#黑人的命也是命运动，甚至暗示警察暴行和暴力可以通过一罐百事解决。仿佛这还不够一周的文化挪用，肯达尔·詹娜随后又认为“回顾”她和妹妹凯莉的发辫照片是一个好主意。老实说，这些人。*摇头*

大兄弟在看着你

奥威尔式噩梦印度现在正在强制所有12亿公民注册国家身份识别计划，批评人士称这将对安全、监视和公民隐私产生严重影响。阿达尔最初于2009年推出，作为一种志愿身份识别系统，旨在帮助政府打击身份欺诈，现在广泛用于银行业务、福利申领、互联网服务、国际旅行和婚姻登记等方面。

在太空中睡觉

通过GIPHY查看

躺床上两个月就能挣钱对于懒惰的学生来说，这可能是个梦想工作：图卢兹的太空医学与生理学研究所的法国科学家正在寻找24名年轻、健康的男性（抱歉，女生），让他们躺在床上60天，以研究虚拟失重的影响。工资是16000欧元。动心了吗？请注意，你将被要求在床上吃饭、洗澡和进行所有生理活动。

Click here to view the top universities for social sciences in 2018. 

Want to study a social science degree or management course at one of the world’s top universities? The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017 includes a ranking of 500 of the world’s top universities in this broad subject area, based upon a methodology which considers employer reputation as well as other factors.

Read on for an overview of the top universities for social sciences and management in each world region, or click here to view the full results table.

Top universities for social sciences and management in the US & Canada

The US is home to an impressive 87 of the world’s top universities for social science and management courses, with five spots in the top 10 (see above), and 22 institutions in the top 100. Outside of the top 10, other high-ranking US universities for this field include the University of Pennsylvania (12^th), the University of Chicago (16^th), Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (the latter two are both ranked joint 18^th).

Canada has 19 positions in the social sciences and ranking. Top Canadian universities to complete your social science degree include the University of Toronto (=30^th), the University of British Columbia (35^th) and McGill University (=49^th).

Top universities for social sciences and management in Europe

The UK is represented by 56 of the world’s top universities for social science degrees, 14 of which are in the top 100. Outside the top 10, the next four highest-ranked UK universities in this field are: London Business School (15^th), UCL (University College London) (=30^th), the University of Warwick (36^th) and the University of Manchester (=42^nd).

The next best-performing European country is Germany with 28 entries, including four in the top 100. The two highest-ranked German universities for this field are Universität Mannheim (65^th) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (70^th).

Another strong country for social sciences or management courses is Italy, with 18 representatives in the ranking, led by Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi at 17^th.

Spain has 17 top social science and management schools, with Universidad de Navarra its highest-ranked. The university is up over 70 places from its 2015/16 position and now ranks joint 81^st in the world.

France has 15 entries in the ranking, seven of which are new to 2017. Four French institutions feature in the top 100, including INSEAD (32^nd) and HEC Paris School of Management (55^th).

The Netherlands has 12 top universities for social sciences and management, including two in the top 50: Erasmus University Rotterdam (=42^nd) and the University of Amsterdam (=49^th).

Sweden has nine entries in the ranking, with Stockholm School of Economics leading the way at joint 75^th. However, it’s Denmark which claims the highest-ranked university for social sciences in the Nordic region, with Copenhagen Business School ranked 41^st. Denmark has five more top social sciences schools, including two more in the top 100. Elsewhere in the region, Norway has five entrants in the social sciences ranking, while Finland has three.

Belgium, Ireland and Switzerland each have seven of the world’s top universities for studying a social sciences degree in their country – with each country having at least one school in the top 150. Top entries include the Swiss ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at 58^th, the Belgian KU Leuven at 61^st and the Irish University College Dublin (UCD) at joint 111^th.

Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal has five representatives in the ranking, while Austria and Russia have four entrants each. From these countries, Russia’s Lomonosov Moscow State University is the highest-ranked at 110^th.

Finally, the Czech Republic, Greece and Poland have three entrants in the social sciences ranking each, while Lithuania and Hungary have two entrants and Estonia and Romania each have one. From these countries, Hungary’s Central European University is the highest-ranked entrant at joint 233^rd for social sciences and management. 

Top universities for social sciences and management in Australia & New Zealand

Australia is home to 27 of the world’s top universities for studying a social science degree, nine of which are in the top 100. The top four Australian universities for this subject area are the University of Melbourne (14^th), Australian National University (ANU) (20^th) the University of New South Wales (UNSW) (=22^nd) and the University of Sydney (25^th).

In nearby New Zealand are seven more of the world’s top universities for social science and management degrees, including three in the top 100: the University of Auckland (44^th), Victoria University of Wellington (=84^th) and the University of Otago (89^th).

Top universities for social sciences and management in Asia

China is the nation with the most top social science schools in Asia with 21 institutions featured in this year’s ranking, including four in the top 50: Peking University (21^st) Tsinghua University (34^th), Fudan University (48^th) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (=49^th).

A further 16 top social science schools are found in South Korea, including Seoul National University (SNU) and Korea University in the top 50 at 28^th and joint 39^th respectively.

Japan is home to 14 of the world’s top universities for social sciences and management courses, including the University of Tokyo in the top 10 and Kyoto University in the top 50 at 46^th.

Another strong Asian country for completing your social sciences degree is Taiwan, with 12 entries in this year’s ranking, including National Taiwan University (NTU) at 37^th. Elsewhere, of Malaysia’s 10 entrants, Universiti Malaya (UM) is the highest ranked at 71^st.

Hong Kong performs very well, with five of its eight representatives featured in the top 100, including the University of Hong Kong just outside the top 10 at 11^th.

India’s seven entries are led by the University of Delhi at joint 295^th, while Thailand has five universities in the ranking, including Chulalongkorn University at joint 159^th.

Singapore may only have three entrants, but all are in the top 100, with the National University of Singapore (NUS) featured in the top 10 and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) ranked joint 22^nd. Also with three top social sciences schools are Indonesia and the Philippines, with Universitas Indonesia ranked 207^th.

Top universities for social sciences and management in Latin America

Latin America is home to 22 of the world’s top universities for social sciences and management, with seven claimed by Brazil alone, including Universidade de São Paulo (USP) at joint 146^th.

However, it’s Chile which boasts the highest-ranked institution in Latin America for this subject area, with Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) leading the way for its five entries at 90^th.

Also with five top social sciences schools is Mexico, with Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) ranked 119^th. 

Colombia has three entrants in the ranking, led by Universidad de los Andes at 201^st, while Argentina’s sole entrant Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) is ranked joint 151^st. Peru’s only entrant Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú is joint 334^th.

Top universities for social sciences and management in Africa & the Middle East

South Africa has five institutions ranked among the world’s best for social science and management courses, led by the University of Cape Town at joint 174^th. Egypt also features in this year’s ranking with two entries, including Cairo University at joint 342^nd.

In the Middle East, Turkey is home to four top social science schools, with Middle East Technical University the leader at joint 389^th. Israel and Saudi Arabia have three entrants each, while Lebanon has one – from these countries, the Israeli Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the highest ranked university at 262^nd.

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唐纳德·特朗普可能是总统，但参议员伯尼·桑德斯并未放弃他的激进计划，即使总统是特朗普，他也没有放弃让大学和大学教育免费的计划。

本周，佛蒙特州参议员提出了《所有人的大学法案》，旨在使家庭年收入低于125,000美元的学生能在公立四年制大学免费获得学费和费用。该法案还将使所有收入水平的学生在社区大学免费上学。

尽管这不是桑德斯第一次提出法案，承诺免除大学和大学学费，但这是他首次在其他民主党参议员的支持下这样做。该法案有五名联合提案人：伊丽莎白·沃伦、卡玛拉·哈里斯、理查德·布卢门撒尔、克里斯·墨菲和克尔斯滕·吉利布兰德。相比之下，桑德斯2015年的类似法案没有得到其他人的支持。

即使在民主党的支持有所增加，由于共和党控制国会和白宫，这个法案很可能永远不会成为法律。然而，桑德斯和其他民主党人认为，它可以作为一个集结呼吁，帮助建立支持。桑德斯说：“我们现在的任务是去全国各州……当数百万美国人站起来要求这项立法时，我们就能赢得这场战斗。”

“我们需要在全国每个大学校园举办组织活动，”去年得到桑德斯支持的代表普拉米拉·贾亚帕尔说。

与学生支付自己的学费不同，该法案将由政府支付学费补助金的三分之二，最后的三分之一由州和部落政府支付。根据桑德斯办公室的说法，这将花费大约6000亿美元，这将由对华尔街金融投机行为征税来支付。

该法案还包括几项旨在减轻学生债务的渐进性建议（例如学生有能力以更低的利率重新融资他们当前的贷款），但是否会有任何这些计划得以实施将取决于多少美国人加入这项运动。

现在轮到你了，伯尼·桑德斯……

主要图片：菲尔·罗德（Flickr）

Included in the QS World University Rankings by Subject is a ranking of over 500 of the world’s top universities in the broad subject area of natural sciences, based on a methodology which assesses research impact, employer reputation and academic reputation.

Read on for an overview of the top universities for natural sciences in each world region, or click here to view the full table. 

Top universities for natural sciences in the US & Canada

The US is home to 96 of the world’s top universities for natural sciences, with five institutions in the top 10. This includes the highest-ranked university in the world for this field, MIT. Outside the top 10, other strong US universities for natural sciences include Princeton University (13^th), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Chicago (both joint 19^th) and Yale University (=24^th).

Heading north, a further 20 top natural sciences schools are found in Canada, including three in the global top 50: the University of Toronto (22^nd), the University of British Columbia (35^th) and McGill University (=46^th).

Top universities for natural sciences in Europe

Germany is the best-performing European country in the natural sciences ranking, with 43 schools featured among the world’s best.

The UK has 38 representatives in the natural sciences ranking, including three schools in the top 10. Outside the top 10, six more UK institutions feature in the top 100, including the University of Manchester (=46^th), the University of Edinburgh (54^th) and UCL (University College London) (62^nd).

Italy is home to 22 of the world’s top universities for natural sciences, with two schools featuring in the top 100: Sapienza - Università di Roma (64^th) and Università di Bologna (UNIBO) (=72^nd).

France has 17 entrants in the ranking, again with two universities in the global top 100: Ecole Polytechnique (34^th) and Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) (55^th).

Spain also performs well, with 11 entrants, including Universidad Autónoma de Madrid at joint 72^nd. Meanwhile, the Netherlands’ 10 representatives are led by Delft University of Technology at joint 85^th. 

Neighboring Belgium has eight top natural sciences schools, while seven are found in Switzerland, including ETH Zurich in the top 10 and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) at 11^th.

Also represented seven times each are Russia and Sweden, with Russia’s Lomonosov Moscow State University the highest-ranked at joint 40^th, while Sweden’s top performer is Stockholm University (69^th).

Austria, Poland and Portugal have six top natural sciences schools each, with Austria’s Technische Universität Wien the highest-ranked at joint 151^st. 

Elsewhere, Finland and Ireland have five entrants in the ranking each, while Greece has four. Of these countries, the Finnish University of Helsinki is the highest-ranked for natural sciences at joint 92^nd.

Next up are the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary and Norway, all with three top universities for natural sciences apiece, while Romania has two. Of these five countries, Denmark performs best, with the University of Copenhagen featured at joint 48^th. 

Finally, Estonia, Lithuania, Serbia and Slovenia each have one institution featured among the world’s best for natural sciences.

Top universities for natural sciences in Asia

China is home to the most top natural sciences schools of any Asian country, with 36 representatives, including three in the top 50: Peking University (14^th), Tsinghua University (16^th) and Fudan University (43^rd).

Japan and South Korea claim 19 top universities for natural sciences each, with Japan’s University of Tokyo in the top 10. Other high-ranking Japanese universities for this subject area include Kyoto University (15^th), Tokyo Institute of Technology (=24^th) and Tohoku University (=36^th).

South Korea has five entrants in the global top 100 for natural sciences, including Seoul National University (SNU) (23^rd) and KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (=32^nd).  

India has 11 representatives in the natural sciences ranking, led by new entry Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore at joint 128^th. Taiwan has nine entries, led by the National Taiwan University (NTU) at 27^th.

Hong Kong is home to six top universities for natural sciences, while Malaysia has five entries in the ranking. Two of Hong Kong’s entrants are in the top 50: the University of Hong Kong (21^st) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (42^nd).

Singapore may only have two entries, but both are in the top 20: National University of Singapore (NUS) (12^th) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) (17^th).

Lastly, Thailand and Pakistan also feature in the natural sciences ranking with one representative each.

Top universities for natural sciences in Australia & New Zealand

Australia is home to 20 of the world’s top universities for natural sciences, six of which are in the top 100. The three highest-ranked Australian universities for this subject area are: the  University of Melbourne (=29^th), the University of Sydney (=36^th) and Australian National University (ANU) (=38^th).

In nearby New Zealand, five more top natural sciences schools are found, including the University of Auckland at joint 105^th.

Top universities for natural sciences in Latin America

Of the 13 Latin American institutions featured in the ranking, six are in Brazil, with Universidade de São Paulo (USP) leading the way at joint 155^th.

Argentina, Chile, and Mexico have two entrants each, with Argentina’s Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) sharing joint 194^th place with Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Meanwhile Chile’s Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) is ranked joint 228^th for natural sciences. Another Latin American country to feature is Colombia, with one representative.

Top universities for natural sciences in Africa & the Middle East

South Africa is home to five top natural sciences schools, led by the University of Cape Town at joint 221^st. Also represented is Egypt with one entrant - Cairo University (ranked joint 373^rd).

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is represented by four of the world’s top universities for natural sciences, the best of which is King Abdulaziz University (KAU) at joint 314^th. Finally, Turkey has three entrants, with Middle East Technical University ranked joint 308^th.

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