Sponsored by IE University

Before you dish out the big bucks to pay for that tempting Master of Business Administration (MBA), it’s important to ensure that you are not doing it for the wrong reasons. As a rule of thumb, it’s generally a bad idea to sign up for an MBA if you’re not entirely sure what to do next, are planning to take life as it comes and/or are simply looking for an escape from the drudgery of your day job. To help you make a smart and informed decision, we’ve outlined seven of the most compelling reasons to get an MBA.                                                                    

1. You’ll get to think globally about big business issues.

Completing an MBA could be a chance for you to take a step back from your daily commitments and reflect on big business issues. You can’t beat being immersed in intelligent and informed insight about the economy and relevant issues for your sector, to help you start-up or get ahead in your career. Whether it’s through your coursework, lectures or discussions with classmates, you will be encouraged from all sides to think deeply about global business trends and issues, and benefit from your international peers’ perspectives.

In today’s global economy, it is important for fresh business graduates to meet professionals from diverse backgrounds to help them understand the incredible variety of consumer expectations, best practices and business issues worldwide. Many MBA programs are highly international in terms of both the curriculum and student intake. For instance, 90% of students enrolled in the International MBA program at Spain’s IE University are international.

2. You’ll learn from the best.

Getting an MBA will require you to discuss current business trends with your peers and mentors, suggest potential solutions to business problems and be challenged by professors and industry leaders every step of the way. Depending on your business school, there may be opportunities to exchange ideas with high-profile business leaders across various sectors. IE University, for instance, maintains a strong alumni network and directory and runs several entrepreneurship labs throughout the year to allow business students to share ideas with professors, CEOs, CFOs and CMOs.

3. Switch careers.

Business school could open doors if you are looking to switch careers, by introducing you to a new network of contacts, giving you time to focus on professional development and accumulate new interests. Of course, a career switch won’t occur overnight and an MBA alone probably will not be enough to break into a new industry. You will have to appeal to your contacts, your school’s career guidance team, and your own resourcefulness!

4. You’ll build leadership skills.

In addition to extending your knowledge of a particular area, an MBA could help you gain soft skills, ranging from team management to strategic thinking. These are the skills you will need in your career, which cannot be taught from coursework alone but through a mixture of team assignments and relationships with classmates, professors and mentors. It’s likely that you will be managing high-strung personalities, leaders and high achievers from a wide range of backgrounds and be required to work together as part of a team to achieve a common goal and learn from each other during team assignments.

5. You’ll learn to give killer speeches.

One of the most significant benefits of doing an MBA is the impact it may have on your presentation and communication skills. If you feel you are lacking in those areas, doing an MBA program could be ideal to help you learn to communicate ideas, values and goals coherently. Presenting projects, leading group presentations and taking part in discussions, you will become more confident and benefit from the regular feedback of your peers.   

6. You’ll connect with likeminded people.

Stephane Ketcha Yanga, enrolled on IE University’s Executive MBA, described the sense of community cohesion he feels as part of the course. “What makes the program so special,” he said, “is the fact that we are all here because we are ready for the next step in our personal and professional path… I am sure that most of us will stay connected for a long time after we finish.” 

Your MBA network could be tremendously helpful to you throughout your career. When choosing an MBA, it is crucial that you gauge the culture of the school and the real experience of the course by contacting past alumni. Whether it’s to help you find a first job, or several years down the road when you’re hoping to start up or get a sense of a particular industry, you will be very happy to have a healthy network of high-end professionals to draw from.

7. Up-skill in no time.

 Why get an MBA at all when you could teach yourself new skills independently on your commute to work or during your lunchbreak? Doing an MBA will help you up-skill more quickly and with something to show for it. Whether you’re lacking knowledge of accounting or would like to learn more about entrepreneurship, an MBA will help you gain a new set of skills and an accreditation.

Maximize your ROI with an MBA at IE University

Whether it’s by making sure that students can reach out to past alumni and network with leading professionals worldwide, or through an excelling careers guidance service, IE University anchors its courses and offerings in today’s job market, realities and possibilities.

Are you ready for postgraduate study?  Connect with IE Business School on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for careers guidance, alumni success stories and news about the university.

本文由剑桥英语提供。

练习英语的方法非常之多，有时难以知道从哪里开始。

这就是为什么隶属于剑桥大学的剑桥英语开发了学习英语的原因。它有你需要的一切，所有东西都在一个地方，而且免费。

这里有很多简短的交互活动可以帮助你练习并提高英语。每种活动侧重于不同的语言技能，比如阅读，写作，听力，发音，语法或词汇。

这些活动都是为在移动设备上使用而设计的，因此你可以在家里或者在旅途中利用哪怕是几分钟的空闲时间来练习英语。通过每天进行5-10分钟的简短练习，养成定期练习英语的习惯。相比偶尔进行的高强度学习，少而频繁的学习更为有效。

1) 找到适合自己的活动

找到合适水平的学习活动非常重要。如果一种活动太难了，可能会令人士气低落。但是，如果你停留在舒适区里，那进步就会变得缓慢。

你可以通过一个简短的多选题测试来检查自己的英语水平。然后选择正确的练习活动以达到你的目标水平：独立（以下统称中级水平）（CEFR level B1-B2） 或者精通（以下统称高级水平）（CEFR level C1-C2）。

系统里独特的搜索功能，允许你通过选择技能，水平与时间总量来决定练习英语的方式与时间。

2) 提高英语写作能力

使用恰当的语言撰写论文是专业学习的必备技能。提升英语写作能力将有助于你的成功。

中级水平的学习者可以练习使用连接词和短语来创建较长的句子并连接其思想。

高级水平的学习者可以练习使用引用词和话语标记来构建其文章并培养其流畅的写作能力。

3) 提高英语阅读能力

阅读教科书，著作和研究型出版物是任何学术科目的重要组成部分。改进阅读能力将有助于你在专业学习中获得成功。

中级水平的学习者可以练习快速阅读来找出文章中的特定信息。

高级水平的学习者可以练习精读来理解书面英语的抽象概念和学术观点。

4) 提高英语听力能力

大学生需要听懂讲座内容并参与到研讨会讨论中去。听力练习包括听懂演讲者的主旨，观点和态度。

中级水平的学习者可以练习听出演讲/演示或讨论中的主要观点与想法。

高级水平的学习者可以练习从词汇和语调里，听出微妙表达的态度。
5) 练习你的发音

通过改善你的发音，可以提升你在研讨中发言或提问时的自信。

中级水平的学习者可以练习不同的英语发音，比如“i”的长音和短音。

高级水平的学习者可以练习不同单词的重音并学习它们是如何改变单词或句子的含义。

6) 提升你的语法和词汇

不断刷新你的语法和词汇知识。这将帮助你去创造格式正确的句子并树立使用英语的信心。

中级水平的学习者可以练习使用在不同语境下的一般过去时和现在完成时的动词时态和副词。

高级水平的学习者可以练习使用which来作关系代词，以及用不同的词汇来修饰陈述和观点。

7) 尝试模拟考试

剑桥英语考试将证明你具备相应的英语水平来实现你的学术和职业目标。当你准备好了，可以找一场模拟考试参加。去适应考试的题型很重要。这将帮助你建立信心并提升考试技巧。

关于剑桥英语

剑桥大学英语考评部隶属于剑桥大学。我们为全世界的英语学习者和教师开发与创造一系列最具价值的资格证书。每年有超过一百三十个国家的五百万学员参加我们的考试。分布于全球的两万所大学，雇主，政府部门和其他各类机构都承认我们的资格证书。

Are you the only person you know who ever reads the terms and conditions? Proud of your ability to win any argument that comes your way? Not to mention the muscles you’ve developed from carrying stacks of the world’s heaviest books around the library….

Watch our video to see whether you tick all the boxes of the stereotypical law student – or share with a friend if your recognize someone else! If you’re keen to debate the issue (as any true law student would be), add your comments below or on our YouTube channel.

If you’re planning to study law, you may also be interested in our ranking of the world’s top universities for law and legal studies…

Video by Kai Song for TopUniversities.com

The QS Higher Education System Strength Rankings will be published for the first time this year, highlighting the world’s 50 leading countries in terms of overall higher education provision. To be published on TopUniversities.com on 18 May 2016, the ranking assesses national performance in four key categories: system strength, access, flagship institution, and economic context.

This new national-level comparison joins QS’s existing portfolio of university rankings, providing a bigger-picture overview of which nations are excelling in the higher education space – and a means by which to track changing trends over the coming years.

Putting university rankings in context

The index draws on the QS World University Rankings® to assess the overall performance of each nation’s universities at international level. It also compares the standing of each country’s leading institution, in recognition of the fact that many nations invest specifically in developing a flagship university to spearhead progress.

Alongside these rankings-based factors, the index also assesses access – based on the number of places available at internationally ranked institutions in the country – as well as taking into account the economic context within which each system is operating. This last indicator factors GDP per capita against university rankings, aiming to assess the relative impact of investment in higher education.

A benchmark for the changing global landscape

This new index should be of interest not only to prospective students seeking inspiration about where to study abroad, but also to governments and policy makers, providing a means by which to benchmark and set national targets. Over the next decades, it will also offer an additional measure by which to chart changes in the global higher education landscape, as developing nations continue to invest heavily in this area.

The full ranking and methodology will be published on TopUniversities.com on 18 May 2016, with an interactive table available to show results in each of the four categories assessed. To be the first to get the results, follow us on Twitter or sign up to receive email alerts.

由IE University赞助

有很多理由可以解释为什么在大学里创业是一个好主意--包括自由的时间、很少的承诺、丰富的资源和专门为支持年轻的企业家而设计的组织。更不用说，无论你的企业是失败还是成功，它都会充分说明你可以为公司带来的价值（如商业技能和雄心），并极大地增加你毕业后找到工作的机会。请继续阅读在大学里成为成功企业家的六个提示......

1. 教育自己。

在学习期间自己创业的好处之一是你可以接触到许多创业课程和实验室（取决于你的大学），为你的商业世界提供培训，并提供宝贵的创业建议。一些大学开设了关于项目设计和管理的课程，以及像IE大学的创业实验室这样的创业课程，其中包括市场营销的各个方面，以及资金、战略、法律和推销。

2. 找出问题并设计自己的解决方案。

不要把这个阶段想成是尤里卡/电灯泡/淋浴的时刻。想出一个绝妙的创业想法通常不是一蹴而就的，而是一个缓慢的、重在研究的观察和解决问题的过程。向内看......哪些产品和服务是你每天使用最多的，它们可以如何改进？找出任何低效率的地方，决定产品目标和独特的卖点。

3. 研究市场趋势、消费者习惯和竞争对手。

对消费者行为的出色理解对于任何初创企业持续超过几个月是绝对关键的。你需要彻底研究你所选择的市场的任何差距，消费者的需求和期望，以及你的竞争对手带来的价值，以确定你的品牌的独特卖点。不要忘记熟悉客户服务、电子商务和社交媒体的趋势，以获得数字转型的全部好处，并增强消费者的体验和参与。

4. 弄清你的创业资金。

筹集创业资金的方式有很多，包括但不限于种子资金公司、天使投资人和风险投资公司，以及来自朋友和亲戚的投资。你必须决定最适合你和你的企业的方法。你的大学应该能够为你提供最好的工具、联系和培训，以资助你自己的公司。IE大学组织了一个商业计划书挑战赛，以及一年两次的创业日，让学生有机会向天使投资人、风险投资人和当地企业家推销。

5. 发展一个支持网络。

你应该与你大学的就业团队取得联系，了解你可以利用的任何校友网络。与其他企业家和当地企业接触，以获得相关的创业建议和联系。与你的老师讨论你的项目，并找到一个导师来教你。加入你所在城市的Meetup小组和创业活动，以扩大你的网络，并认识潜在的投资者、领导和联合创始人。

6. 打个盹。

听说过阿丽安娜-赫芬顿吗？根据《福布斯》2014年左右的数据，赫芬顿是世界上第52位最有权势的女性，她是美国作家、专栏作家，也是《赫芬顿邮报》的联合创始人兼主编。她经常炮制创业建议和最佳商业实践，以帮助年轻的创业者。

赫芬顿最近在TechCrunch.com的一篇文章中，告知创业公司的创始人，他们应该注意睡眠不足对健康和大脑活动的破坏性影响。"有这样一种创始人神话，如果你是一个创始人，你就无法获得足够的睡眠，"她说，但 "事实是四分之三的创业公司都失败了，如果创始人有更多的睡眠，他们会有更好的机会成功。"

在IE大学释放你的创业潜能

IE大学支持年轻的企业家，努力创造一个有利于改变游戏规则和成功创业的环境。学生有很多机会与志同道合的专业人士建立联系，并获得支持，以发展他们的想法，寻找启动资金，并向投资者和潜在客户展示他们的商业计划。

你准备好开始自己的事业了吗？在Twitter、Facebook和LinkedIn上与IE大学联系，了解职业指导、学生的成功故事和关于大学的新闻。

The new QS Higher Education System Strength Rankings, published for the first time today, is led by the US, followed by the UK and Germany. The top five is completed by Australia and Canada, with two more European entries – France and the Netherlands – next in line. The top 10 concludes with a trio of Asian representatives: China, South Korea and Japan.

Published for the first time this year, this new ranking joins QS’s extensive portfolio of university rankings. As well as providing an additional resource for the prospective international students who form the organization’s primary audience, this country-level index is expected to be of additional interest to governments and policy makers, as a new national benchmarking tool.

The ranking assesses each country in four categories – system strength, access, flagship institution, and economic context – combining university rankings with a range of other indicators to give a broader picture of national strengths in higher education provision and performance.

Where are the strongest HE systems?

Of the 50 countries included in the index, almost half (22) are in Europe. The UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands, which all make the top 10, are joined in the top 20 by Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Belgium and Finland.

The leading Latin American entry is Argentina (18^th), followed by Brazil (22^nd), Chile (31^st), Mexico (33^rd) and Colombia (34^th). Africa’s leading representative is South Africa (30^th), while Egypt also makes the list (47^th).

Asia’s fast-growing economies are also well-represented. China, South Korea and Japan, all in the top 10, are followed by Taiwan and Hong Kong within the top 20, with Singapore just outside and Malaysia not far behind.

Putting rankings in context

The first of the categories considered, “system strength”, is based on the number of institutions featured in the international rankings. The second, “access”, reflects the number of places available at internationally ranked universities. The third, “flagship institution”, assesses the performance of each country’s leading university. The fourth, “economic context”, factors performance in the global rankings against GDP per capita, to give an indication of the extent to which financial investment is translating into ranking representation.

As well as leading overall, the US sets the bar in all four of these individual categories. The UK claims its strongest scores in the system strength and flagship institution indicators, coming second for both of these. It’s also third in the economic category and fifth for access.

China’s stand-out score, unsurprisingly, comes when economic context is considered. When GDP per capita is factored against international rankings performance, China is second only to the US. India also fares well in this category, coming fourth on this measure.

On the other hand, Singapore’s strong scores in the system strength and flagship institution categories – for which it ranks third and fourth respectively – are counterbalanced by weaker scores in the remaining two indicators, bringing it to 21^st position overall.

Australia, which ranks fourth overall, is particularly strong in the access category, where it claims second place, followed by Germany and Canada. Italy also performs particularly well in this indicator, for which it ranks sixth.  

The top 50 countries can be viewed in an online interactive table, which can be sorted to show results in each of the four categories. The methodology can be reviewed here.

由 University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).赞助

毕业生的时尚工作是出了名的少，但你不应该让这阻止你。确保你了解当今招聘人员和雇主的一些关键差异化因素，并慢慢建立你的方式。以下是你在时尚界开始你的梦想事业所需的六大特征。

1. 毕业前有大量的经验

你的老师、校友网络和就业团队将帮助你与品牌、机构和行业领导者建立联系。对毕业生来说，通过实习、自由职业或学生项目获得各种工作经验已经成为一项基本要求。在UCLan的艺术、设计和时尚学院，该系与150多个全球时尚品牌建立了密切关系，这意味着时尚专业的学生有机会在包括巴宝莉和李维斯在内的公司进行工作实习。

2. 你最好的作品的光滑的作品集

把一个完美的作品集放在一起，以流畅、一致和有逻辑的格式展示你所有最好的作品，这听起来可能有点吓人，但网上和大学里有很多资源可以帮助你。在你的整个学习过程中，如果可以的话，你可以把现场项目的例子包括进去。在UCLan，学生有机会为主要的时尚品牌完成评估工作--完美的作品集材料。

3.专业知识和技能

你的时尚学位应该通过基于工作的学习和讲座或研讨会的结合来教授你相关的创意技能和技巧，以帮助你为你在时尚界的目标职业做好准备。对时尚行业某些领域的专业知识可能会让你比别人更有优势，所以你必须尽一切努力扩大和深化你的技能组合。

4. 牢牢把握时尚行业的趋势

雇主会希望看到你能跟上时尚行业的趋势和新闻。为了帮助你了解情况，你的大学应该向你介绍相关的博客、出版物和毕业生、影响者和专业人士的网络活动。如果你把目光投向了国际时尚界，请利用任何旅行的机会，开始建立你的网络。在UCLan，毕业的时装秀可以把学生带到世界各地--以前曾在香港、新德里和曼谷举行过T台活动。

5. 令人印象深刻的在线展示

拥有数字优势不再是一种优势：它是当今创意产业的基本要求--对于寻找和获得毕业生的时尚工作至关重要。有很多网络网站旨在帮助你与其他时尚毕业生和创意人建立联系，寻找自由工作和令人兴奋的项目。拥有网络知名度、个人网站和社交媒体的存在是相对可以实现的目标，这将对你的前景有很大帮助。

5. 额外的证书和奖项

本科学位和你所选择的时尚领域的研究生资格是许多时尚工作的基本要求。由你的大学或独立机构颁发的奖项，如毕业生时装周、新设计师或D&AD的黄铅笔奖，也将帮助你在竞争工作时从众多的毕业生中脱颖而出。

哪个时尚专业适合你？

如果你不确定哪个时尚专业适合你，可以浏览一下英国中央兰开夏大学（UCLan）提供的一系列艺术、设计和时尚课程。

作为一个拥有50多年经验的卓越时尚中心，UCLan提供广泛的课程，为学生在时尚、艺术和设计领域的各种职业做好准备。

QS高等教育体系实力排名囊括了全世界高等教育体系最强的国家。该排名比较四个领域的国家绩效，基于体系实力、准入性、旗舰院校绩效和经济背景。这四个类别概述如下。