UK University 2012?

Are you planning to go to a UK university in 2012?  The start date may over a year away, but the time to begin working on your application is now!  If you haven’t done so already, you need to start thinking about which course you want to study and at which university. 

Have a look at this application timetable, which was published earlier this year on the Guardian website:

• 15 October – Deadline for submitting an application to Oxford and Cambridge, and for dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine and veterinary science courses.

• December 2011/January 2012 – Interviews for Oxford and Cambridge and some courses at other universities.

• 15 January 2012- Deadline for all other courses, except some art and design courses (see below). If you do apply after the 15 January deadline, the individual institution can decide whether it wants to accept your application.

• 22 February to 4 July – If you have not received any offers or have declined all offers, you can apply for other courses, only one at any single time, through UCAS Extra.

• 24 March – Deadline for some art and design courses.

• 31 March – universities and colleges aim to send out final decisions for applications received by 15 January.

• 16 August – A-level and AS-level results. Firm offers accepted. Clearing opens.

• September/October 2012 - University terms start

Notice that the deadline for Oxford and Cambridge is 15 October 2011, so if you are thinking of applying for any course at either of these leading universities, or if you would like to study dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, or veterinary science at any UK university, start preparing your UCAS application now and good luck!

IELTS - What is it and how can you take it?

Recently Super Fast Guides published a post on wikiHow called How to Take the IELTS, which has now been read by over 7,300 people!  In case you haven’t seen it, here is a shortened version of the article:

What is IELTS?

   

The IELTS test is an English language test that is taken by over 1.4 million people around the world every year. IELTS means 'International English Language Testing System'. It is an English language test that checks a person's language ability in speaking, listening, reading and writing.

How can I take the test?

1.      Decide which test to take. There are two forms of the test: the Academic module and the General Training module. The Academic module is generally taken by people who want to study at an English-speaking college or university. The General Training module is generally taken by people who wish to migrate abroad, for example to the UK or Australia. However, some training courses require the General Training module, not the Academic one. Check before you take the test.

2.      Find your nearest IELTS test centre. There are over 800 centres around the world, so there should be one near you. In the USA there are 49 centers across the States and there are 47 test centres in both the UK and Australia. In addition, there are test centres in over 130 other countries. You can find a full list of test centres with contact details for each one at www.ielts.org.

3.      Register for the test with your nearest test center. IELTS is offered all year round and some test centres offer the test as often as twice a month, so you might be able to choose several possible dates. Just be sure to register early so you get the date you want as dates often fill up quickly.

4.      Ensure that you have the right documents to register. You will need to give the test centre a completed application form, two recent passport photographs, which are in colour and identical, and a photocopy of your passport or national identity document, which should still be valid when you take the test.

5.      Pay for the test. The fee varies, but it is currently around USD185 in the USA, GBP115 in the UK and AUD317 in Australia.

6.      Bring the right materials on the day of the test. Bring your passport or national identity document. You will also need to bring pencils and pens to write with.

7.      Wait for your results. These will be available 13 days after the test.

For the full article, see wikiHow, How to Take the IELTS
For important information about the test and for essential advice on how to get the score you need, get the Super Fast Guide, IELTS, How to succeed in the exam, available from Amazon 
 

Stress-free studying



A mountain of studying

Students often get very stressed, due to the pressure of exams, assignments and the general workload that is required in order to succeed.  However, stress can have a very negative effect studying as it reduces a person’s ability to acquire, retain and recall information.

This afternoon I came across an article about stress-free marketing written on the website, http://www.stressfreemarketing.us/ which I thought had several points that would be useful for students. 

The article gave this advice:

1. Realize and honor that you can only accomplish certain things during the day. Go to sleep each night saying “I have accomplished everything I could for the day. “
2. Write down a list of your marketing and distribution strategies. Update and prioritize them often.
3. Tackle small projects and complete them thoroughly. There is nothing that adds to stress more than a bunch of incomplete projects.
4. Be comfortable with working no more than three initiatives at a time. You can’t be good at everything, so be really good at a couple of things first.
5. Network with others in the industry but follow your instincts and heart. The world is filled with amazing people some of who had really bad advice.
6. Know that you are a successful person the minute you started moving in the direction of your dreams.
7. Smile throughout the day, even if you don’t see other humans. Laughter is a great stress reliever.

I’ve copied out the points in full, but I think points 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 are good, general pieces of advice that everyone could use, especially students.  These points can help you to reduce some of the stress, which is vital for success.  Next time your studies feel overwhelming, try to smile, think positively and focus on how well you are already doing and not on how much still needs to be done.

Language learning for the holidays

If you’re off on holiday this year, you may find yourself in a country where the people speak a different language.  Although many people speak a little bit of English, especially in tourist areas, it’s a good idea to try and learn at least a few basic words and phrases in the language of the host country.  Not only is it respectful, but it can also be part of the fun of visiting a new place.

Obviously there is no limit to the amount of language you can learn, but here is a basic list of some of the words and phrases you might want to try and practise before you set off:

 

1.   ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’.

2.   ‘I would like. . .’ and ‘How much is it?’

3.   The numbers 1-100 so you can say how many you would like of something and understand how much something is.

4.   Common restaurant items, depending on where you are going and what you like to eat and drink, e.g. ‘menu’, ‘bill/check’, ‘water’, ‘bread’, ‘rice,’ chicken’.

5.   Common travel and sightseeing items, e.g. ‘ticket’, ‘adult’, ‘child/children’, ‘one-way’, ‘return’, ‘open’, ‘closed’, ‘entrance’, ‘exit’.

6.   ‘Where is the toilet/the museum/train station/bus stop?’

This is certainly not a complete list, but it would be a good starting point if you wanted to learn some of the local language before you set off on your holidays.

Wherever you’re going this year, have a great time and travel safely!

How to get into a top university

Cambridge University.  One of the oldest in the world.

If you are hoping to get into a top university in September 2012, you should start preparing now.  The world’s top colleges, such as Yale, Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge, receive thousands and thousands of applications every year for only a limited number of places, so how can you rise to the top of the application pile and get offered a place? 

The first thing of course is to study, as the top institutions are able to choose only the very brightest students.  However, universities like Oxford receive thousands of applications from students who are predicted to get A* grades, so how do they decide which students to offer a place to?  For example, if there are ten students with top grades, and only one place, how do they decide which student gets the place?  How can you set yourself apart from the crowd?

1.   Know your subject.  Study beyond the curriculum at school and show that you are passionate about the subject.  Read as much as you can about it, as well as related subject areas.

2.   Know the university.  Know why you want to study there.  For example, just saying, ‘I want to go to Princeton because it’s an Ivy League school’ is not enough.  Know who the professors are who teach the subject you want to study and what their specialist areas of research are.  Read some of the professors’ books and be prepared to talk about them.  Research the university as much as possible.  If you can, attend an open day, as this will give you the chance to get to know the university and meet some of the lecturers and students.

3.   Get involved in extra-curricular activities.  Show the university that you are a rounded person by getting involved in several activities outside the classroom.  For example, take part in a school play, be a member of a sport’s team, play a musical instrument, do voluntary work, join a debating society, join local community organisations.  Also, try to take on positions of responsibility, such as Student Council, Head Boy/Girl, or High School President.  All of these activities will give you a well-rounded application form, improve your chances of getting excellent school references and will make your application stand out from the others.

4.   Stay up-to-date with world news.  Show that you have an understanding of the greater world that you live in by staying informed about what is happening in the world and why.  Read a quality newspaper regularly, including the opinion columns, and form your own opinions about recent current affairs.

5.   Speak to other university students.  Try to meet students who have studied, or are studying at the university you want to go to.  Ask them what they think the university is looking for and what studying there is like.  

6.   Study another language.  Many subjects benefit from students knowing another language.  If your first language is not English, spend as much time as possible getting your English up to an advanced level.

7.   Practise doing entrance tests.  Become familiar with entrance tests, such as SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT and practise doing them.  If you need to take an English test, decide whether you will take IELTS or TOEFL and prepare for the test. 

      Last of all, if you don't get in the first time, consider waiting a year and trying again. Some students succeed a second time round.

Language Learning

The latest Super Fast Guide is now available on Amazon!  'Language Learning, How to learn any language' is for anyone who needs to know another language.

Like any skill, there is a technique to learning another language, whether it's Spanish, German or even Chinese.  I once knew someone who could speak 7 different languages, including Italian, French, Korean and Turkish!  I asked him how he did it and he just said, 'The first one or two are tricky, but once you know the technique, it's easy.'  I watched him over two years as he learnt yet another language and noted down the techniques he used.  I then taught these techniques to my English students, realising that it was better to teach them how to learn rather that what to learn.  For example, students need to know how to learn vocabulary, such as how to keep good vocabulary records (see our website www.SuperFastGuides.com for an example of this).

The main piece of advice I have is, practise, practise, practise and don't be afraid of making mistakes!  What are your tips for learning other languages?

You are what you eat

In my last post I mentioned how important sleep was for effective learning. Food is another key factor in a person's ability to work, study and learn. In order for the brain to work efficiently, it needs to be properly fuelled. Unfortunately, many people fuel up on fast food and processed meals. This particularly happens when people are on a busy schedule, such as at exam time. However, this is exactly the time when you need healthy, nutritious food to keep you going!

Grabbing a heavily processed snack, packed with fat, sugar and salt may save time, but it will make you feel tired and sluggish afterwards as your body tries to cope with the junk that you've thrown in. Instead, try fuelling up on easy to get, healthy snacks, such as:

• Fish (tinned fish can be used to make a very quick, easy meal)

• Nuts and seeds, such as almonds and sunflower seeds (try to buy them unsalted)

• Fruit and vegetables (eat them raw to save time and get extra nutrients)
• Natural yoghurt

• Brown bread

• Pulses, such as beans and lentils

Personally, I like beans on toast (a classic, but healthy student meal) and bananas (but not together!)

What do you like to have that's healthy, but quick and easy to prepare?

And so to bed

Not enough sleep

The other day I came across an article from Harvard Medical School about sleep. Research at Harvard has shown that a lack of sleep can affect your studies and your memory due to the way the neural connections in your brain work while you are sleeping. A good night's sleep is vital if you want these connections to work properly. If you don't get enough sleep, the connections are weakened and the brain can't process new ideas properly.  Also, it can't fully recall and remember previously learnt information.

Personally, I've always needed my sleep. If I don't get a full 8 hours a night, I feel cranky and stressed. I've also noticed that students who don't get enough sleep find it difficult to concentrate and learn in class.  Of course, I'm not the first person to have noticed this, but it's interesting that Harvard have now shown why this is the case. However, there are people who can work and study efficiently on very little sleep e.g. 4 or 5 hours a night. Harvard themselves say that there is still a lot more research that needs to done on how sleep affects memory and learning. In the meantime, try to get a good night's sleep.

An English summer?

London in the summer

A student asked me recently if he should go to the UK this summer to study English. I answered that yes of course he should go, if he had the time and the money. However, he then asked me which language school he should go to. This is a much more difficult question to answer and it's one that I've been asked before by students.

When you choose an English language school, you need to think about what type of experience you want. Some of the things to think about are:

• Do you want to be in a city, a town, or in the countryside?
• Would you like a big school with lots of students, or a smaller school where you can get to know everyone personally?
• What type of course do you want e.g. general English, business English, academic English or exam preparation, such as FCE, or IELTS?
• How many hours a day do you want to study and be in classes?
• What type of activity programmes does the school offer e.g. discos, day trips, or excursions?
• What type of accommodation does the school offer?

Whichever school you choose, check the details carefully before you decide e.g. does the cost include accommodation, meals and social activites, or are they extra? Also, if the school is in the UK, check that it is accredited by the British Council. You can get a list of their accredited schools here.

Wherever you go, have a great summer and enjoy the experience!

We all make mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes and they are often a positive part of learning. As James Joyce once said, Mistakes are the portals of discovery.

However, in this year's A level papers in the UK, an increasing number of mistakes have been found in the exam papers. As reported in The Telegraph:

the OCR exam board was forced to apologise after a rogue question was inserted into an AS-level maths exam sat by almost 6,800 students.

The question – worth 11 per cent of the total mark – asked students to find the shortest route along a network of tracks in a forest. The route was supposed to be equal to an equation set out in the test paper – but the exam board failed to calculate the length properly.

An AS-level business studies exam set by the AQA and taken by 41,400 students asked about a fictitious chocolate company’s profits. But the company’s adjoining profile information failed to show what its profits actually were – making it impossible for students to answer.

The Telegraph also says, It is feared that the blunders may affect sixth-formers’ chances of gaining university places.

What exactly is a rogue question? A disobedient one? Also, if mistakes are 'the portals of discovery', what can we 'discover' from these mistakes?

Good luck to all the students that sat exams this year as they wait for their results to be announced in August.