university

It's that time of year when open days are starting to crop up, and if you're interested in postgraduate study, such as an MBA course, it's a good idea to get a couple of them in your diary. Manchester Business School's postgraduate open day, for example, takes place on the 27th November and provides visitors with an opening to speak to staff and current students, giving them more information about the postgraduate courses on offer. It also means that prospective students can get a feel for the area that they'd be living and studying in.

So, if you plan to attend, what should you expect on the day? And, is there anything you can do to prepare? Take a look at this short guide to postgraduate open days...

What you can expect

Register - During your registration or welcome session, you should be given a schedule, so that you can be aware of where you need to be and at what time. It's helpful to plan out your day when you get this schedule. There will be a number of different talks and presentations, so make a note of the ones you're interested in and find out where they will be held.

The life of a student has two sides. On the one hand, there is this new level of independence, the huge number of possibilities to have new experiences and so on. And yet, on the other, scarier hand, a list of new and unprecedented problems and questions seem to wait just for you.

How can I save money without having the feeling of living a beggar's life? Which recipes suit both my (low) budget and my taste? What are the best ways to comfortably earn some extra money? And, after having resolved the financial challenges, how can I socialise and make some lovely new friends?

Having got through all these problems myself, I can provide you with some quick, handy and useful tips to make your everyday life much more comfortable.

1) Keep calm and enjoy your meal

I know that probably 80% of you come to university not having any further cooking experience than how to ‘cook' instant pizzas and noodles (I'm not blaming you, Mum's dishes tasted too good). Am I right? If yes, try this super-quick, super-budget and super-lovely curry.

Chicken and Vegetable Curry (from this recipe):

Two British universities have taken the radical step of fingerprinting their international students to monitor lecture attendance. The universities of Sunderland and Ulster have both brought in this unprecedented system to comply with new government rules, but have faced heavy criticism for it.

The ‘biometric monitoring systems' are used at satellite campuses in London, which are home to only overseas students. It is this discrimination between British and foreign students that has been roundly condemned, with the NUS leading the chorus of concern.

International students' officer Daniel Stevens claimed the measures are "incredibly unwelcoming" and "unfairly target one group", adding that:

"It is appalling that certain institutions have required physical checks of any quantity and have discriminated against international students when implementing monitoring procedures."

Such concerns have been echoed by Sunderland students' union president Carl Taylor who called it a "limitation of freedom".

Indeed, another institution- Newcastle University, scrapped their idea to use a similar fingerprinting system after a student union vote against it.

So why wouldn't you want to expand your educational and cultural horizons through studying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)? For this oil-rich Persian Gulf state has some of the finest universities in the whole Middle East region, with students from all corners of the world taking full advantage of the extensive range of degree courses on offer across a range of disciplines, from engineering, technology and science to business, arts and the media.

Who hasn't heard of fabulous Dubai, the largest city in the UAE? It's a city of around 2 million people with a deserved reputation as a glitzy tourist playground. But it's also a thriving and successful commercial hub where incredible fortunes can be made, and perhaps lost just as easily. It's therefore no surprise to find the universities in Dubai are cutting edge, too, reflecting and serving the needs of the city's rather diverse and cosmopolitan business community. They may not figure prominently in the top tier of world university rankings, but nevertheless Dubai's eclectic mix of higher educational establishments provide the levels of skills and expertise much sought after in today's well connected society.

For many of you, exams will have finished and another year of university is coming to a close. Whether it has been your exciting first year, or your more strenuous final year, no doubt you'll have learnt something about yourself and life over the last 12 months.

On Twitter, a hashtag has been trending this morning with people revealing what their university experience has made them realise. From how much sleep they need, to how they deal with deadlines, to what food they'll eat when desperate, it seems university teaches you a lot about yourself.

Some are funny, others poignant, but we've gathered together some of the best #UniHasMadeMeRealise tweets for you below.