How to ace an audition: 'Throw yourself into it and be brave'
Performing arts students share the cringeworthy mistakes they made, and their tips for getting through auditions. More...
Towards a post-racial society: how to make universities more inclusive
Race is still a disadvantage for black and minority ethnic staff and students. We need radical change to level the playing field. More...
Activism in the art world: meet the next generation of radical curators
Activism is having a renaissance. We live in the age of zeitgeist movements like #OscarsSoWhite and #Metoo, of millions thrumming the streets in support of the Women’s March, Black Lives Matter and March for Our Lives. More...
Top tips for student tenants: spot the red flags before you move in
Moving into your first student house or flat is a rite of passage for a lot of young people. It’ll be your home from home for many months, so you need to find the right property. Whether you’re after a warm place to study or a pre-drinks venue, here’s what to consider before signing up. More...
The Open University is about more than who is in the top job
Readers respond to a Guardian editorial on the continuing trials and tribulations at the Open University. More...
The role of apprenticeships in the UK economy
Polly Toynbee (Going nowhere fast: the lie of apprenticeships, 9 April) provides a much-needed focus on the dire state of apprenticeship provision in England. The recent report of the Commission on London at King’s College London set out how to start tackling this. More...
Why are students faking attendance? They feel cheated by the system
My university has introduced a new method of monitoring student progress, a digital apparatus for tracking class attendance. Instead of students putting their initials on a register, they tap their ID cards on a card reader. The lecturer then navigates the university website to retrieve the tally – which is far more cumbersome than glancing at a sheet of paper. But that’s not the worst problem with the new system. More...
University culture nurtures racism – I see it all the time
For the first time in my four years at university, it’s starting to feel like campus racism is being noticed more widely than by the students who experience it. I’m writing in the wake of “Punish a Muslim Day”, a concept that feels dystopian but one about which students at my university rightly felt it necessary to circulate an open letter expressing their concern. More...
University staff vote on pensions offer – without a deal in sight
The outcome of the strike that has crippled 65 British universities this year remains clouded in uncertainty no matter what is the result of a ballot being taken by union members, according to university and union officials. More...
Universities can no longer turn a blind eye to staff dating students
A new National Union of Students survey shows that fewer than one in ten respondents who experienced sexual misconduct from staff reported the behaviour to their institution. This was often because they were unsure whether the institution viewed the behaviour as acceptable, since a third of UK universities do not have a policy on staff-student relationships. Despite this, most students viewed sexualised behaviours from staff as objectionable, describing staff dating students as “predatory”. More...
