By Helen Whitehouse. It may not be for everyone, but taking a year out can help you gain valuable experience – and even make you change course. When I applied to university I thought seriously about taking a gap year. After a year at college, I was utterly demoralised. I hated the early mornings, and felt that I wouldn't have the motivation to attend university. I felt the best course of action would be to defer my application and have a year of saving up, hopefully gaining more work experience – and maybe even fit in some travelling. I applied for two universities: one for a 2013 entry, and one for a 2014 entry, so that I could decide what to do at a later date. Read more...

By Mirren Gidda. For the past week I've been frozen on the final step of creating an online dating profile – not least because I can't think of a suitably private yet mature username. Before writing about this for the Guardian it was a decision I'd kept completely confidential and I'm still not sure that I'll follow it through. It wasn't something I'd ever even considered until my best friend suggested it. Two of her friends at university highly recommended online dating – and it turns out a few of my friends had quietly been doing it, though it's still not something the majority of my friends are prepared to consider. There are several student dating websites: Date at Uni, Dating for Students and the terribly named FreshMeet that boast tens of thousands of student members. Read more...

To make the most of the current financial climate, universities could use a clearer picture of funding strategy, says Alex Bols.
UK universities are second only to US higher education for their excellent research, which in turn drives the country's economic growth and pushes forward the boundaries of knowledge. The 1994 Group is running a project this year to identify the key elements policy-makers need to put in place to help institutions to build on this world-class reputation. At the last spending review in 2010, funding for investment in capital, along with many other areas in these financially challenging times, was significantly restricted. This funding has, to a large extent, been supplemented since then with a series of high-profile announcements of funding for particular projects. Does the government's attitude towards investment in capital reflect the current funding environment or a wider shift in the way funding will be allocated in the future? Read more...

By Frederika Whitehead. Attending private views is a must for building up a network of contacts that will support your artistic career. To get anywhere in the arts you need a following: a crowd of people who support you and your work. These are the people who will eventually, if you are lucky, set you on a path to making a living from your creative talents.Visual artists build up a following by throwing free drinks parties on the opening night of each exhibition they have. These previews – or private views, as they are known in the trade – have a dual benefit of being both highly sociable and incredibly important networking events. Read more...