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Great sites for booking gap year accommodation

When it comes to organizing a gap year or summer vacation travel bonanza, one of the biggest logistical headaches people have is accommodation. While flights can be changed and you can often take advantage of all-inclusive ticket services such as an Interrail pass–both of which make moving around a lot more flexible–very often you can’t make similar arrangements when it comes to places to stay.

This means you have two different options. You can arrange all of your accommodation in advance, which means that you will then have to keep to a strict itinerary (something that can spoil the spontaneous opportunities that arise when travelling); or you can try to book your places to stay at much shorter notice. The second option will give you a lot more freedom, but often people worry that it will limit their options.

However, this needn’t be the case. While your travel agent would love you to book everything all in one go, there are still plenty of ways for you to find equally good (and perhaps even cheaper) gap year accommodation options at short notice, leaving you to let the moment guide you and change your plans as you meet new people and discover other places to visit based on tips you get while you’re travelling around.

Unsurprisingly the internet is the top to place to look for ways of booking accommodation at short notice. We’ve picked out three different sites that you can potentially make use of for booking places to stay on your gap year, with each one offering a slightly different type of accommodation.

Hostelworld

Although it’s one of the best-established hostel booking sites on the web, hostelworld.com may nevertheless have escaped your attention if your gap year is the first time you’ve gone backpacking or travelled alone.

They offer a huge selection of cheap accommodation from all around the world, with loads of economical options available everywhere. The bulk of it is beds in shared dormitories–the best type of accommodation if you’re on a budget and/or looking to meet travel buddies–though they also have plenty of options for more private and upmarket accommodation.

Each hostel or hotel listed on the site features a detailed description, plenty of photos and–most importantly–reviews by people who’ve stayed there before. And the booking system is a breeze to use, meaning you can get a bed or room confirmed in just a couple of clicks.

Airbnb

If you get sick of staying in hostels yet don’t want to go for the more impersonal option of staying in a hotel then Airbnb is the place to go for you. On this site people from all across the globe list rooms for rent by the night in their apartments. In many cases the people who list rooms on the site do so in part out of a love of letting travellers into their home so they can share their city or country with them. Hosts tend to be full of great tips of local places to visit, meaning the Airbnb experience is much more personal than staying in a hotel. Listings almost always include photos, there are plenty of reviews of the rooms offered, and the payment system is secure, meaning you don’t need to worry about getting scammed, especially if you take the time to exchange a few messages with the person whose room you’re staying in before you book.

Laterooms

At some point in your travels you may want to just take things a bit easier–months of sharing dorms with snorers, party animals and early risers will take their toll on anyone!–and it’s at this point that you should turn to Laterooms. This site deals mainly in hotel rooms, and has a huge selection to suit all different budgets. And like all the sites we’ve recommended, it has an easy-to-use payment system and plenty of reviews of the places on offer.

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Yet more great revision tools

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Careers ideas: less well-known healthcare roles

The healthcare sector has been a highly popular career choice in the UK for many, many decades now. Although NHS hospitals and clinics suffer staffing shortages, most of the time this is due to management issues or a lack of resources than there being a lack of interest in working in healthcare. Every year courses in medicine and nursing continue to be hugely popular–and therefore also very competitive and difficult to get into.

Yes, it’s clear that there are if anything too many of us out there who want to put our talents to use in caring for people. And that can surely only be a good thing; keep it in mind next time you’re feeling like the world is a cold, uncaring place. The problem, however, is that a lot of the time these eager-to-help people often only consider the most well-known of the healthcare roles–especially nursing and medicine–and if they’re unsuccessful in their attempts to study these courses, they turn their attentions to another field entirely.

This is a shame, as there are other jobs within the health sector that those same people would undoubtedly have enjoyed every bit as much as the courses they’ve been rejected for.

So, we thought we’d dedicate today’s blog post to having a look at other careers on the frontline of healthcare that could be right up your street if you’re interested in working in this most rewarding of industries.

Paramedic

It’s strange how often people who are interested in saving lives overlook this role, as there’s surely no other job where you can play such a dramatic and decisive role in determining whether a person survives in an emergency situation. As the first person on the scene, you need to stay calm under pressure and ensure that the patient first of all gets essential emergency treatment on the scene, and then safely taken to a hospital and into the capable hands of its staff. But not every callout is so dramatic; paramedics are also on hand to offer support and care to much lesser problems which nevertheless have left people feeling vulnerable and in distress. There’s probably no other job that ranks as high in terms of people valuing the help you’ve given them.

Entry into this profession takes the form of taking a university-level course in paramedic science, before then registering with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC). You’ll also of course need to be a very confident and capable driver.

Operating Department Practitioner

This is the ideal job for those who don’t crave the limelight but nevertheless want to play a central role in saving lives. ODPs work at the heart of the operating process, before, during and after a procedure. They prepare the theatre to ensure it is ready for the procedure; they assist patients before they go into surgery; they assist the surgeon and other members of the operating team during the procedure itself, striving for a highly efficient working environment to maximize the chance of the surgery’s success; and monitor the patient after the surgery is completed.

It’s a role that requires a huge level of attention to detail, exemplary teamwork and communications skills, and an ability to stay calm during stressful situations. Entry into the profession takes the form of studying a diploma at university in Operating Department Practice, followed by registration with the HCPC.

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Open days just got easier with our new calendar

Please visit our new calendar for University Open Days.

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Essential gadgets for undergraduate students

Whether you love or loathe technology, it’s an inescapable fact that educators are making ever-greater use of it. Coursework gets submitted electronically, courses have their own virtual learning environments, books and journals are downloaded as pdfs rather than consulted in the library, and some courses are even now run entirely online.

But while technology is being built into courses, students seem oddly wedded to traditional pen-and-paper methods. Attend an undergraduate lecture and you’ll see the majority of students scribbling away; head into the library and you’ll see them keenly studying handwritten notes.

While this is understandable–pen and paper is still the simplest way of getting words down, with it not requiring a power source, an internet connection or much personal space to use–it means students are missing out on some of the great benefits that making use of technology for everyday uni tasks offers. This isn’t just a matter of technology having the potential to get you better grades–though this is in itself a pretty good motivator to ditch the notepad and go digital–but also to save you quite a lot of time.

Let’s have a look at a couple of essential pieces of technology for any undergraduate to see how they can help save time and push up marks.

Netbook

Having some form of portable computer with a keyboard is vital if you want your notes as computer files rather than sheets of paper. We suggest a netbook specifically because they tend to take up less space, have better battery life and are cheaper than standard laptops.

Many people don’t do their lecture and reading notes on a computer because they think that the only benefit of them is that it is neater than handwriting. But this isn’t the case. The real advantage of computer-written notes comes when you’re trying to prepare coursework or exams, and need to search through the entirety of your notes for specific bits of information. If your notes are handwritten, you’ve got no choice but to read them all. But if they’re pdfs or Word files all you need to do is search your computer for documents containing words or phrases that you know will appear in your notes in relation to the subject you need information on. You’ll find them instantly. And with the simple magic of cut and paste you can synthesize your longer notes into briefer documents in a couple of clicks.

Some people prefer to take notes by hand in a lecture before typing them up at home. That’s fine, so long as you’re happy with the extra hours it’ll take you every week to do this, and also are aware that the majority of people who grew up with computers can type much faster than they can write by hand, meaning your notes can be more detailed if you make them straight onto a computer.

Tablet

A tablet might seem a bit of an extravagance, but they do offer some genuine benefits over just having a laptop. Firstly, as any undergraduate student will tell you a lot of uni work is based around reading articles from online journals. Printing every article isn’t just a waste of your resources, but is also less useful for when you need to consult specific parts of them later, again because you can’t search a piece of paper for a keyword. And while you can read your articles on a laptop or desktop computer the fact is that reading from a tablet is a much easier thing to do for long periods, meaning you’ll be able to get more study done.

Another benefit of a tablet is the sound recording apps they offer. Being able to record your seminars and lectures is a good way to be able to go back and review bits of the course that you didn’t understand the first time round; what a lecturer said that didn’t make sense in week one–which made you not be able to take notes on it satisfactorily–might seem a lot more insightful and comprehensible when you revisit it at the end of the course.

Printer/Scanner

A printer is really just a way of bridging the gap between the digital and hard-copy worlds, but as a piece of technology it’s a must for an undergraduate that will safe you an enormous amount of time. This isn’t because it makes you work more efficiently, but rather because rather than opting to invest as little as £30 in a new printer, the vast majority of students still show up at uni without one, and then proceed to spend long and frustrating hours queuing to access ones on campus, and even sometimes missing coursework deadlines as a result.

And since all-in-one printer and scanners are about the same price as standalone printers it’s worth going for one of these models, not least because it’ll save you hours spent waiting in the even longer on-campus queue for the photocopier!

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Some tips on becoming a financially savvy student

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Dentistry Personal Statement

Dentistry as a career contains, for me, two most attractive elements. It is based in some complex and intriguing science, which appeals to my intellectual curiosity, but it also involves very close human contact and offers the opportunity to use my expertise to improve people’s lives, by alleviating pain and even by improving their appearance and thus giving them the confidence to live more fully. My work experience placements in dental surgeries have made it very clear to me that the rapport between dentist and patient is an essential element in the success of treatment. The dentist can even save the lives of his patients by detecting medical conditions which might not have presented themselves fully until much later. The technology of modern dentistry is impressive, and I find pleasure in the demand for manual dexterity and the opportunity to go beyond diagnosis into practical action in treating one’s patients. Furthermore, with an aging population, I believe that oral health is likely to become an increasingly important issue, and the dentist can make a major contribution to people’s ability to live a longer, healthier life.

I have undertaken work placements at two dental surgeries, one NHS practice and one private. It was exciting to work in the real world in which I hope to spend my career and taught me much about methods and procedures. I observed the dentists giving various treatments, including extractions, x-rays, fillings (including the rather problematic amalgam type), taking moulds, adjusting false teeth and doing general check ups. At the private practice I saw dentists applying and removing braces, making a temporary crown, inserting composite fillings and making coloured tooth restorations. I was also treated there myself, so I had very first-hand experience of the dentists’ expertise. The practice also employed an orthodontist, who demonstrated to me how cosmetic dentistry can really transform people’s lives. On a trip to Pakistan I visited a local health centre where I observed medical and dental treatments and came to understand how important education is in maintaining our health. Even in the UK there is a huge incidence of gum disease, with its threat to the stability and durability of teeth, mainly as a result of ignorance about the condition and how to avoid it.

I have also worked in a pharmacy, which was interesting for a keen chemistry student like myself, and also involved some skill in communicating with customers and working as a member of a team. I have done a lot of charity work, such as serving in a charity shop, helping at the local community centre with Bingo for the elderly, and working at holiday sports camps organising and supervising teams of young children. These activities have all given me insight into the lives of people whose experience has been very different from my own, and taught me much about interaction and communication. I am a St John Ambulance Corps member, which has taught me about healthcare and improved my confidence in helping people.

I have led a very active life at school. I am Head Boy of the school, with responsibilities for public speaking, leadership, and the coordination of the prefectorial system. I took part in Channel 4’s “Big Art Project”, working alongside people of all ages and positions to produce the programme. In 2010 I was given a “Young Achiever” Award, acknowledging my dedication and my contribution to making my town and community more dynamic, healthy and caring. I relax by doing judo, in which I hold a yellow belt, and I play for the college football team.

I am academically able, hard-working and always determined to complete any task I am set. I work well as part of a team, but also have the confidence in my own judgement to be able to work happily on my own. I find that I can interact well with people of many different ages and backgrounds. My commitment to my subject is total, and I hope you will consider my application.

We hope this sample Personal Statement serves as a handy guide.

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Biology/Medicine/Health Sciences Personal Statement

Biology/Medicine/Health Sciences

From an early age, I have been fascinated by everything connected to Medicine, Biology and Science, always trying to find out how living organisms work, what causes them to fail and how they can be fixed. Following a degree I would love to pursue a career in medicine or research and it is my ultimate ambition to become a doctor or biological scientist.

I am an academically able candidate, having been awarded a Diploma for achieving the highest attainable average grade (1.0). I have a natural affinity for science and numbers – I have won my school’s Maths Olympiad twice and took part in the ‘FyzIQ’, a physics state competition. At school my favourite subject is Biology, particularly [insert favourite topic]. I achieved an excellent grade for my high school thesis on humans and viruses and won an ecology competition organised by my town, for which I had to [say what you did]. I have chosen Biology, Chemistry and English as my final year options to fully prepare me for a Health and Biomedical Sciences degree in the UK. Throughout the past I have also attended numerous Biology and Chemistry seminars, which have provided like-minded students with an opportunity to discuss interesting biological and medical issues. A particularly interesting event involved a discussion on [give an example of a seminar you have attended].

During my sixth year, I spent a year in the US as exchange student at [say where], where I was awarded the Academic Achievement Plaque and the District 155 Certificate of Recognition. Whilst there I helped ‘Interact’, the school humanitarian club by assisting with the food pantry, fundraisers, and the ‘Wing and a Halo’ project, which [say what Wing and Halo project was]. This year spent alone in a completely different culture made me stronger and more independent than I was before. My English improved dramatically and I learnt how to solve my problems by myself and how to be responsible, whilst forming close friendships. I was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by the Rotary for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations.

This experience has confirmed my desire to study at a university abroad, now that I know I will rise to the challenge of living and working in a foreign country. The UK has a long tradition of providing a world-class quality of education, which I would love to take part in.

My excellent time management skills have enabled me to balance consistently string academic performance, including awards for representation of my school, with a range of extra-curricular pursuits. I have attended courses at the Hubbard college of Administration on communication, dealing with parents and being a successful manager. These have given me a new perspective on my life and the people around me and helped me to improve my empathy, listening, motivational and management skills. In my free time, I have many hobbies. I love reading books, watching TV and socialising with friends. I have played the piano for seven years and sang in the school chorus. I also love travelling to other countries and sports. I play tennis twice a week, cycle every two days and ski every weekend during the winter.

I am a very diligent, responsible and prudent student with qualities that will allow me to succeed at undergraduate level and reach my full potential.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my application, I look forward to hearing from you.

Hopefully this should lead to you creating something wonderful for yourself.

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Law/Criminology Personal Statement

Law/criminology personal statement

I recently watched the two day Crown Court trial of a man accused of [state offence] and I loved the excitement of the courtroom. It confirmed my desire to turn my academic interest in law into a career.

Law is my favourite A-level subject, and that which I scored most highly in (A), placing me in the top three in my year. I particularly enjoy the criminal aspects of the course. I also loved the opportunity to explore the area of [insert coursework topic]in greater depth through independent research for my coursework. This required me to utilise my ability to write clearly structured and persuasive arguments, which I have developed through studying English Language (in which I am predicted a B at A2). I enjoy when legal topics arise on my Health and Social Care A-level course such as discrimination, the Mental Health Act and client rights. I look forward to learning more about these areas during my undergraduate studies.

I enjoy widening my legal knowledge beyond the scope of my A-level syllabi by extensive reading, both of the national press and specific legal publications such as ‘New Law Journal’. I also listen to legal podcasts such as Radio 4’s ‘Law in Action’. I have found the recent debate on assisted suicide particularly interesting, with compelling arguments on either side. It will be interesting to observe how the Director of Public Prosecutions’ guidelines will be interpreted by the courts over the coming years, and whether the government will legislate on this issue.

I have supplemented my academic interests with practical work experience in a solicitor’s office specialising in [insert practice area] law earlier this year. I [say what you did/saw.] I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to [say what you most enjoyed about it]. This exposure to a professional working environment required me to behave responsibly and with maturity. I leant the fundamental importance of client confidentiality.

My previous work experience includes two weeks as a teacher’s assistant at a primary school in 2009. This required good communication skills in order to interact with both teachers and pupils. When helping with teaching I had to explain concepts to the children in a very clear and straightforward manner that they understood. This required a great deal of patience at times, a quality which will help me in my legal career. In summer 2009 I also worked part-time in a pharmacy, where I developed my customer service skills and was trusted with money handling. Both these roles required good teamwork skills and reliability.

My excellent time-management skills have enabled me to successfully balance these academic and working pursuits with a range of extra-curricular activities. I am a keen sportswoman, and was elected as my school’s Girls’ Sport Captain. My responsibilities include organising teams, preparing training schedules and ordering uniform. I have a lot of people relying on me to do these tasks effectively, and am committed to fulfilling their expectations. I have developed my teamwork and leadership skills further by also captaining my school dance team. My other passion is music; I have reached Grade 2 on the violin.

I am a very hard-working and determined individual. I am good at working to fixed timescales and always meet deadlines by planning my work well in advance. I believe these qualities will enable me to play an active role in university life whilst maintaining a strong commitment to my studies.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my application, I look forward to hearing from you.

We hope this helps you to create a well structured Personal Statement.

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Getting cold feet about going to university?

If you got responses from all of the universities you applied to by 31st March, then Wednesday is a big day for you. It’s deadline day, you see, for responding to those university offers you’re holding. If you haven’t heard back yet, or didn’t until after 31st March, you’ve still got another month or so. Nevertheless, the decision day is looming somewhere for you as well.

Now, while for many people the deadline day isn’t an issue at all because they know exactly where they want to go, and while for others their decision angst is about which offers to take, this blog post is aimed at a different group of people who are stressing over university decision day: the people who’ve started to have second thoughts about going to university at all.

Having perhaps had a nagging doubt about whether university was for them since even before they submitted a UCAS application, the upcoming deadline has now really made these folks start to get cold feet about the prospect of heading off to university.

If you find yourself in this situation, now’s the time to confront it head on rather than dithering and perhaps missing out on what you really want to do, whether that’s go to university or do something else for either a year or more permanently. Here’s what we suggest:

1) Identify the reason you’re having second thoughts

You can’t really make a decision about what you should do if you don’t understand your own doubts. Why are you having them? If it’s because you have a definite idea about something else you’d like to do, then it’s time to seriously weigh up the two options side by side. But if on reflection it seems your university cold feet are perhaps more symptoms of something else (stress about needing to get grades is a classic underlying cause of university decision angst), then it’s important to confront those issues head on. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to see if you really don’t want to go to university or whether your anxiety lies elsewhere.

2) Speak to some people in the know

Once you’ve had a think about what’s causing your university uncertainty, speak to people you know and trust, such as parents, teachers or friends–unless, of course, you feel that they will try to unduly influence you one way or the other rather than helping you to come to a decision that’s right for you. These are the people who’ll be able to give you crucial information about areas like how viable your alternative plans are, or how to deal with other worries related to your future that are unnecessarily putting you off the idea of going to university.

3) Have a look at the course materials again

If your quandary is clearly about whether or not you think the course you’ve applied for is worth doing relative to something else you had in mind, now’s the time to go back to the prospectuses and university websites to see what made you apply for it in the first place. Perhaps you’ve just lost sight of what made it so appealing to you before. Alternatively, it may make you realise your priorities and goals have changed since you put in your UCAS application.

4) Evaluate what your alternatives are

Let’s dust down an old clich that is very apt here: “Look before you leap.” This doesn’t just mean making sure that you’ve got a solid alternative to university planned, but you also know where you’d stand in terms of being able to be accepted to the same course or university again at a later date. At the same time, however, this doesn’t mean you should just go to university if you don’t have a good alternative; if you know that the course you’ve applied for won’t be for you, you should think twice about doing it just because you haven’t thought of an alternative. Rather, you should focus on what your other options could be, so that within the next couple of years you can be heading towards something that you are more interested in doing.

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