5 Reasons Why Your PhD Application Was Rejected
1. Your project proposal was too vague Obviously, when you're applying for a PhD, you won't have a full overview of exactly what your project will involve. However, you do need to be able to lay out a reasonable roadmap to show how you would go about answering your research questions. You need to be specific in your project proposal – what kind of experiment or study will you perform? What statistical tests will you use? What meaning would either positive or negative results have for your field of study? You need to address these questions in your application. Without specific information on what kind of research you are planning to do for your PhD, your application is unlikely to be accepted. Try to make your research proposal as precise and concrete as possible. 2. Your project proposal was unrealistic We all want our research to be informative and meaningful – but you need to be realistic too. If your PhD research proposal suggested that your work could radically alter the foundations of your subject and revolutionise the way your topic is approached by the academic community, then you were probably being overly ambitious! Three years in which to do a PhD sounds like a long time, but actually research projects always take much longer to complete than you would imagine. You need to make sure that the research you are proposing is realistically achievable in the few years that you will have available to you. Aiming for a smaller-scale project which it is possible to execute well in just a few years will show that you have a level-headed and grounded approach to your research. 3. You didn't demonstrate why your skills were right for your project Universities are looking for candidates who have a proven track record of research in the area of study for their potential PhD. This is easy to address if you proposed a PhD which followed on naturally from your undergraduate or master's work. However, if you want to change fields for your PhD or to move into a different topic, you need to be careful in the way that you address this in your proposal. You need to show that you already have many of the skills needed to complete your project. For example, maybe you did a psychology undergraduate degree and want to do a PhD in business – in that case, you should talk about the statistical skills you have gained, and how your knowledge of human behaviour would help to guide you when dealing with management issues. Find example from your past of the skills that you would use in your new field and use these to demonstrate your capability. ​<11an>limit:3;categories:PhD Programs;disciplines:Economics</11an> 4. Your project was not a good match for the institution Both universities and departments within each university will have topics or subject areas which they specialise in. For example, in psychology, some departments are very academically minded and specialise in evidence-based approaches, while others have a more clinically-based approach and focus on a certain school of psychotherapy. If your PhD does not fit neatly in with the department's interests, then your application is unlikely to succeed. The specialisation of any given department can be quite difficult for an outsider to ascertain, as it is not usually stated explicitly. So the best way to work out the interests of a department is to check the pages for each individual professor and researcher on the departmental website, and check over their publication list. Try to find a university and department whose interests match as closely as possible to your project. 5. Your academic profile was not a good match for the institution Finally, you yourself also need to be a good match to wherever you are applying. “Institutional fit” is a high priority for admission committees, meaning that they want to know that you, your project, and the department will all fit together harmoniously. Emphasise your relevant skills, from previous jobs or volunteering that you have done, as well as your academic background. Try to show that you understand the language and priorities of the department and that you could perform your research there effectively. Good luck with your PhD applications, and don't despair! Sometimes it takes a few attempts before you find the right PhD place for you.
Applying for a PhD can be a long and difficult process, with not many opportunities for you to hear feedback on your application. If your application was not successful and you're not sure why, here are some of the most common reasons for PhD applications to be rejected. If you plan to improve your PhD application this autumn, download our free guide "How to successfully apply to a PhD in Economics".
8 Kinds Of Life Experience Which Will Help You As A Student
1. Organising social events If you're the friend in your social group who's always organising the social occasions by planning parties, trips, or holidays, then good news – this experience will help you in a university setting too. The ability to take a desired outcome (a trip to a certain place), to see all the steps required to achieve it (transport, tickets, picking a date), to inspire and motivate others to join you, and then to put the plan into practice, will help you in planning and executing your projects, and in organising group work. 2. Working with others or playing a team sport People sometimes think of studying as being a solitary pursuit, but actually you'll often need to work with others at university. You'll have group projects to complete which will require you to work as part of a team, and sometimes you'll need to take a leadership role. Having had practise at this by playing as part of a sports team or other social group will help you to complete your university assignments efficiently. 3. Being a member of a book club If you've been a member of a book club, or if you like to discuss books that you've read with your friends and family, then this is useful experience. You've learnt how to analyse and critique a text, to identify its key themes, and to communicate your analysis with others. This is very similar to the process you'll go through when analysing a text in your studies and when writing an essay. 4. Being a debater If you're the sort of person who can't resist a political debate over the dinner table, then you'll have sharpened your critical thinking and communication skills from all that arguing. Happily, university classes are the perfect place to work more on your debate skills. 5. Having had a casual job If you've had a job before you study, even if it wasn't related to your field of study, then you'll still have picked up useful skills. You'll have learned how to present yourself in a professional way, to perform tasks within a certain timeframe, and to motivate yourself to get to work even if you weren't feeling up to it. These will be invaluable when you're starting off at university and finding out how to adjust to your student life. 6. Dealing with a difficult boss If you've ever had to deal with a difficult boss, then you may have learned skills like how to cope with unclear instructions, how to keep calm in stressful situations, and how to extract useful information from difficult sources. These are all extremely useful when dealing with a challenging situation in your studies. Also, the confidence that you gain from being able to overcome difficulties will help you too. So there were some advantages to that horrible summer job you had after all! 7. Drama or music performance If you have performed on stage as a musician or actor, then you will have some understanding of stage presence and connecting with an audience. This is excellent training for public speaking and oral presentation, which will serve you well when you have to give talks or presentations in university. Knowing how to stand, how to project your voice, and being comfortable in front of an audience are essential skills for good presentations. 8. Writing experience of all kinds Chances are that you've written a lot of essays throughout your education so far, and you'll be writing even more for your university studies. But it's not just essay writing which is useful for a student. If you've written newspaper articles for a school paper, tried creative writing such as poetry or fiction, or written an online blog on a topic you're interested in, these are all great preparation for university writing too. You'll have learned how to convey complex ideas in a simple way, how to adapt your writing for your audience, and how to gauge the appropriate level of detail for a piece of writing, all of which are beneficial for your essay and exam writing at university.
When you think about what skills a student needs to be successful, you probably think of academic skills like research or academic writing. If you're becoming a student for the first time, this can be intimidating – you've never learned those skills before! But there are lots of other skills you will have picked up in your life which will help you through your studies. Consider the following:
8 Things You Will Never Hear From Your PhD Supervisor
1. “There's no rush with that. Take your time.” In your PhD, you'll need to be able to move quickly, and to produce work fast. The work may not be as good as you want it to be, but sometimes it's more important for something to be done than for it to be perfect. When your supervisor asks you for work, they'll often want it done on a tight time schedule. <11an>limit:3;categories:Postdoc;disciplines:Economics</11an><o:p></o:p> 2. “Don't work too hard this weekend.” It is vitally important that you have free time as a PhD student, to relax, to see friends and family, and to indulge in your hobbies. But you cannot rely on your supervisor to help you with this – you have to set your own boundaries about how much you should be working and when you need time off. Your supervisor would rather you worked all of the time, so don't wait for their permission to give yourself a break. 3. “This is perfect and needs no corrections.” You need to learn that no piece of work that you produce will ever be perfect. There will always be room for improvements, and ways to make something better. Don't be discouraged if you have worked hard on a piece and your supervisor points out ways that it could be improved – this is part of the process of learning and growing as a researcher. 4. “Some things are more important than your PhD.” Everyone has different values about what is most important in their life, and PhD students tend to be very career-focused and ambitious. But if doing a PhD is negatively impacting your physical or mental health, or your relationships with your friends and family, then you need to reconsider your work-life balance. Your supervisor will always push you to focus more on your work, so you need to strongly advocate for your own well-being. 5. “There are jobs outside of academia.” Because they have spent their careers in academia, supervisors tend to forgot about preparing their students for the world of industry. If you're interested in eventually working in industry or in another type of role outside of the academic system, your supervisor is unlikely to offer much help or encouragement. You should start networking with those in industry positions, and talking to other former academics who have made the transition out of academia. Your supervisor is not the best person to advise you on this. 6. “I'm asking you to do this because I don't want to do it.” PhD students are at the bottom of the totem when it comes to assigning work. Unglamorous assignments like teaching introductory courses, marking exams, or writing peer reviews are often passed on to PhDs because more senior researchers would rather not do them. This is the nature of delegation, and you can actually learn a lot from doing these routine tasks. But be prepared that, as a PhD student, you will be asked to do the less interesting work. 7. “Sometimes I feel unsure and insecure about my own work.” All people deal with doubt and insecurity, and academics are no different. There are times at which everyone has thought that their research was pointless, their ideas were stupid, and that they were personally not up to scratch. Because supervisors are more senior, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to reveal these insecurities to the students who work for them. However, remember that when you have doubts about your competence, you are definitely not the only person to feel that way! Even the most senior and respected of people struggle with doubts, though you probably wouldn't hear them admit to it. 8. “Good job!” This one is not entirely true – some supervisors do work hard to give positive feedback. But often, supervisors can forget that giving praise is as important as giving criticism when it comes to motivating students. It's possible that it will be very rare for anyone to tell you that you're doing well or that a piece of work was excellent, so you need to develop your own motivational skills. If you think that you've done good work, then congratulate yourself! Don't let your supervisor's opinion become more essential to your self-worth than your own opinion.
Your supervisor should play a helpful and supportive role in your PhD – but you should also be realistic about what to expect from them. Here are 8 things you'll never hear your PhD supervisor say:
How To Balance Your Course Load As An Undergraduate
Prioritise The first thing you need to do is to work out which courses are essential for you to succeed in your degree. You will likely have some mandatory courses which are stipulated in your handbook or departmental guidelines, as well as a range of elective courses which you can choose from. Find out what your mandatory courses are, exactly when the lectures, seminars, or tutorials are held, and add them to your calendar first. These are the essential foundation topics of your subject, and you will need to know this material well. Once you have your mandatory courses laid out, you can start to consider elective courses. Find out how much time each elective course will take per week, how long the course runs for, and what kind of assessment will be required. Schedule these courses in around your mandatory courses. Be realistic Everyone starts the semester with great intentions – they're going to work super hard and get so much done! This is a fine aim, but do be realistic. If you hate getting up in the mornings, don't book yourself onto courses starting at 8am four days a week. You might hope that you'll be forced to adapt out of your late-mornings habits, but the more likely outcome is that you'll just stop attending those morning classes. Similarly, it's good to work hard and to make use of your spare time. But don't over-schedule yourself so that you're constantly running around, late and stressed. Think about how much time you will need to travel between lectures, how much time reading and research will take for each course, and how much time you will need for exam preparation or other issues. It's much better to take on 3 courses at a time and do an excellent job in all of them than it is to take on 4 courses and perform at a mediocre level. Consider the end of the semester as well as the start When you're planning your courses, it's tempting to look at the requirements for the first few weeks and assume that will be a guide for the whole course. But that's usually not the case! Courses, especially introductory undergraduate courses, will often start out slowly, with not too much material covered, so that everyone can keep up. Over the semester, the amount and quality of work that is expected will increase. At the end of the semester you may have to sit an exam, take part in a practical, or submit coursework. Remember to consider the work required across the whole semester when planning your course load. Give yourself time for research and revision, especially in more advanced courses. Know when your key deadlines are for submitting work and plan around them, so that you don't have a load of stress all at one time. Take an interesting range of courses Although it is important to specialise eventually, you don't want to be too narrow in your undergraduate studies. Where possible, try to take courses which will teach you different skills – like essay writing, maths and statistics, oral presentation, research skills, and so on – as well as covering different subject topics. Having a broad range of courses will not only help you to develop as a student, but it will also help you to stay motivated and avoid burnout. If you have a wide array of electives to choose from, do take advantage of this! Take up the chance to study something totally new, or a subject which has always interested you. Having variety in your courses will help to keep you engaged.
When you're starting out as undergraduate student, there is so much to think about and to remember that it can be hard to know how to manage your course load. With that in mind, these tips can help you balance your courses so that your undergraduate experience can be as rewarding and positive as possible.
Last Check List Before Submitting Your Master's Thesis
1. Check your word count It's important that your thesis stays within the word limit allowed by your university. Most departments are very strict about this, and you can lose marks or even have your thesis rejected if it's too long. So check the allowed word count in your departmental handbook or on your university's website. Generally, you are allowed to be within 10% of the stated word count – so if the count is 3000 words, you can submit between 2700 and 3300 words for your thesis. This differs between universities though, so check this too! If your thesis is too long, be brutal in cutting out any irrelevant information to make it as tight as possible. 2. Check your references carefully You should be adding references to your thesis as you write it. But you need to do a check of all your references at the end too. First, identify every statement in your thesis which requires a reference. Then, make sure your references are in place within the text and in the right format. Generally, in-text references are presented in the format: “factual statement (Author, year)”. Next, make sure that every reference in your text also appears in the reference list at the end of your thesis. This is where your full reference information goes, and you need to make sure that this is in the correct format for your university too. Finally, check that there are no references in your reference list which do not appear in your text. 3. Do your formatting Formatting a thesis is always a bother, so leave yourself some time to adjust the fonts, margins, and line spacing to your liking. Don't forget to add page numbers to the top or bottom of the page for easier reading. You'll also need a table of contents, which lists your section headings and which page they can be found on. If you're using Word, you can generate this automatically. 4. Put together your title page You will need a title page for your thesis, which generally includes the title, the university and department, and the date. Often, master's theses should not have your name on them, as they may be marked blind. In this case, you should have a candidate number or reference number which goes on your title page instead of your name. Double check in your departmental handbook if you are unsure. 5. Print & bind or submit electronically Often, for a master's thesis you can print it yourself on regular printer paper, and then bind it using a comb binder and a binding machine. The admin office at your university may well have these supplies which you can use, or they can direct you to where you can find them. This will be much cheaper than having the thesis printed at a print shop! Alternatively, at some universities you can submit your thesis electronically. You will need to convert your thesis to a PDF and then email it or submit it through the online form provided by your university. 6. Get a receipt Whether you submit a paper copy of your thesis to your university office, or you submit it electronically through an online form, it's a good idea to get a receipt or acknowledgement of your submission. That way, in case there are any problems with your submission or your thesis is lost, you can prove that you handed it in on time. A signed note from the university office should be just fine. 7. Celebrate! Congratulations, you've finished your master's thesis! Now go out and celebrate your big achievement.
Writing up your master's thesis is a big job, and you need to take some time to think about administrative issues as well as the content of your thesis. We've talked before about the final steps you need to take to make sure that your PhD thesis is ready to submit. Today, it's the turn of the master's students. If you're finishing up your master's, take a look at this checklist and make sure you're ready with everything you need to submit your thesis.
Frequently Asked Questions During PhD Applications
What should my research proposal be about? For most PhD applications, you will need to submit a research proposal which outlines what topic you plan to study over your PhD. This proposal should generally include an introduction and background material to your topic, a set of research questions, a proposed methodology for studying those questions, and an indication of how your results would be beneficial to the academic community. Most people write a PhD proposal which is an extension of their master's thesis – the advantage of this is that you have already demonstrated your ability in the field by having completed the master's. However, if you have an innovative or unusual idea, then you should put it forward in your proposal! Just make sure that your idea is well thought through and not too vague. What if my project changes from my proposal? Some applicants are concerned that if they submit a proposal, they will have to follow it exactly if they get accepted on a PhD. But this isn't the case! In fact, the proposal is meant to demonstrate that you are capable of thinking through a project and finding a way to address research questions. If you do get accepted onto a PhD, your actual research will almost certainly change dramatically from what was outlined in your proposal. So don't worry that your proposal might limit you in the future – aim to make it as clear and coherent as possible, and you can always change it once you actually start. <11an>limit:3;categories:PhD Programs;disciplines:Economics</11an> What paperwork or documents will I need to apply for a PhD? To apply for a PhD, you will need some paperwork. Firstly, you will need copies of your university certificates for your undergraduate and master's degrees. You may also need transcripts which show your grades in the various courses which you took. If you are applying to an institution in a foreign country, you may need to have your grades converted into the local grading system. Also, you will need to demonstrate your language abilities, by either showing that one of your university programs was in the teaching language, or providing a certificate proving your language skills. How do I write a statement of motivation? Often, you will need to provide a statement or letter of motivation in addition to your research proposal. This is where you demonstrate your personal interest and commitment to your research. This should briefly describe your academic career so far, but you should also talk about what your aims are for the future. Don't make the mistake of being overly descriptive – for example, you don't need to list all the courses you took as an undergraduate because that information will be in your transcript. Instead, focus on specifics – was there a course you took which inspired you? Did you see a presentation by a great researcher and want to learn more about their field? What unique experiences have you had which lead you to your research? Let your enthusiasm and individually shine here. How do I find someone to write a letter of recommendation for me? You will need to provide one or more letters of recommendation for your PhD application. These should be written by someone in academia who is familiar with your work – they could be a lecturer, tutor, or a department member who you have got to know. Ideally, the person writing the recommendation would be someone senior, like a professor, but it's better to have a recommendation from a more junior person who knows you very well than one from a senior person with whom you have only interacted briefly. If you have been working in industry, you could ask a manager to write you such a letter, but be aware that recommendations from people within academia are preferred. How can I make myself stand out from the other applicants? To make your application exceptional, firstly you need to fulfil all the requirements exactly. Make sure that you follow any guidelines which are given – don't skip any steps or miss any sections. When it comes to your research proposal, this is your chance to showcase your original academic ideas. Try to explain not only why your research topic is interesting, but also what your results could mean for the rest of the field and for the public. In your motivation letter, you can be slightly less formal and let your personality show – let everyone see how enthusiastic you are about your work. We hope this helps answer some of your PhD application questions!
If you're applying for a PhD, the process can be rather complex, so here are our answers to some frequently asked questions about applications. If you plan to start your PhD application this autumn, download our free guide "How to successfully apply to a PhD in Economics".
Last Check List Before Submitting Your PhD Thesis
1. Put in your thanks or acknowledgements Traditionally, there is one page at either the front or at the back of a thesis which is dedicated to thanking to colleagues, partners, or friends who have supported you. This is a nice personal touch and a way of acknowledging all of the help you've received. <11an>limit:3;categories:Postdoc;disciplines:Economics</11an><o:p></o:p> 2. Check your printing requirements Different universities have different printing requirements. Sometimes you can submit your thesis electronically, sometimes you will need to hand in multiple printed copies of your thesis in a very specific format. Check the requirements in your department's regulations. 3. Check your title page There are usually requirements about what information should and should not be included on a title page. It's also very important to double- and triple-check the spelling. It sounds silly, but the title page is usually the last thing which people write, and it's surprisingly common to see typos on them. That's embarrassing and doesn't give a great first impression! 4. Make preparations for printing Once you know what printing format is required, you can make preparations. Find a printing shop and visit it a few days before you submit, describe what you need, and find out how long it will take and how much it will cost. You don't want to be stressed out and trying to find a printing shop at the last minute. 5. Do one last proofread However carefully you've checked your work, there will almost certainly still be some small mistakes in there. Seeing typos in your printed thesis will be terribly annoying, so take the time to read the entire thesis, cover to cover, and check all of the text. 6. Check your images, graphs, and tables When you make formatting changes, this can often have knock-on effects and change the layout of objects like images, tables and graphs. After you have checked and corrected your text, go back and make sure each object is correctly positioned, labelled, and linked in your table of contents. Make sure that your labels are legible and that your images are high enough quality for printing. 7. Contact the office where you'll be submitting Most universities will have either a central office where theses are submitted (usually a sub-department of the library), or you will have to hand in your thesis to your department directly. Either way, contact the relevant office a few days before you want to submit. Let them know that you're planning to submit, find out when the office is open, and enquire about any paperwork you will need to complete. Also ask if there is anything that you will need to bring along with you when you submit, such as a university ID card or your passport. 8. Prepare all your paperwork You'll probably have to fill out some forms, agreeing that the work you are submitting is your own, and giving permission to the university to share the work publicly. You may also need to submit evidence of coursework that you have completed, or classes which you have attended. It will be less stressful for you if you can have all the required paperwork printed and signed before you arrive at the office. 9. Get a signed receipt Once you have given in your thesis, it's a good idea to collect an acknowledgement from the university office that they have received your work. This could be a formal receipt, or it could just be a note from the relevant member of staff in the office. Just in case there are any problems with the submission of your thesis, you have paperwork showing that you gave it in at a particular date and time. 10. Celebrate! Now your thesis is handed in, along with all the paperwork, you are free to celebrate! You've worked incredibly hard to finish a PhD, so take time to congratulate yourself.
The big day is here – you're finally ready to hand in your PhD thesis! Years of work have culminated in this one piece of work, and you're prepared to submit it to your university office. You're almost certainly stressed, exhausted, and very glad to be done. But there are a few quick points you need to check before you formally submit your thesis, so take a look at this checklist and make sure everything is in order.
Using IELTS for Your Academic Career or Professional Registration
Why IELTS? The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test that measures the language proficiency of people who want to work, study, or settle in English-speaking areas. An easy-to-use 9-band scale clearly identifies proficiency level, from non-user (band 1) through to expert (band 9). You can take the test at more than 1100 locations and there are 48 test dates a year. In most countries where English is the main language of communication, evidence of acceptable English language skills is a prerequisite for applicants and international graduates seeking professional registration. IELTS can give you the evidence you need when applying for a higher education program or professional organization. It’s important to note that the level of English language proficiency required by organisations varies by profession, by country and by jurisdiction. It’s up to the individual professional registration bodies to set their own requirements. However, employers in industries such as medicine, accounting, engineering, law, government, tourism and more may all ask for IELTS from potential employees, making IELTS Academic an important step along the way to the universty or professional organization of your choice. IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training – what’s the difference? For those planning to study in higher education or those seeking professional registration, IELTS Academic assesses whether you are ready to begin studying or training in an environment where English is the language used. You can discover who accepts IELTS using this great tool. IELTS Academic is different from IELTS General Training. The General Training test is ony for those who want to study or train in secondary education, study or train at a college or training centre below degree level, or who want to migrate to an English speaking country. IELTS Academic is for those who want to study higher eduation or join a professional organisation in an English-speaking country. While all test takers take the same Listening and Speaking tests, regardless of which version they take, the Reading and Writing tests differ in content, depending on whether you are taking IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training. Source: IELTS How can I prepare for IELTS? There are many great ways to prepare yourself for the test. Find out how with the British Council’s great tips and study techniques, take a look at some sample questions or take a free practice test online. How can I register for IELTS? Here is an easy how-to for booking your test - on your time and in your country. Ready to book? You can do so here and take the next step towards your new program or profession.
Do you want to study at a university at the undergraduate or postgraduate level, or join a professional organisation in an English-speaking country? Then IELTS Academic is designed for you.
The value of diversity resides on new ideas, creativity and innovation. To ensure the success of your international team, you should work towards inclusion, where every single member feels valued and integrated in the organization, mission, vision and strategy. When professors, students and administration members feel appreciated, they are more willing to generate ideas and make resources available for innovation and growth. There is no magic bullet or golden rule that will keep your team members happy - everything depends on the culture of your organization or university. But properly assessing the characteristics of your team will help you considerably. Focus groups, interviews and surveys are at your disposal to draw good conclusions in this endeavour. Some other good practices that will lead to success in your diversity team include: ● Recognise and respect the cultural differences of your team members: In an international team you will often face multiple interpretations of the same issue. While some of your team members understand a situation as normal, others can experience it as stressful. It is always worth getting to know your team members as well as possible in order to avoid miscommunication in the words and body language that you use, or even confusion as a result of workflows that to you might seem standard, but to others may be very foreign. ● Design processes to make your employees or students feel welcome: A new employee or student from a completely different cultural background needs to feel accepted. Make the first day of the new team member an important event and alert current employees about the new team member. ● Create mentor groups: Assigning a local mentor to people from different cultural backgrounds will make them feel comfortable and supported. ● Create a free space to share ideas and take them into account: Problem solving comes in different shapes in different cultures; so let your institution absorb the new ideas and approaches from people from other backgrounds. ● Use benchmarking: Other institutions have successfully reached a diverse multicultural environment - let them teach you and provide you with new ideas. ● Provide communication training for your employees and students: Whether communication coaching, language courses or assertiveness, being able to communicate messages propoerly will help your people blend into your workplace community ● Build up a strong leadership program inside your institution: Avoid all types of cultural bias about the styles and characteristics of a leader; the challenge is to enable each team member to become an effective leader matching their own cultural mindset. ● Listen to your people: Make use of surveys and interviews to determine the needs of different employees and students. Only then can you develop a strategic retention plan for your diverse talent. ● Focus on building trust in your team: The most basic way in which you can ensure trust in your team is by setting up good communication channels (intranet, posters, emails, social media groups, etc.) Make sure that your team members understand each other clearly, regardless of the ways that their background influences their behaviour and non-verbal communication. By organizing team-building activities, you will provide a space outside your institution to socialize and learn from each other. Managing a multicultural team of employees and students may be a signficant challenge but it also promises a big reward in terms of experience and learning. At INOMICS we are happy to support your recruitment activities and to provide you with tips for the effective management of your international talent. Please feel free to write to us at info@inomics.com if you are interested in knowing more about us, our research initiatives in the recruitment industry and the advertising opportunities for your institution. We will be happy to work with you to attract the best candidates for your institution.
Managing a multicultural team can be exciting and challenging. While employers might know what to expect from employees with the same background as them, a multicultural team demands more time and dedication since not all management and motivation techniques will work the same way with all team members. Last month we talked about diversity recruitment and how to hire multicultural talent for institutions. In this article we will address different suggestions that will help you keep your employees and students engaged.
Diversity Recruitment: hiring multicultural talent for institutions
What does diversity mean for HR and student recruiters? Until recently, a diverse working or study group may have simply referred to a balance of genders, sexual orientation and race. Nowadays though, diversity is extended in meaning to cover minority groups, older persons, people from different cultures and people whose native language is not that of the group or institution. Diversity now refers to the inclusion of people with different life styles and value systems, for example, geographic location, income, religion, hobbies, educational background, work experience, parental and marital status1. For HR recruiters, diversity ensures the success of the company. With today’s globalized markets, it is necessary to understand a different set of cultures, and their associated behaviours, needs and demands, in order to develop appropriate products and services. The most valuable market insight can come from employees who have a cultural background comparable to those of your target groups. For student recruiters, keeping diversity in mind enables them to deliver to students the opportunity to interact with different nationalities and learn from each other. Multicultural student and professor groups deliver a higher level of learning not only in a specific subject, but also in terms of teamwork, coping with stress, adaptability and awareness of different opinions and ideas. How can I put diversity recruitment into practice? The most common way to start applying diversity recruitment is to set goals towards a diverse team at your institution. For example, to receive and prioritize applications from your target countries/cultures and advertise your open positions or study opportunities in places where your target groups work and live. Additionally there are a variety of practices that could help you reach your recruitment goals: Create a diverse pool of candidates: recruiting in the same places and with the same techniques will always bring the same set of skills and people. Try to attain visibility in specialized places, where your desired target groups are located. Classify your channels according to your segmentation of desired candidates: shortlist the channels where you usually get people with a special set of skills, or where you know you can reach people with a specific cultural background. ​​​​​​​Attend and sponsor industry events: whether to look for valuable partners or to contribute to the growth of the organization, events provide you with a chance to meet people interested in specific topics and career opportunities in a specific industry. Look for your candidates at the early stages of their career: if you are looking for researchers or students interested in one specific topic, you can try to approach young people who are interested in the issue and are looking for opportunities to become experts on the topic. ​​​​​​​Work out a collaboration agreement between universities and companies. If you are a university, cooperate with research centres and companies by offering opportunities to develop research. If you are a company or research institute, share your vacancies directly with universities to find the perfect fit for your needs. ​​​​​​​Include diversity in your mission statement and marketing materials: if your institution publicises the high importance it attaches to a varied team, more applicants will be willing to take your company or institution seriously and apply for your jobs, programs, events etc.​​​​​​​ Break down stereotypes: pre-judging the capability of individuals to fill an open position can lead to missed opportunities, not to mention the risk of (justified) accusations of discrimination. ​​​​​​​Use international recruitment websites that provide you with a worldwide reach, so your message is delivered to a good spread of people. ​​​​​​​If you are applying techniques such as recruitment on campus, always be aware if your recruiting team is being trained in diversity awareness, challenge their comfort zone, and attract the best candidates. Recruiting a diverse team represents a challenge for recruiters but also a big reward in terms of long-term development of the organization. In our next newsletter, we will cover some techniques about how to maintain a multicultural team, i.e. to keep them satisfied and happy. Feel free to write to us at info@inomics.com if you are interested in knowing more about INOMICS, our research initiatives in the field of professional or student recruitment, and the advertising opportunities to reach top international students and researchers in economics, business and finance worldwide. We will be happy to work with you to attract the best candidates for your institution. 1Diversity Recruitment. NAS Insights http://www.mature-project.eu/materials/DiversityRecruitment_guidelines.pdf
Globalization has had a significant impact on the structure and function of organizations. Nowadays, HR and student recruiters are eager to offer positions to candidates from all over the world who provide a diversity of talent, the best skills and cultural adaptability. Previously we have discussed why hiring an international candidate can benefit your workplace and the multiple benefits of international students for universities. Now we want to go deeper into the topic of diversity recruitment and present some techniques to gather the best talent for your institution and maintain a happy, multicultural team.
5 Reasons Why You Should Learn A New Language
1. Work in a different country or location The most obvious career advantage to learning a new language is that it gives you more options for countries or locations where you can work. Particularly if you learn a common language like Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic, the number of potential jobs open to you becomes suddenly much larger. If you are willing and able to move to a new place for a job, this is one of the best way to improve your career prospects. Of course, to be able to take up a job in a foreign language requires extremely high levels of fluency, so this requires serious commitment. But if you're willing to put in the hours to learn the language thoroughly, you can find better pay, better living conditions, or more interesting work, depending on your preference. 2. Better pay in many jobs If you don't want to move from your current location, there are still career advantages of learning a language. With so many companies now doing international business, there are a large number of roles which require or benefit from a bilingual speaker. There may even be a need for language skills in your current role. If you can demonstrate to your current or prospective employer that your language skills are good enough to be a boon to your employer and an advantage to your work, then you may be able to leverage a raise or better starting salary. This is especially true if you speak a language which is unusual for someone in your area, but is particularly important for your business – if you are an American who works for a technology company and speaks Japanese, for example. 3. Demonstrate your ability to take on demanding projects Even if there is no language requirement for your job, you can still benefit from learning a language. It demonstrates your ability to take on a large and demanding project, to manage and motivate yourself, and to meet concrete successful outcomes. The ability to learn independently is valuable in all kinds of work, showing that you can take initiative and have a willingness to apply yourself to a difficult challenge. 4. Personal discovery A further benefit of learning a language is that it will teach you about your own learning style. Do you retain more information when you discuss it with another person or in a group? Or do prefer to learn alone, from books, at your own pace? Do you find visual cues helpful in retaining information? Or perhaps you like to have a physical object which you can handle, such as flashcards? The more you understand about the best ways for you to learn, the easier your future learning will be. As adults, we often don't think about learning styles much once we have completed school. But learning is a life-long process, and understanding more about your style will help you to make the most of training or instruction which you receive in the future. 5. Become a better communicator Finally, think about how learning a language can help you to become a better communicator generally. You'll find it easier to communicate with people who are learning your native language if you know what it's like to be in their position. You might be surprised at how often you use idioms or slang which is difficult for people from other places or backgrounds to understand. You can think more about how your form your sentences, about how fast you speak, and how you explain complex issues, and how to adapt these behaviours to communicate better with international colleagues or clients.
Learning a new language can be fun and rewarding, but all too often it's considered just a necessary part of schooling for children or teenagers. However, learning a language as an adult can bring your a range of benefits, including improving your employability and career prospects. Below we're considering some of the advantages of learning a language in terms of your job or studying.
Researching To begin your essay, you first need to research the topic at hand. The earlier you begin this process, the easier it will be, so try to start well in advance. You should collect materials that you'll need, such as library books or online journal articles, and read as much as possible that might be relevant. At this point, you can take notes on any specific issues which seem to be important, but your primary aim is to understand the bigger picture. Structuring Before you start writing, you want to ensure that you have a basic structure in place. This will help to focus your writing and prevent you from going off-track. Most essays will follow a similar structure, for example: What is X / What are the causes of X? A brief introduction to why the question of X is relevant or interesting to your discipline or to the world more broadly. First section: one view about X, often the traditional or older view, which you should set out as objectively and fairly as you can. Second section: a different view of X, perhaps a more recent or more controversial theory, which should also be set out factually and fairly. Third section: a discussion of what evidence or arguments supports the first view, and what supports the second view. You can begin some analysis here – making judgements about whether or not you find certain pieces of evidence or argumentation to be convincing. Fourth section: further factors for consideration. Perhaps there is a third theory or view to be considered, or a very new piece of research which shows some support for both the views you previously described. Or perhaps there is information from a different discipline which could be relevant to your argument. Here is the place to put your original ideas and to show your own thoughts. Fifth section: overall, do you find the first or second view presented to be more persuasive? Why is this? Show how the evidence or reasoning led you to one conclusion over the over. Conclusion: very briefly summarise everything you have said so far into a few sentences, to remind your reader of the take-home message. You may need to adapt this structure to make it fit with your particular essay question, but this format is generally what is expected. Writing When it comes to the process of writing, some people like to be secluded away with no noise and no distractions so that they can concentrate. Others find listening to music helps them to focus, or that they need regular breaks for brief socialising such as getting coffee with a friend. You should try out various locations and environments until you find one which makes you most comfortable for writing, but that does not have too many distractions. When in doubt, the university library will have all the resources you need, and little in the way of chatter to distract you. One useful tip is that you don't have to write your essay in the order in which it will be read. Introductions can be hard to write because they require you to summarise a very large amount of information. So you can start writing by skipping the introduction and beginning writing your first section, and then come back to the introduction once you are more comfortable with the topic. Editing Finally, it's important that you edit your work for clarity and to correct small mistakes of spelling and grammar before you submit it. Ideally, you want to take at least 24 hours away from your essay after finishing it before you edit. This will help to ensure that while you are editing, you are reading what you have actually written, not what you intended to write. If you must edit in a hurry, then it can be very helpful to have a friend check over your work. Even if they are not in your field and may not understand the content of what you have written, they can spot language mistakes and help with your editing process. We hope that these tips can help to make your next essay fantastic! For more tips for students, check out our other articles.
If you're working your way through your degree, you may well be required to write a number of essays for your assessment. This can be tricky if you don't have a lot of experience in essay writing, so today we're sharing tips on how to manage the essay-writing process.
Recruitment for Academic Positions: Timing & Strategy
There are many tips out there (also in the INOMICS Insights section) on how to apply for academic positions, how to write a cover letter or how to deal with interviews. This time we want to talk about timing your applications and about the best recruitment seasons when there are more positions advertised or when the competition is less severe. Every day there are new academic positions published on INOMICS. Based on this, we have analysed and summarised the level of activity on the job market in 2015. Altogether, among more than a thousand promoted jobs, 40% were Professor positions (incl. lecturers, assistant professors and associate professor), 20% Researchers, 15% Postdoc and 14% PhD Positions, (but excluding PhD study programs). The distribution can be seen in Figure 1. As expected, each type of position has its own high and low seasons. Most interesting (we think) are: - The busiest time of the year for PhD positions is during the spring, whereas for Professor positions it is the winter. - Postdocs can enjoy two recruitment peaks in February-March and then again in October - Researchers are primarily hired in January-February and then again in July. This can of course be explained by a variety of factors such as semester schedule, timing of graduation, standard university contracts in a specific country and so on. But knowing when to actively look for an open position is a big step towards finding successful employment. On the other hand, this information might also be interesting for recruiters, since some might decide to go for a less popular season to reduce competition with other recruiters and get as much attention from potential candidates as possible. Figure 2 shows the general trend in academic recruitment per month. It is worth mentioning that the duration of the advertisement period matters as well, both for the applicant and for the recruiter. It often takes (and should take!) some time to prepare a thought-through application, so the longer the position is promoted, the better. This ensures that potential job seekers have a fair chance to see the announcement online, arrange their CV and cover letter and apply before the deadline expires. At INOMICS our goal is transparency of information in the academic field. By providing constantly updated information about the newest jobs available, we help boost the careers of many talented and qualified students and academics around the world, starting with a student looking for a PhD position and onwards towards a career academic looking for that tenure track professorship at a top university. If you have questions about applying for academic positions or about recruiting for them, please let us know and we will do our very best to help you.
Applying for an academic job, like in most other professions, requires a long and sometimes exhausting process of applications and interviews. And like in every other profession, every applicant wants to be as efficient as possible and quickly succeed in getting his or her dream job with as little effort and fuss as possible.
Ethical considerations: influencing policy One unique feature of government roles for academics is the chance to have a direct impact on policy, and hence on people's lives. For those frustrated with the ivory tower aspects of academia – for example, the fact that most academic papers are only ever read by other academics in the same field – working for the government gives the chance to put academic theory into real-world practice. If you're looking for a direct way to put your expertise into practical steps and are keen to make policies more evidence-based, then working in government is your chance to use your academic background to help shape society in a positive way. Working conditions: pay and stability In some countries, working for the government is not especially well paid, and salaries will be considerably lower than they would be for equivalent positions in industry which require similar skills and experience. However, this relatively low compensation is balanced by other factors when working for the government – for example, benefits such as vacation time and healthcare are often much better. The other big advantage of a government job in practical terms is that it is usually very stable. Unlike academia, in which you must be looking for a new position every couple of years as a postdoc, or in industry, in which you could be laid off if your company is not successful, government jobs can generally be relied on for the long term. If you have a family to support, or you find that uncertainty about your future employment is stressful for you, you may find an advantage in a government job in which you can likely stay in for as long as you want or need. The availability of funding Another factor to consider when comparing government work to academia or industry is the availability of funding for your area of specialisation. Depending on current administrative priorities, there can be a lot of funding available for certain research projects. Projects in public health, civil engineering, and defence technologies are likely to have funding made available for them. However, it may be harder to secure funding for research in some types of basic science, or in the arts or humanities. To be successful in obtaining government funding, you will need to demonstrate exactly how your research would be beneficial to the public and help to save money for the administration. Dealing with bureaucracy Government jobs are famously bureaucratic, often requiring large amounts of paperwork and the following of specific rules and regulations. This is the necessary nature of the very large organisations required to run a country, but can cause frustrations for workers. If you work in government, you will have to get used to following processes which may seem overly complex, and adapt to a pace of change which can be even slower than academia. Another aspect to consider is the limitations that a government job can have on what you can say in public. Generally, government workers are not allowed or strongly discouraged from critiquing the administration or sharing their opinion on controversial political topics. How much this will affect your work depends on your field and your personal preferences, but it's worth thinking about whether you would be comfortable living with these restrictions. These are some of the issues you'll want to consider if you're thinking about a job in government. For job opportunities in government, industry, and academia, see our website.
For most academics, when they consider their future careers, they think of two options: academia or industry. There are other options, however, such as one we will be discussing today – working for the government. Academics can serve on councils and advisory boards, or work as part of a civil service, or as advisors to policy makers. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of working for the government? This is the topic we're considering in this article.
Public Economics & Economic Policy (JEL H)
Combining Teaching and Working in Industry
Working as Adjunct Faculty at a University One option for those wishing to teach at a university level is to work as adjunct faculty, meaning that you teach university courses, usually to undergraduates, but do not have the same employment conditions as a full-time lecturer or professor. You are employed on a temporary contract, typically for a year, and generally teach only one or two courses at a time. The use of adjuncts for teaching has received widespread criticism, particularly in the US, as these roles require exceptionally high degrees of skill and training, but are usually low-paid, insecure, and without benefits. Trying to make a full-time living as an adjunct is extremely difficult. However, if you have a stable job in industry with good pay and you're thinking about starting teaching on the side, then adjuncting can be a chance to try out teaching on a small scale to see if it suits you. Adult Education and Night Classes Another area of teaching which you could consider is adult education. Many people don't want to stop learning when they leave school or university, but don't have the time or resources for full-time higher education. So adult education services exist to teach those who want to learn, say, IT skills to help in their careers, or accounting skills for starting their own business, or for those who want to learn a craft or creative skill for fun. An advantage of teaching this group is the chance to interact with people outside of the typical academic structure, which allows you to share you knowledge with a broader group. Further, adult learners are often highly self-motivated and keen to interact in classes, so they are an engaging group to work with. You could work part-time as an adult education lecturer, which depending on the subject could involve not only teaching but also developing teaching materials and your own assessments. Classes are often held outside of work hours, such as at evenings and weekends, so you could fit this teaching around your industry job. Private Tutoring Another further for teaching is private tutoring, in which you coach a child in a specific subject in addition to their general schooling. This is generally for children who are struggling and need extra support, or for those who cannot attend school for medical or social reasons. Most tutors are self-employed, or work for an agency, and this work can generally be picked up around your current schedule. If you are patient and good with kids, then tutoring can be extremely rewarding as you get to engage with one child directly and really help them succeed in their education. For certain specialist skills such as test preparation, some parents will pay very high rates for top-quality tutors. Online Tutoring A newly-emerging option is online tutoring, in which you lead a class over the internet using a webcam, and offer support for students who want to ask questions and get feedback on their work in addition to their regular teaching. Typically such classes are small, consisting of just a handful of students, and are generally made up of adults. If you are comfortable with technology and looking for teaching work which is flexible, for example if your industry job requires you to travel a lot, then online tutoring is something you can do from any location. Teaching in Your Industry Finally, something to consider if you have an industry job is that there may be teaching opportunities within your industry. If your work involves specialist skills, there may be a need for training new hires in these skills. Or perhaps you have other knowledge which would be useful for you to teach to others – for example, knowledge of how to use particular computer software, or of web development, or presentation skills. Many companies have some form of training program for employees, and you could see if you could offer a class as part of an internal program. These are just some of the ways that you can combine your industry job with teaching. For the latest opportunities in both business and academia, check out our website.
For academic careers, the big question is always: academia or industry? But why not a bit of both? If you want to combine teaching and working in industry, there are possibilities for part-time teaching work or tutoring jobs which fall outside of traditional work hours. You can have an industry job and try teaching too. Below we'll look at some of the options.
Importance of research autonomy when employed in academia
Research autonomy leads to higher-quality work Everyone knows that happier workers tend to produce better work. But this goes further in the case of research autonomy. Deciding which topics are ripe for investigation and what the best methods would be to perform that investigation is something that only someone highly qualified and experienced in the field can do, so it makes sense that academics are in the best place to make these decisions about their own work. For example, Switzerland is a country which despite its small population size, has a large number of internationally-renowned research institutions and has a reputation for producing world-leading research. This success of high scientific productivity has been linked to the high level of autonomy, openness, and excellence within Swiss institutions. The impact of the growth of higher education In the last decades, more and more people have begun attending university, encouraged by the demands of the workplace and by social and cultural expectations. This has resulted in a huge growth of higher education institutions, and in some cases, a corresponding growth in the workloads and responsibilities of university employees. A common complaint to hear is that universities nowadays are run more like businesses than like independent research institution. Of course, this is a broad generalisation and certainly does not apply to every institution. But it is worth noting that many academics feel pressures to show results and meet targets, which may not be in line with their personal research goals. Parallel to this, in the last decades during times of economic hardship, many countries have seen cuts to or freezing of the public funding of universities and other research institutions. This has lead to even greater pressure to produce more research from less funding. Publish or Perish One common issue is that academic hiring committees are frequently more interested in the quantity of papers which a applicant has published than in their quality. This, combined with pressure from university management for researchers to pump out large numbers of papers, has lead to a “publish or perish” culture in which researchers must be constantly prioritising getting their work published above performing their best-quality work. A common phenomenon is the “least publishable unit”, in which work is split into needlessly small sections so that one piece of research can be spread out over two or three publications, resulting in a larger number of publications in total. Threats to research autonomy In relation to research autonomy, these issues have come into direct focus with schemes like the UK government's Research Assessment Exercise / Research Excellence Framework. This system linked institutional funding with the quality of publications coming out of that institution, with quality mostly assessed on the basic of the “impact” of the research. The concept of impact was skewed towards public policy and impact outside of academia, which many felt undermined their academic freedom. The need for a researcher to prove that their research had a measurable impact on public life was particularly difficult for humanities scholars and niche researchers, whose work did not translate into direct public benefits. This is an example of how research autonomy can be threatened by academic or governmental policy. The understandable desire to create a system with which non-experts can assess the quality of researchers' work can inadvertently lead to a loss of autonomy and a pressure on researchers to game the system rather than producing their best-quality work. Research autonomy is clearly one of the major advantages of choosing to work in an academic rather than commercial setting. However, the changes to the higher education industry which have taken place over the last decade have had a large effect on how much autonomy researchers can expect. It's important to have honest discussions with fellow researchers in any institution about their experiences with research autonomy before taking up a position.
One of the great advantages of performing your research within an academic setting rather than a commercial one is the degree of research autonomy which you posses. This means that you have the freedom to pursue the work which you think is interesting and worthwhile, and to pick the methods and research approaches which you find to be most suitable. In fact, having flexibility and freedom over your work was identified as one of the top advantages of working in an academic institution in our 2015 Academic Institutions Report. Clearly, this is an important issue which is one of the major differentiating factors between academia and industry.
Tips for academics on how to deal with short-term contracts and job insecurity
Advance Planning When you know you're on a fixed term contract, such as a two-year postdoc contract, then you need to start preparing for the end of your contract early. Six months before the finish date of your contract, you should start looking for employment options. As academic hiring processes can be lengthy, and sometimes seasonal (summer tends to be a quiet time for hiring, so you may be better off looking for new jobs around autumn time), you need to be thinking about new job options far in advance. Remember to be on the look out for new opportunities not only on job posting websites or mailing lists, but also by reaching out to your network. Contact your previous colleagues and professors to let let know that you're looking for work, and they can help by forwarding on any relevant positions to you. Securing Your Finances When your contract is only short term, it's important for you to be financially responsible and to ensure that you have a financial cushion if you're not able to find work immediately. You may need to live for a few months without income if you are between jobs, so you should prepare for this possibility. Make sure that you're saving a reasonable percentage of your income during your contracted work time. Preferably you should having savings that you could live off for six months if required, in addition to an emergency fund. If you live with a partner or family, consider how your joint finances will be affected by a pause in your income, and be aware that you might need more than six months if you want to find a job in your local area rather than moving to another city or country. Brushing Up Your CV and Other Skills Naturally, if you're going to be looking for work then you'll be updating and improving your CV. While you're doing this, you can consider what skills you have acquired in your studies and work so far. If you can't find an academic position straight away, it's helpful to know what your other options are in terms of employment. You could consider putting together a non-academic CV which showcases your skills, and information about successful projects and the role which you played in them. When trying to make yourself appealing to a business rather than an academic audience, focus more on your concrete achievements than your abstract ideas – for example, how you made a process more efficient, or how your presentation pursued a collaborating lab to take on your preferred methodology. Even if you never need to use your non-academic CV, it can reduce your stress and anxiety to know that you have other employment options. Applying For Your Own Grant One way to avoid job insecurity is to apply for external funding for your own project. If you can secure a fellowship or other research grant, you can be certain of both your own salary and your research costs. However, be warned that grant application is a lengthy process – sometimes taking six months or more – and can be very competitive. Remember that you can and should begin applying for a grant during your current contract, as most lab leaders or PIs will be happy to know that you could bring in funding of your own. Once you have your own funding, you have much greater freedom over where you work and the the topic of your research, as well as more certainty over your future. For the latest job opportunities for postdocs and other researchers, you can see job listings here.
One issue for those working in academia that can be difficult to deal with is the problem of job insecurity. It is common for postdocs or junior lectures to be employed on short-term contracts of a few months to a few years, meaning that they must secure a new job when their contract ends. Today we have some tips on how to manage this insecurity if you're working in academia.
How to show the best of your study abroad on your resume
Independence and self-management A major skill which you have demonstrated by taking a study abroad trip is your independence and ability to manage yourself. Most students would struggle to travel alone to a new country, to make friends and to study successfully, so if you achieved this then you should state this with pride. Particularly amongst undergrads, the ability to manage yourself and to work without a lot of institutional support makes you stand out and demonstrates your ability to do more demanding work or study. Communications skills If you've had to adjust to a new culture, and especially if you've had to adapt to a new language, then you will have sharpened your communications skills. You will have experience in communicating with people from different backgrounds to you, across cultural borders. Being able to phrase your thoughts in a way which makes sense to people who do not share your cultural background is an important and useful skill in the modern international workplace. You can demonstrate this by sharing an example of how you resolved a disagreement or misunderstanding, or how you learned to present information to make it more comprehensible to people who do not share your background. Adaptation to different learning environments It's likely that there were differences between the learning environments of your home and host universities, whether in terms of class size, teaching style, assessment style, or the ratio of written work to verbal discussion which was required. This flexibility makes you valuable, as it demonstrates that you can adapt effectively to unfamiliar situations. If you were able to perform well on both written and oral academic assessments, for example, then you can show that your skills go beyond what is minimally necessary for passing an academic course. It makes you a more well-rounded individual, which means that you will be easier to train for future employers, and able to pick up new ideas more quickly. Breadth of education As well as different learning styles, you might well have experienced a different focus of study, even within the same discipline. In philosophy, for example, Britain and Northern America tend to teach analytic philosophy with a focus on logic and mathematics, whilst in Continental Europe and South America, the continental philosophy tradition focus more on phenomenology and subjective experience. Or if you work in history or cultural studies, then studying abroad can expose you to an entirely new perspective and approach to your topic, as well as giving you factual information unique to the location in which you are studying. Hence study abroad can help you to gain experience in more than one aspect of your field, and give you a broader perspective of the topic. Be sure to highlight the diversity of your studies by listing some of the unique or unusual topics which you worked on whilst abroad. Hopefully this will give you some ideas about how you can show off all of the skills and experience which you gained from your study abroad time. And if you haven't studied abroad yet but are considering it for the future, you can see some of the many advantages. To find out more about study abroad opportunities, as well as tips for students and the latest international job opportunities, see our articles!
When you're been abroad for a semester or longer during your studies, you're bound to have picked up lots of new skills and knowledge that can help you to stand out when applying for a job or course of study. But in order to take advantage of this, you need to know how to convey your extra skills to potential employers or universities. So today we're offering advice on how to show off the best of your study abroad on your resume. You can use the following ideas as skills to highlight on applications, or find ways to include this information in your cover letter, letter of motivation, or to answer interview questions.
If you're teaching in a university, working with either undergrads or masters students, then you class size could vary from anywhere between just a few students in a discursive atmosphere, to hundreds of students in a large lecture hall. So what are some strategies for adapting to the varying requirements of class sizes? Today we're sharing some tips to help you create the best teaching experience you can deliver to your students. Encouraging student participation In order to hold your students' attention, and to make sure that they are processing and understanding the material that you are teaching, it's important to include elements of participation in your classes. In a group of five to twenty students, you can encourage your students to ask questions, raise criticisms, and conduct discussions between themselves. In a small group, students will be more willing to share their ideas and uncertainties. You can help to promote a discursive atmosphere by allowing diversions when students ask a question or raise a related point, and by allowing students to comment on each other's questions. In a larger class, however, especially in a lecture-style class of more than fifty students, many students will feel too shy or self-conscious to raise their hands and participate. So you need to encourage participation in a way which will make students feel comfortable sharing their ideas. One approach is to break the class down into smaller groups – so, for example, you lecture for the first half of the time, then ask the students to split into groups of five to ten, and give them exercises to complete or topics to discuss together. If you want to ensure that the students are using their time productively, you can ask one person from each group to briefly summarise their discussion for the rest of the class at the end. You can also consider holding debates in large class, where you split the class into two and ask each half to argue for one side of an issue. By making this a matter of adopting a position rather than having to share their own personal opinion, you can encourage some shier students to get involved, and the splitting into two sides will help to create an atmosphere where students encourage and engage with each other. Assessment You will also need to consider what type of assessment is appropriate for your class size. Often, especially in the humanities, the best method for assessing how much students have understood a topic is to have them write an essay on it – either in a timed examination situation, or as take-home coursework to be completed over the semester. An essay will give you a lot of information about how well the student has grasped the material. However, essay marking is a very demanding task, requiring serious time and attention. For a small class of up to twenty, it can be feasible for you to do this marking yourself. But for a larger class of more than twenty, you will either need support from other lecturers or graduate students for your marking, or you will need a different assessment style. For larger classes, multiple choice tests are among the easiest and fastest form of assessment to mark. However, these tests must be designed with care, to ensure they are not too easy or too obscure. They tend towards testing factual knowledge rather than understanding, which is not suitable for all subjects. You could instead consider setting a group assignment to assess a larger class. Although group projects are often not popular among students, they do teach important teamwork and management skills, and they allow students to perform different roles according to their strengths – in research, data analysis, writing, and presentation, for example. If you assess group work through oral presentation and assign a different topic to each group, then it can be helpful and informative for the whole class to hear the presentations of their peers. You can find more tips on teaching for professors and lecturers as well as teaching assistants on our website. Image Credit: martaposemuckel on Pixabay (published under the pixabay content license)
When you're teaching, it's important to find a way to engage with all of your students, to keep their interest and to make sure that they understand the information that you're conveying to them. However, the size of a class can make a huge difference to what teaching methods are most appropriate and effective.
Enrolled at University? Now just where to live?
Studying abroad is often a fantastic experience, but successfully pulling it off can be a challenge. One complication that is made harder for foreign students is the issue of housing. Accommodation options can be difficult to find. Universities all over the world are investing time and money in providing information about housing opportunities for their incoming students, but is this enough to help students feel at home? We know how difficult it is to find accommodation, especially for a student who has just landed in a new country. Here we provide some tips to help you get settled quickly: Visit websites from government organizations dedicated to promoting the country as a study destination. They are often happy to help you and provide you with information about legal issues related to accommodation, housing providers, etc. You can also check out our related article, How to Find Student Accommodation in a Foreign Country, for more suggestions to find student housing. If you are interested in student housing options provided by your new university (for example on-campus options), remember to apply as soon as possible. Most universities have long waiting lists for residence halls and other on campus housing. Additionally, in some countries restrictions linked to study credits per term will be considered during your application and will narrow your eligibility for university housing. You can always use services provided by national agencies and institutions dedicated to the student accommodation business. Whether real state agents, websites or associations, these will be able to guide you, provide you with advice and in some cases personally assist you until you are comfortable inside your new room. Join social media groups to get to know more about the housing options in your destination country and city, to browse through offers from fellow students and to find support from other students. You might even find the perfect roommates this way. When you find a room or apartment that seems good, try to look at the property in person before accepting it. It is never advisable to sign documents or verbally agree to a property before you are completely sure that you feel comfortable there. Pictures, videos, and rules/conditions of common areas need to be experienced personally before deciding on an offer. This is especially important when considering accommodation provided by private individuals or companies - university accommodation, while often not luxurious, is normally above board in terms of legal and contractual issues. For the student-housing niche, websites like Uniplaces and Housing Anywhere offer a good solution to match supply and demand for accommodation. Uniplaces is dedicated to helping international students find housing, and has locations available in many European cities. Be sure to type in the name of the city your university is located in, even if it isn’t one of the major capital cities listed on the homepage – Uniplaces has offerings in many other places, too. Housing Anywhere offers outgoing students the possibility to sublet their rooms when they go on an exchange semester, and at the same time gives incoming students a platform to look for short-stay options. If you are in the exciting position of being about to embark on an international study adventure, you can check more information about Housing Anywhere here. Wherever you are about to start your study abroad experience we hope you will be able to find your new home and enjoy what is for many a memorable living and learning experience. Photo Credit: IMC Berea College
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