Opinion Panel

If voting or peaceful demonstrations made any difference, they would have banned it already. ‘They’ being the beneficiaries of a culture of docility and complacency, and ‘it’ being any meaningful exercise of protest. It’s one of the oldest clichés in counterculture, borne of endless frustrations and failures harking back to soixante-huit and before. Alfie Meadows [...]

The build up to and eventually the appointment last week, of Professor Les Ebdon as Director of the Office of Fair Access (OFFA) dominated the news. And understandably so. Professor Ebdon, thanks to what David Willetts described as a “draconian framework of legislation” inherited from the previous government, will have the power to prevent universities [...]

NEET [noun]: a person not in education, employment or training. Specifically…young people. I decided not to go down the academic route, like many young people now. After dropping out of a shockingly unproductive college course, aged 16, I moved to Surrey to find a job, soon blagging some impressive employment. From then on whenever some [...]

Is it a really a tougher ride for the “youngest” in the class? Does birth month affect academic success and future achievement? Are summer babies at a disadvantage when compared to the “future CEOs” of the world? The BBC seems to think so, and a recent survey of high achievers shows that many of them [...]

“Freshers Freshers everywhere, some are clothed but most are bare Children of the night they are, with origins from field afar Happiest in costume and in the nightclub shouting ’tuunnneee!’ And then they meet the morning after, at the local greasy spoon” As a second year now, being a Fresher already seems like a hazy [...]

Heading to university for the first time is usually one of those rare moments that bring together a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Excitement at the prospect of starting a new lifestyle, meeting new friends and a whole host of upcoming opportunities. Trepidation at whether you’ll fit in, cope with the workload and increasingly concerns [...]

Young people are currently all over the headlines, whether they are ‘reengaging with politics’ by taking part in student demos or behaving like ‘mindless thugs’ in looting and rioting. Commentators point out that the latter is closely linked to social exclusion: these young people have fewer life chances than their peers at university and some [...]

Your heart is beating fast – thumping loudly against your chest as you wait, nervously, for your A-level results. Finally they arrive. You hastily open the envelope and at long last find out what you’ve got. But whether you achieved good, bad or moderate grades your parents will be there to support you; just like [...]

Simon Cox’s vid won the July slot in our Article of the Month series, so congratulations Simon, your £50 cheque is winging it’s way to you now! His video is quirky, fun…very different. Let us know what you think in the Comments section! Sam Williams Panel Manager PS If you’d like to win £50 for [...]