From a recent survey of 300,000 final-year students, it is revealed that the performance of British universities is up to the mark.

Overall, 85 percent of the students are satisfied with the quality of their course during the whole academic year, leveling the figure with the previous year.

The academicians term this trend as an indicator of the high-quality education of institutions in the UK.

The University of Bath tops the ratings followed by Buckingham (2) East Anglia (3) Essex (4) Keele (5) and St Andrews (6).

However, it was also revealed in the survey that there are some areas that need attention of the university authorities.

28% students were unsatisfied with the standard of assessment and feedback with 20% for academic support and 14% for teaching.

Overall, there was only two-thirds of final-year undergraduates who found themselves satisfied with the performance of students union.

The survey is an answer for the people who were apprehensive of the quality of students experience in universities and colleges..

Toni Pearce appreciated the results of survey, citing it as “encouraging” for future reforms. “The score for assessment is at its highest level ever and we’re pleased that the work of institutions and students’ unions in this area is showing positive results.” He said.

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Qualitative and quantitative methods are two popular ways researchers and scholars conduct their research. They are two different forms of analyzing and interpreting data. With qualitative research methods, a researcher executes a project through interviews, polls and surveys while a quantitative research method focuses on experiments and observations to interpret a research question. These two methods have their strengths and limitations. Combining these two popular methods of research and analysis means that your acquired results will be more accurate and precise. Here I will give you tips on how you can defend blended research methods in a dissertation proposal.

•    Defend Your Research Approach

Describe your research approach when outlining your dissertation. Give your reasons for using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Since this approach has not been implemented before, you can defend it as a new approach to pursue the desired results. Similarly, you can say that using this approach will make your results more accurate as there can be weaknesses and flaws in any one of these research methods and using the both approaches will reinforce the accuracy of your findings. Remember that you must provide solid reasons for using your approach for research. Failure to do so will render this approach as incompatible.

•    Explain Tasks You Will Accomplish

Describe the specific tasks you will accomplish to implement each method. For example: Are you going to interview people or conduct survey or poll? Or will you use statistics about the demographics of a group of people? Besides, you have to explain how your research will lead you to your intended results. Direct your methods in the course of your research question.

•    Define the Sequence of Research Method

Decide on the method that you will use first. Typically, a quantitative research is implemented after you have obtained the qualitative data. This is because quantitative research is based on the data acquired through the qualitative research. So unless you have qualitative data available, you cannot proceed to quantitative research.

Qualitative research is meant to implement at initial stage when you are researching your subject. Qualitative research is objective and therefore subject to variation, depending on the interpretation of the researcher.

•    Make a Research Design

Make proper design of your research methodology. This will be a proper structure of your research plan and will serve as a roadmap throughout your research process. A good way is to organise your research design in a proper layout. Divide your information into different categories. For example, you will start off with the initial results of your qualitative research. Considering the acquired results, you will then develop your research into quantitative form. Finally, you will match your results with the previous findings and check if they are accurate or not.

When considering a career change, a cover letter is like a bridge between you and the prospective employer. It provides a summary of your professional background, skills and experience. As a matter of facts, it is the guiding factor for the employer to decide whether or not you are the right person for his business. After going through your cover letter and reading its main points, the employer evaluates your eligibility for the job.

1.    Get started with an impressive introductory paragraph, describing short and precisely about yourself. Inform the employer about the position you are seeking for and why you are the right candidate for the job. Give strong reasons for your compatibility with the position.

2.    Provide a list of skills and abilities that you can bring in with yourself for the job. Outline all the transferable skills and abilities from your old industry that can fit into your new job position, especially the computer and technology-related skills and experience. Discuss also about any relevant academic degree or certificate that is applicable in your new career. Write these details in a separate paragraph with bulleted points.

3.    Discuss your previous skills and experiences that can best highlight your compatibility with your new career. Explain how you can play a part in the betterment of the company by applying your existing capabilities.

4.    If you lack the experience required by the employer then mention why you deserve the position more than an experienced person. Tell the employer that you have the passion and dedication to learn things.

5.    Wind up your letter by making an impact. Thank the employer for his time and attention and inform him about the timings that you can be contacted. Finish up the letter by making an anticipatory statement.

6.    Write a short, brief and precise cover letter, ideally to one page. Follow standard format of a business letter.

7.    Remove all spelling and grammatical errors, including any typos.

8.    Write in bulleted points the main points of your resume and highlight major accomplishments.

9.    Do not reveal much in the cover letter. Leave important issues to discuss in the interview part.

10.    Never lie or exaggerate anything in your cover letter. A slight mismatch in your cover letter and your responses in the interview can ruin your chances for the job.

11.    Do not indicate the statistics in the cover letter. A cover letter is not the right place to discuss these things.

12.    Always send your cover letter in a neat, clean and high-quality print paper. A cover letter is a reflection of your personality and therefore deserves all your attention and care.

The job market in Britain has a more competitive trend than any other country. With a diversified range of industries operating in the country and a growing number of graduates, the competition is tougher than ever. According to a recent survey, here are top ten degree that can get you a desirable job in UK within six months of your graduation:

10. Physical Sciences

Physical science comes at #10 with 89.9% of the graduates got a job or admission for further education within six months after their graduation.

9. Mathematical Sciences

Next comes the mathematicians, 89.9% of whom had landed a job or got position for higher education within six months from the day of their graduation.

8. Historical & Philosophical Studies

Historical and philosophical studies come 8 on this list, beating out the likes of engineering, computer science and architecture. With 90.1% of students got the jobs or further studies within six months of graduating, these disciplines are here to stay.

7. Languages

Contrary to the misconceptions among Britons, the Languages is among the highly valuable degree with 90.3% of graduates have already gotten their jobs in 2010/11, surely enough to prove it wrong.

6. Biological Sciences

Biological sciences is not merely limited to the study of wild life. With the growth in Biotech industries, the study has been much more in demand with 90.9% graduates have already been employed in the industry or sought further study.

5. Agriculture and related subjects

Not before the recent past, agricultural study has not been something many would want to pursue as a career. But with the emerging agricultural and related industry, the study clearly has a positive outlook in the job market. In 2010/11, 91.3% of fresh graduates are employed or got further education.

4. Law

Think about one degree that is evergreen since its inception and you will think of law degree. The only discipline that offers both a respectable and well-paid job. The facts say more than the words with 91.9% of law graduates have already walked into the employment in 2010/11.

3. Medicine and Related Subjects

There are wide-ranging subjects that you can study under this broad field, such as biomedical science and neurology. With massive 94% students found work in medicine or related industry, the discipline ranks 3rd in this list.

2. Education

Unquestionably, education has been one degree that most of the students aspire to associate with. It comes second in this list with 94.8% of the students got the work or further study quicker than any other degree holder.

1. Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science

And here is the #1: Medicine, dentistry and veterinary science. The degrees has swept the most share in the job market with 99.4% of graduates in Medicine, dentistry and veterinary science walked into the employment within just six months.

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A personal statement is the most defining part of college application process. Considering this, it can affect the admission panel’s decision to approve you or not. But guys! Writing a personal statement can go wrong if you are a copycat.

The UCAS has compiled what they call the ‘most-used’ sentencesthat have been used in previous personal statements. In the last 700,000 university applications, the phrase “I have always been fascinated by…” has been used in almost every personal statement. Considering the quantity of the personal statements, it is plenty of times!

For students applying for university admission application, UCAS has released a list of 10 clichéd sentences for opening a sentence. Remember not to use them while writing a personal statement. They are likely to be caught by anti-plagiarism software. Here they are:

Following is the list of ‘top 10 most used sentences’ for opening a sentence, according to UCAS:

1. I am currently studying a BTEC National Diploma in…

2. From a young age I have always been interested in…

3. From an early age I have always been interested in….

4. Nursing is a very challenging and demanding career…

5. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with…

6. “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only”…

7. Nursing is a profession I have always looked upon with…

8. For as long as I can remember I have been interested in…

9. I am an International Academy student and have been studying since…

10. Academically, I have always been a very determined and…

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A personal narrative describes a memorable event of an author’s life. The author interprets the event based on his point of view. It reflects the author’s thoughts on the event and how he perceives it. So a personal narrative can be described as an account of the event and why it has an impact on the author’s life. The personal narrative essay aims to attract readers through powerful and convincing style of writing. For writing a strong personal narrative essay, it is important that you build up the rhythm of your writing in the lead paragraphs before making an impact in the main body.

Choose what you want to write in your personal narrative. It must be something that significantly affected you and changed your outlook towards life.

Create a topic sentence to base your writing on. Come up with something that your personal narrative can be centered around. That will serve as the topic sentence of your personal narrative.

Expand on the supporting sentences that develop your topic sentence. Think about the ideas you want to discuss in the body part. You are not supposed to reveal everything in the lead paragraphs that you will explore in the main body. Here you will only introduce the characters, setting and provide any significant background of the story.

Organise your sentences in such a way that they build towards the interpretation of the topic sentence. Write the supporting sentences logically, making smooth transitions into each other. This will guide readers to the gist of your story and will help them completely understand it.

Now, write the main body of your essay. Here you will discuss the main events of your personal narrative.

Having finished the first part of your essay, read through the initial paragraphs and check if they effectively leads up to the main body of writing as well as provide a solid foundation to start your discussion. Make sure if the supporting sentences are well aligned and the story smoothly leads to the main events of the narrative. However, if there are any broken or distorted parts, consider revising them. The initial writing of your personal narrative should only serve as an introduction of the whole story.

For effective composition of your sentences and paragraphs, you should create note cards with your topic sentence along with the supporting sentences and then shuffle them until they provide a clear and coherent interpretation of your topic.

According to a recent survey, teaching is the most gratifying profession in UK with 83% of teachers do not want to change their career.

Number of holidays and relationships with the co-workers are among the reasons that make 83% out of 2000 teachers happy for their profession.

Their only concern was the lack of perks and issues with promotion, according to the survey.

Next comes the Secretaries, who work along with the boss and enjoy a more flexible workload with the engineers comes third in the list.

“At a time when job stability is uncertain in many companies, it is encouraging that people feel relatively satisfied with their position in the workplace.” said Ann Haydon, principal for Surbiton High School who commissioned the survey.

She further added that the level of contentment is more connected with what the job has to offer to them than what the workers will earn from it.

The survey was based on 11 key factors with pay, company perks, and relationships with the colleagues and the boss among the major areas.

According to the survey, the top 10 most satisfying careers are as follows:

1. Teacher

2. Secretary

3. Engineer

4. Accountant

5. Driver

6. Shop assistant

7. Caterer

8. Tradesman such as builder, carpenter, plumber

9. Lawyer

10. Customer Support/call centre workers

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A position paper, or persuasive essay in common language, intends to raise a standpoint for an issue and tries to prove or disprove it through persuasion. It may be a current environmental issue or a hot debate on a political scandal. Whatever you choose for your discussion, it must be supported by strong supporting points. Apart from your chosen topic, you must build it in a strong way that your arguments make an impact on the readers.

Here are few tips that will guide you to the path of writing a strong position paper on a topic:

Know your target readers. Understanding your intended readers and their emotional buttons will help you write a strong persuasive essay. An essay aimed at a known audience develops a far better style and tone than one without. This helps you mold your writing appropriately and according to the needs of the readers.

Generate ideas for your topic by creating mind maps and thought bubbles. Idea generation methods allow you to unlock your imaginative side and bring in your inner thoughts onto the paper. Write down all the things you have in the mind about a topic and then cluster them into a visual organiser. Developing a visual organiser with related elements such as thesis, supporting evidence as well as reasons and facts help you come up with powerful ideas for your discussion.

Discuss the significance of the issue, explaining the readers its gravity. For you to get the reader’s attention, you must develop the whole discussion in a way that can best reflect your standpoint on the topic and appeals to the reader’s emotions. Putting in a surprising fact, quote or an anecdote attracts the readers and put their attention to the intent of the discussion.

Starting the body paragraphs with a topic sentence, focus each on a supporting point that reinforces your standpoint. For example, a paper on aviation safety can give reason like “safety of people must be the primary concerns for the aviation industry.” Provide at least 2-3 evidences to solidify your argument.

Research the opinions of other people about the issue and shed light on them. Use your knowledge and research to counter-argue any opposing viewpoint. By looking into all the aspects and with thorough analysis of the issue, you can develop the right tone and style of your essay.

Finally, condense your discussion to the conclusion. Conclude by reminding the readers about the gravity of the issue and what risks it pose to the concerned stakeholders, how others think about it and how it can it be tackled effectively.

According to a recent survey conducted jointly by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and the Economic and Social Research Council, the number of jobs for unqualified has superseded by the jobs for the graduates.

The survey shows a major change in the previous trend of the job market where more graduates are now needed than unqualified individuals.

Looking back at mid-80s, when there was only one job for every 10 graduates while the figures for the unqualified were three times higher than the graduates; the study showed a major step forward for fresh graduates, especially in the last six years.

The demand for the jobs for unqualified has seen a record fall since 1986 with 23% of the total share of the jobs in labor market while the jobs for graduates make for the 26%, according to the report.

The study showed some surprising facts and record magnitudes in the labor market. The primary reasons for such a defining change is the failure of the employers to find a candidate having matching skills for a job, resulting in more numbers of unqualified employees.

The study has initiated a new discussion among the stakeholders of labor market to ascertain the viability of fresh graduates to the labor market and how this trend will affect the economy.

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Literature review aims to provide a thorough analysis of an area of subject. It analyzes the existing study on the subject, covering all its data and samples. Conducting a literature review is a crucial part of a research or study. This is where you have to examine the available research materials on the subject and give your comments. A well-written literature review shows that you have conducted the research thoroughly and have strong command on the subject.

Scholars and researchers seek literature review with the help of range of methods and techniques. They go through various means of research and analysis before reaching any conclusion. However, the most challenging part comes when you have to present your review in a proper format. By compiling your findings in an organised way, you can present your results and conclusions to the readers effectively. In this article, I will demonstrate some helpful tips on how you can compile a literature review that will effectively put across the essence of your study. Considering that you are conducting a literature review on cloning, you can take the following approach:

Start your review by providing the purpose of your study. Outline the issues that you want to cover in the review. For a review on cloning, you can discuss issues such as “effects of cloning on humans”, “misuse of cloning”, “and health-related issues with cloning” etc. Mention other reviews that match with the nature of your research. Provide a detailed description of the terms and words used in the review.

Discuss your methodology. Explain any processes that helped you acquire the information and reach a conclusion of the review. Write down the procedure that you pursued for your research.

Organise your results in a proper format. For researching the existing literature of “cloning”, you must give a thorough analysis of the subject that includes its “background”, “breakthroughs” and “developments” etc.

You must continue with your review until you accomplish the results as per the procedure of your research.

Finish up your review by outlining the highlights of your study. Talk about the main points you have taken from your review. Mention the distinct questions from your study that remained unanswered.

Check the “literature review” for errors. Make sure you have quoted the sources accurately and that the spelling and grammar are accurate. The literature review is a major part of a research paper and therefore it must be free from mistakes.