By Teah Gillingham, edited by Tom Guyton-Day 

By Garion Wakley, edited by Martha Evans

By Dom Stanford

CANZUK as an idea has existed for decades, but only in recent years that it has come to the forefront of debate in the wake of the Brexit referendum. 

CANZUK is the idea of a loose political organisation between the nations of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK; bringing together 4 nations with shared history, language and values to cooperate on trade, diplomacy and much more besides. 

Post-Brexit the UK needs to create international relationships as we look out into the world. It represents an opportunity to become a truly powerful force on the world stage through fostering free trade and the promotion of liberal ideals across the world. 

Ultimately CANZUK aligns very closely to many ideals that young people hold; not only in the Conservative Party, but in modern Britain. It is the British people’s global outlook and spirit of cooperation with other nations which drew so many towards the ideas of the European Union and increased cooperation with our neighbours. However, CANZUK goes one step further than this: the loose nature of the relationship means that we can leave the bureaucratic stagnation of the EU behind and forge relationships with countries which are not only multicultural and forward-thinking, but are also countries which we have so much more in common with. 

Working, studying, and living abroad is one of the key attractions for today’s young people attending university. Whilst a year abroad has long been considered a vital part of a modern language degree, more and more undergraduate courses now include one as a core part of their offering. 

Other than the obvious personal benefit for UK students to spend the best part of 12 months studying in sunny Sydney, volunteering in Middle Earth or working in Toronto, there are tangible economic benefits for students who venture abroad during their degree. 

Research has shown that students who study or work abroad are not only more employable after graduation, they are also better paid. Six months after graduation their average annual salaries are a whopping £1200 higher than their contemporaries who stayed on their domestic campus. Conservatives for CANZUK believe that a closer union of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK could dramatically increase participation in exchange programs to the benefit of students from across our four countries; particularly those from less privileged families. And act as an alternative to the Erasmus programme. 

Students from poorer socio-economic backgrounds currently participate less in foreign programmes with only 5.6% studying, working or volunteering abroad, compared to 9.5% of those from wealthier backgrounds. There are undoubtedly many factors for this disparity, but the increasing dominance of students from independent schools on Modern Language courses is certainly a factor. 

Linking more of the English-speaking higher education institutions across CANZUK would remove one of the key barriers to students taking part in Trans-National Education: language. An effective union between CANZUK delivered and marketed in the right way could help to close this gap by removing the requirement to speak or study a foreign language. In a similar way to the Erasmus programme, a Trans-CANZUK exchange would encourage those who would benefit the most from the pursuit of work or study abroad to do so. Closer cooperation between the CANZUK nations on education could act as an alternative to the Erasmus scheme that so many young people feel passionately about. 

It is due to these clear benefits that Conservatives for CANZUK view CANZUK as a key pillar of the democratic, liberal alliance we need in a changing world. 
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If you agree, why not get involved in the growing movement by telling us your thoughts: @tories4CANZUK

You can find out more about Conservatives for CANZUK via this link: 
​https://www.conservativesforcanzuk.com/

By Emily O'Hara

​So, fellow graduates, I don’t know about you, but my life’s aim from the minute I started my GCSE’s was to get a degree. The image of me in those ridiculous robes, feeling like I’d finally made it to Hogwarts and holding my degree scroll (I was highly miffed to discover this is just a plastic tube you hold for the photos and not the real deal), got me through my A Levels and three gruelling, sleepless years of undergrad study. I sat through lecture after lecture, note-taking, revising, making multi-coloured study timetables, all with the end goal of getting a degree, becoming one of those successful few that complete university. 
 
As I sat there tearfully, on the stage at Bristol cathedral, smiling and waving awkwardly at my divorced parents in the beaming crowd and awaiting my turn to be called to the front and receive my long-anticipated, hard earned degree, it dawned on me. 
 
What the hell do I do now? 
 
The blind panic set in as they called my name and I stumbled onstage to shake whoever’s hand it was who was giving out my degree. Half of my life had led up to this moment, I hadn’t given a thought to what to do with, you know, the entire rest of my life. I’d barely thought about where I was going to have my celebration dinner that night in all honesty, I just asked my boyfriend to book somewhere that did nice pasta.
 
So, if you’re hoping to graduate soon, or even next year, I thought I’d briefly walk you through some quick options to mull over to save you a similar gut-wrenching panic attack in the middle of your graduation ceremony. 
 
An obvious starting point is graduate jobs. Now, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t take this route, but from what I can gather, sometimes there isn’t much difference between graduate jobs and, you know, regular jobs. This being said, some companies offer graduate schemes which are actually worth looking at.  For example, I worked for a restaurant company during uni, and the grad scheme offered an immediate management role once you’d landed your degree and a guaranteed general manager role within two years - which is excellent, well-paid, and something you’d have to slave for without a degree under your belt. The downside to these is many of them might not be related to your degree - I did a degree in professional writing, and had I opted for a grad scheme, there’s a high chance I wouldn’t have ever become a writer. It’s a great option if you got halfway through your degree in psychology, for example, before realising you have no desire to become a psychologist. 
 
The next option is the one I opted for - the master’s route. My eventual aim is to become a screenwriter, and while I’ve been writing screenplays, stage plays and TV pilots, I’ve yet to convince anyone to actually pay me for them yet. I think I’ve got a grand total of eleven rejections for various projects so far - fair warning to anyone thinking of freelance writing in some shape or form, you need a very thick skin! So, while I go about my day cheerfully filing my rejection emails, I’m going to add a master’s degree in Screen Production to my portfolio, which is a fabulous option for honing area-specific skills and delving deeper into the field you want to get into. So much of an undergraduate degree is focused on just passing the degree, so this is a strong option to better explore the working world of your chosen industry. The obvious downside here is that it costs a further £6000-£9000, but most masters courses can be covered by the student loans company. Besides, I’m already £27,000 in debt thanks to university, what’s another few thousand on top of that?
 
Thirdly, I bring you the post-grad gap year. Another expensive option, and probably ill-advised when we still aren’t done with this whole global pandemic palaver. That being said, some of you, like me, will not know what you want to do next even after graduating and thinking about it for some time. So, think some more. See some sights, enjoy yourself for a while - while wearing a facemask, though, please. It’s important to remember that it’s fine to feel a bit lost right now. You’ve spent most of your life so far in education and grafting really hard. Maybe some space to breathe and some new experiences are just what you need to inspire you for the next chapter in your life. Flight prices will probably be low for the next few years anyway.
 
Option four is voluntary work. This can be great to do alongside your waitressing or retail work that got you through uni, as not many people are in a financial situation in which they can work for free. I graduated last year, and my master’s begins in January - unpaid roles is what I have been doing since graduating and will probably continue to do for some time, and I really recommend it. The obvious bonus here is that it's unlikely you’ll get rejected since you’re not expecting payment and it creates some great material to go on your CV for when you do get to a point where people are looking to hire you in your field. It also helps you get a better feel for the inner workings of your industry that perhaps even your degree didn’t manage to show you. 
 
So, in between 3am revision sessions and your 4pm breakdowns, here you have a couple of options to dwell on. If you’ve ever sat down and planned out your post-uni days, well done, you’re one of the few who thought that far ahead! If you didn’t, well, I hope this helps a bit. Happy panicking everybody. 

By Teah Gillingham

​In 2019 I embarked on a journey that, I know sounds cliché, changed my life. Three groups, from three universities, set out on the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu. It is situated fifty miles northwest of Cusco in Central Peru where we acclimatised at 3400m for one night before setting off bright and early the next day at 6 am. My group from the University of Portsmouth were hit hard with altitude sickness. I can only describe it as a fog encompassing your entire body and mind. This was a feeling we had to get used to as we were only going to climb higher. All of this was worth it as I have made lifelong friendships with people I otherwise would never have met. I pushed my body and mind to limits I didn’t even know I had. All of this was for the charity Action Against Hunger, where I fundraised £2650. Some of the ways I achieved this was by going back to my old primary school to present to and educate the children there. Where they then went on to fundraise for me, as well as this I sold things, did bucket collections with my team and bake sales. It took a lot of organisation and planning but it all paid off in the end, excuse the pun.

​The Salkantay Trek is over 100 kilometres long, spread over five nights camping in the snow, minus temperatures whilst also being at high altitude. I didn’t think I would struggle with altitude sickness, I thought I was too strong and fit for that. I was very wrong. The days seemed to drag and getting my feet to cooperate was a struggle at times. The air was heavy and having to remind myself to breathe in through my nose and not just through my mouth so that my brain was getting enough oxygen. It sounds simple but when you’re faced with a minimum of a ten-hour journey in front of you with five kilograms on your back, instinct is just to breathe heavy. One of our lovely tour guides called Neilda told us to do this, she was the mother of our group. Always walking at the back, never complaining at the pace and just wanting to get to know all of us.
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The day we all completed Mt. Salkantay was epic, reaching 4580m. We set out at 6:30 am, we knew this day was going to be hard as they loaded us up with pancakes and toast, obviously needing the carbs. The morning started with a dry and sunny climate, then at the top of Mt. Salkantay was snow, rain and ice, by the end we were walking through a tropical forest. It was a unique day for weather in my life, I must say. Our main tour guide Juan Carlos kept our spirits lifted. He was the best guide we could've asked for. Very attentive to everyone's needs and paces, not making anyone feel bad for being slow but understanding that whilst he may be used to hours of walking and the altitude that none of us was that prepared. On cold nights he sourced us all extra blankets and when we ran out of our beloved hot chocolate, somehow he got us more. 

​We all became a big family, eating every meal together huddled in large tents trying to fend off the cold. I have never experienced anything like that before. We were all from different places and backgrounds, but we all shared the same goal. It was not an easy journey, some mornings I woke up and I didn’t know how I would complete the day but somehow we all did it and encouraged each other when we were falling to the back. My team helped push me to complete it, we stuck together, and we all did it with smiles on our faces because as much as it was difficult we were there for a great cause and having a once in a lifetime experience.

​The reward for the trek was when we finally reached our final destination of Aguas Calientes where we would go on to climb Machu Picchu. The feeling of coming down to 2430m and finally completing the trek was incredible. We could all relax and feel proud of what we had accomplished. Then in true uni style, we headed back to town to eat pizza and drink beer.

By Michaela Jane

When people hear the word ‘language’ and ‘degree’ in the same sentence, a thought that will probably cross their mind is: “What can you do with a degree like that?”. The second thought is probably something related to the year abroad: sipping wine by the Seine in Paris or lounging on the beaches in Spain. After all, that is the one highlight we can brag about in years to come as we ponder about whether the student debt was worth being able to pretentiously speak to locals in their language.
​
The choice to study both French and Spanish at university was admittedly an impulsive one. My juvenile self saw ‘18-months abroad living in two countries’ on the course description and was instantly sold. If I ended up jobless after graduation, at least I would be able to say I lived abroad, right?

Well, I had to get through the first year of university before I could start thinking about stocking up on factor 50 sun cream or purchasing a beret. During my first year of university, the whole language learning process was much different to what I was used to. The biggest challenge was undoubtedly having the confidence to speak the language in front of my classmates. Putting into practice what we had learned in class was always painstakingly difficult. One thing about studying a language is that it will aggressively shove you out of your comfort zone. Your professor will pick on you to answer questions in the target language. They will make you do presentations in that language…*shivers*. They will make you interpret a sentence they have just blurted out in lightning speed. All this is to say that, when you choose to study a language, you are not going to be able to zone out during your classes. You will always be on full alert just in case your professor decides to challenge your language skills halfway through the lesson.
 
Now, with a language degree, we all know that the second year of university is what it is all about. This is where your university experience will peak. Perhaps your life, too. So, you are going to want to make the most of it. In the second semester of second year, I spent six months in Alicante at a partnered university. Our class was advised to only search for accommodation once we arrived in the country. So, the first week of being abroad was a chaotic stress-ridden time, trying to avoid being homeless in a foreign country. Luckily, Spain has an abundance of low-cost rooms, so you should not have too many problems with finding a place to live.

Alicante was a great time and a study exchange in Spain was everything I expected it to be: siestas after university; friendly people; beautiful weather; street vendors selling counterfeit handbags etc.

But, as for the language learning aspect, it wasn’t quite the language-immersive experience I had in mind. Before going abroad, I was sure that by the end of the exchange, the Spanish language would have taken over my entire body and magically propelled me into fluency. That didn’t happen. In fact, not even close. It has been said countless times before, but with a language, what you put in is what you get out of it, and I clearly was not using the language as much as I had hoped. Your professors will drill it into you to avoid English speakers at all costs during your time abroad, but in reality, this is very difficult to do. When you are in a new place surrounded by so much unfamiliarity, you subconsciously lean towards what you know, or in my case, who you know. I spent a lot of time with my English-speaking classmates which looking back in hindsight was the wrong decision.

After my exchange in Spain, I spent one year in Paris doing a work placement. If I thought learning the language in Alicante was hard, Paris was about to come with a rude awakening. When you live in a capital city, you are surrounded by such diversity. People are coming from all different countries, and often, they want to practice their English, so you have to really force yourself to speak the local language.

After 18 months abroad, I had to enter my final year of university. I will be honest: I was petrified. The expectation after spending time abroad is that you really strengthen your language skills. I thought that I was nowhere near the level I should’ve been at, and I was worried my professors would think that I had wasted my experience.

But here was the reality: my final year of university was completely fine. I had improved my language skills even though I thought I hadn’t. To put it simply, when you live in an environment where you hear a language being spoken everywhere, you subconsciously pick things up! And, the most important thing I learned was that any experience that pushes you out of your comfort zone is not wasted. The people I met and the paces I saw will stay with me forever.

By Emily O'Hara

​I’m not going to sugar coat it for you - the third and final year of university is hell, and I’m saying that as someone who picked writing as a degree, which is arguably one of the least taxing undergrad courses you could select. 
 
Let me ask if this sounds familiar as your year one and two: endless parties, waking up at noon on a Tuesday, going home every other week to get your laundry done and studying through May for your exams and hand-ins come June. This is how my first two years were, anyway - in short, a blast. I hope you made the most of it because by the second week of your third year all the parties and sleep-ins will be a distant memory.

​In my particular degree, the first two years didn’t count all that much toward my final grade, so I knew going in that I’d have to swap Jägerbombs for jotter pads and work out how to stop going to bed at 4am. So, here’s a quick guide on how to go from a party student who only turns up to lectures once a week to a solid 2:1 in the space of the next year.
 
First things first, preparation really is key. Find out as soon as possible which modules you will be taking, and which lecturers you will have for each module. Send each lecturer an email and ask if they can tell you which big projects are coming this side of term and check how you can best prepare. I started brainstorming and writing my third-year projects in the summer so that I didn’t then have ten assignments at once when classes started. By getting one or two things done early, you can then get the next couple of assignments done early, and you can keep the cycle up reasonably well throughout the year. 
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Another key thing to work on in the first term is changing your lifestyle a bit. This means missing a party once or twice a week, retraining your sleep pattern so you can get up earlier to do studying and maybe going to fewer social and family events. These sacrifices will all be necessary, and when this really sucks, do remember that it’s temporary, and there will be plenty of time to resume doing all these things that you love once you graduate. If you’ve got stuck in a terrible sleeping pattern, try going to bed half an hour earlier and waking up half an hour earlier each night - it works like a charm. 

This takes us up to Christmas. Now, nobody likes working at Christmas. I advise giving yourself one week, ten days off around the 25th, and study through the rest of that time. In my first and second years I did all my uni work that was due in January about three days before term restarted, and consequently the work I handed in was dreadful. If you get a few bits done just after the end of term and carry on around new year, you’ll feel in a much better place by the time you arrive back at uni.

​The absolute first thing you should do in January is find out which exams and hand ins are on what dates, and make a list of them in chronological order. This way, you can prioritise your studying - there’s no point working on a hand-in which is due in six weeks’ time when there’s an exam you have to sit in nine days. 
 
Working from the chronological exam list - which you should probably save on three different devices and staple to your forehead - create a studying timetable and stick to it. Even half an hour each day rather than a frazzled eight-hour, caffeine fuelled all-nighter prior to an exam would be highly beneficial. Always study in short bursts as your brain just won’t concentrate for much longer than 45 minutes on one topic. 
 
Stick to this while also trying to cling on to your sanity, and you should be just fine. Remember, it’s temporary!

By Josh Newsham and Edited by Tom Guyton-Day

​280,000 students have been let down by the government on their A-Level results. Almost 40% of all grades awarded have been downgraded because of the Government’s new grading system which seeks to replicate real world testing that year on year fails ordinary pupils and advances the privately educated.
 
I write this as an A level student who has experienced this scandal first-hand. When our exams were cancelled, many teachers expressed concerns about how exams would be graded and suggested the Government must act in a way that lifts people up to their potential not drag them down. The Government pledged to be fair; we are in a pandemic after all and it severely disrupted education for hundreds of thousands of students by taking us into lockdown. They also pledged to release results before August, since the standard marking system would not take place and thus, would be able to release them earlier and give more time for appeals and adjustments. 
 
This clearly has not been the case. The government has not been fair, it did not release results early, and it still does not have a proper appeals process in place with the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, announcing a new appeals process just days before results day without consulting colleges or even notifying them of how the system would work. This despite having months to form a system.
 

Colleges across the country have been left in the dark as they see many of their students getting far lower grades than those recommended by them. Even Justine Greening, former Education Secretary and former Tory, has criticised the government calling the grading system a “levelling down in action”. This is a scandal and a failure of the government to provide a legitimate trustworthy education process that has occurred for a range of reasons. Surely, they should be lifting people up during the worst recession in British history and a pandemic?

​​It all started with Michael Gove as education secretary, introducing linear A-levels so there would only be an official exam at the end of the two-year course rather than the original modular system which included lots of smaller exams (which might have been helpful this year). This was an attempt to return to a facts-based exams process, more in keeping with 1940s Britain. It is clear, this linear system has failed under the current circumstance and has put so many students in far worse conditions than they would be if they had a national standardised AS exam after their first year to refer to.
 
If linear A-Levels were not in place and an AS exam occurred at the end of the first year A Levels, there would be a national standardised grade to compare each student fairly in order to determine a final grade. 
 
Are we surprised private schools have benefited from the new grading system? Private schools saw a 4.7% increase in A grade or above from 2019 to 2020 compared to the 2018-2019 academic year with poorer pupils being penalised for their postcodes.

The question after all this is “is this system fair?” and evidently it is not. How can an algorithm (that Ofqual are yet to publish or be clear about) decide someone’s ability over teachers who have known these students for years and seen first-hand their ability? Many students will not get into university or meet clearing standards, simply because the algorithm dropped them by one grade. It is not economically sensible or ethical to punish students or drag their grades down simply because of how students performed at that college last year or how they performed in High School. 
 
 
It is safe to conclude that this has been the biggest educational mess up since the 1960s where we saw mass student protest. Less wealthy areas and colleges have been punished while private schools have been lifted up. After all this, the government is showing no sign of concession and seem proud of the system they have created - after calls from all sides of the political spectrum from Labour to Liberal Democrats, and even Conservative members to reconsider this disastrous policy.

​I’d been accepted to a place at Sussex University and had Reading as my insurance. All was going relatively smoothly but I’m one of those people that manages to tank essay exams or ace them. There’s little continuity in my exam approach (hence why I prefer essays in coursework which allow me time to ponder and scrap at will and with the time to breath) – either that or an exam full of equations (much easier). Looking back at it, I probably took the wrong A Levels.
​
After the rather large disappointment of results day and with little support from the school, I decided to go on something of a rebellion against education and abandon it entirely – deciding I’d instead use my Dad as a tutor to get to his level and hopefully surpass in a career working for Volkswagen, doing an apprenticeship earning £3.30/hour as a beginning.

This was quite painful for me because for a very long time – my aim in life, in fact my only aim since I was a small child, was to go to university. My mum had me at age 21 (a year younger than me now), halfway through a university degree at Brighton and so, the very idea of not going to university wasn’t really an option. It was the ultimate in my head for such a long time and letting it go was hard but at that age, I was in a “fuck it” mode.
​
We were on a beach in Brighton when the phone started ringing – four times in a row. I thought, who the hell wants to talk to me? “I’m busy – bugger off”. But as always, I eventually picked up the phone… this one was Lancaster University, offering me an unconditional offer to study a degree close to that I was supposed to take at Sussex – something around History and Politics. I wasn’t in a very good mood but, much like with any interview, I put on a voice and pretended to be cheerful… despite being in a mood of “go away mother”.

​This was one of two phone calls I had that day. The other was from De Montfort University (they decided to call themselves Leicester – rather underhand, especially as I have a massive hunch over Polytechnics and at this point rather obsessed with league tables). I accepted this offer as well. The wonderful thing about clearing is you can play the game, accept every offer informally, and then sit in a cool room, away from noise and distraction, and consider your life. Seems like a lot of pressure but it really puts you in control.

So, eventually I formed De Montfort as my firm choice and accepted their offer via the UCAS system, a system which makes me shudder to this day. I took Economics and Politics – probably one of the best decisions of my life, looking back now.
I decided to plough on with the apprenticeship and that I wasn’t going to go to University because, I was in a rebellion mode over education – had enough of constant books, teachers, and annoying exam questions that were so rigid – lacking in colour and individualism and free thought that you could only pass the exam with 6 particular points that were really just textbook bores. No one considers outside the box at A Level – the box is firm and easily climbed but you’ll be shot quickly. Don’t attempt to climb her boundaries and certainly don’t use French in a History exam – the system only speaks English and has limited intelligence and a special irritation of flare. Individualism is the enemy. I still got a C though…

Back to clearing however, the major point of this piece is to remind you, maybe going through clearing yourself or considering it as a route because your insurance choice is below par and you have better grades than expected, that you have options coming out of your ears. A Levels are built high. They’re designed as firm doors – opening but also tight shut but they’re also fairly unimportant once you have them.
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There are ways around the torment of bad results – a gap year is something that I shall treasure for the rest of my life. Being poorly paid but also having money for the first time made me learn how to budget, save, and spend with care. I still take pride in that, I have £9,000 less debt than most University students do – because in that year prior to taking my deferred place, I saved enough to cover my living costs and all this with an alcohol budget of four figures. Don’t give up, keep pushing, and don’t take “no” for an answer – ever.

By Timothy Neill and Edited by Tom Guyton-Day
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When you think of the phrase “freshers' week” what comes to mind. Insanely good deals on drink and food for students during their opening week of first year, before their studies begin. A random selection of events organised by the University to try and sell the city, its nightlife, and attractions to the newly enrolled students - normally with some random “celebrity “guest. An overcrowded and hugely sweaty freshers fair normally taking place in some variety of gym hall with potentially hundreds of societies vying for student's attention. All these are relatively accurate descriptions for freshers as a concept in their own ways.

It cannot be ignored that certain people believe freshers a key point within University lifestyle. However, I am here to tell you that as a person with a physical disability a lot of these events are unappealing or downright inaccessible to those in a similar position. There is a lot more that could be done to make freshers more accessible and generally have a much broader appeal, beyond potentially wild parties and societies trying to stand out from the potentially hundreds that could exist at any University. Let's discuss.

It cannot be ignored that alcohol deals and drinking culture is a big part of what makes freshers appealing to a large percentage of its target audience. This is not to say for people with disabilities cannot have a drink. It is down to individual choice. That said, if a disabled student goes to University in a new city and wants to take advantage of the best freshers deals on offer, only to find the accessible features are not sufficient for their needs they will be out of luck. This could also be the case for those disabled students that have opted to stay home and may well know in advance if the various venues that have freshers deals on offer meet their access requirements.

If individual universities made sure that establishments met certain accessibility requirements, it would at least give the disabled students who want to be part of this experience the opportunity to do just that. However, since a lot of these offers are put on by the pub's, clubs, and restaurants, rather than the universities themselves - this may not be something that has crossed the management’s mind. They just want to see an increase in foot traffic from newly enrolled students.

The other key element of freshers as a university institution is the various fairs that take place, hypothetically allowing various societies and clubs at individual universities to showcase themselves with a potentially huge intake of newly arrived members. Regardless of disability this is not my experience. The best way to describe going to one of these events is, it's like suddenly encountering a massive wall of sound, where it's hard to decipher what elements you should be paying attention to or what extracurricular activities might hold some value for individual students.

From a disability point of view, it is even more frustrating because even if there's some potentially interesting stuff on offer, a lot of them or sport/physically oriented clubs are simply not an option (through no fault of their own). It can be an incredibly overwhelming experience. A more accessible approach might be to organise specific events for those who fall into specific accessibility brackets and enable those that run certain societies that might appeal to them the opportunity to showcase what they can offer. At the very least it has the potential to be a much less overwhelming experience

The point of this piece is not to paint freshers and its culture in an especially negative light. Tens of thousands of students get a huge amount of enjoyment from it every year and more power to them. That said there are definite steps that could be taken to make the broad concept a lot more accessible. Making sure every establishment with deals on offer has appropriate access to enable disabled students to experience the culture and potential benefits. Also, arranging specific fairs with societies and clubs that would be accessible to those with disabilities rather than plopping disabled students in the middle of a potentially hugely overwhelming environment with a number of potential things that will simply will not be accessible to them.

These two changes would go a long way towards making freshers as a concept a lot more accessible.  

By Marco Cardoni

In an age where a new streaming service pops up out of nowhere sooner than you can fart twice, (nice, I just found a wild Disney+ up my arse!) it’s hard to find any media property that has enough cultural recognition, popularity, and pulling power—yeah, they’re basically all the same thing, but I was hoping you wouldn’t notice—to draw in enough people for a half decent "water cooler" conversation. However, the Duffer brothers’ smash hit Stranger Things has been a delight for me in that respect, even topping The Fantasy Show That Shall Not Be Named for viewership numbers and excitement levels amongst my little group of young adult peers. Nonetheless, the buzz for the Duffers’ show was not limited to just my friends. The official figures reveal that Stranger Things’ third series was Netflix’s most viewed "thing" ever within a four day time frame. This really begs the question: Why in the Upside-Down is this derivative, predictable, 80s nostalgia fest so Demodog-damn popular?

The cynic and the English literature graduate in me puts this down to a childlike regression to a simpler time, or to an idyllic, fantasy past in which to play brand recognition bingo while we hide from an increasingly frightening and disorientating outside world. A programme designed for the sole purpose of making your dad scream, "I had that Millennium Falcon toy too! I used to drink Coca Cola too! I once harboured a young, telekinetic subject of government experiments too!" as he weeps with joy into the bosom of an E.T. plushie. A programme that helps you recall how normal and hilarious it was to have a film actor in the White House while the world stood on the brink of a nuclear war. No, no that doesn’t seem familiar at all. In fact, I’m not going to deny that nostalgia is a big reason for the show’s popularity. Take those hugely popular, predigested "live action" Disney remakes they have now. You know, the ones all them millennials like to spoon-feed into their eye and ear holes these days. It’s safe to say that the mind-flaying, zombifying, cannibalistic Invasion of the Nostalgia-Snatchers is underway.

But… Stranger Things is pretty fun though, isn’t it? Yes. Yes it is.
Sure, there’s a lot of stock characters in the show, but the development, the characterisation, and the actors’ endearing portrayals of said characters make the whole project worthwhile. Standouts this year were the lovingly christened "Scoops Troop," which built on the friendship between Dustin and the reformed jock-come-babysitter Steve Harrington that was established a season prior. Not only was their chemistry a joy to watch, but it was backed up with stellar support from Erica—the recently upgraded feisty younger sister of Lucas—and the newcomer Robin, played by the child of fame, Maya Hawke. Honestly, Google her parents—you’ll never unsee it. It’s wild. Also, unlike in Series Two, the presence of Max and Billy seems justified in the narrative and the dynamic of the main cast. The friendship that blossomed between Max and Eleven was heartfelt, realistic, and genuine, whilst Billy’s horrifying turn as the Mind Flayer’s slave served his redemption arc well. Oh, and Murray and Alexei! Don’t get me started on those two gems, we’ll be here all day. Overall, the character development was consistently entertaining and progressed at a satisfactory pace. What’s not to like?
A lot. Apparently.

Amongst my friends, I was likely the last person to finish watching the series. It’s a family event in my house and not all of us are unemployed, pyjama-wearing Lebowskis with all the time in the world—yeah, that’s—that’s just me. It provides just the right balance of humorous family drama for my mum, horror for my dad and my sister, and nerdy references for me. It just works, even though none of us are obsessed with it like so many others. So, imagine my horror, the spine-tingling dread of my eldritch discovery. A discovery I made when I was only three episodes in. As I scrolled through my timeline, nonchalantly throwing away precious hours of my life, I saw it in the centre of my screen. It was… a friend’s disgusted reaction to Stranger Things Season Three! The disappointment of a mega-fan—a friend whose opinions I trusted. "First *that popular fantasy series —name redacted* and now Stranger Things. I honestly could have written it better." it said, as if some plague of substandard writing had swept the world of television. "How could I ever enjoy another bombastic, blockbuster entertainment programme again?" I thought, "Who could I trust now that all the wordsmiths in the world had been struck down by Shit Writing Disease?"

Now, the amazing thing about waiting till last to write a review of something is that you get to know everybody else’s critiques before you even start writing (it’s not cheating, just smart); but from what I had gathered, people took umbrage at the fact that characters like Nancy and Jonathan were underserved—something I’d have to agree with. They also felt that Hopper’s "death" did not seem permanent or earned enough, given his arc across the series—something I’d also have to agree with. Another thing I heard a lot was, "That Russian guy’s just a budget Terminator;" and yeah, sure, I get your point there, too, although it’s clearly intentional. But here’s the big one—"How could a bunch of stupid kids survive in a highly guarded Russian base? How unrealistic!" Personally, I think the severity of these offences really depends on how seriously you take a show that has built its entire reputation on its connections to cheesy 80s films. Of course, some stupid kids can storm a highly guarded Russian base and live to tell the tale! This is ‘Merica, the land of shopping malls and 4th of July fireworks, trigger happy police officers and corrupt politicians, anything is possible!

The truth is, I have never expected Stranger Things to challenge me intellectually or deconstruct its genre with truly unexpected twists and subversive political themes. There was a show like that once, but it burned me in its final series. Burned me like dragonfire, perhaps. Or better still, stabbed my expectations with a dagger, shattering them into zillions of tiny little ice cubes. No, Stranger Things has never been that show and it never will be. It speaks to us on a more basic, emotional level and I appreciate it for what it does. In Series Three, we have a show about growing pains, about moving on from the innocent playfulness of our youth, and overcoming the sense of loss that accompanies these developments in our personalities and personal relationships. This is cemented in Hopper’s letter to Eleven at the end, which is read as many of the characters become physically more distant from one another, but it is a theme that is present throughout the entire series. Mike has an attitude problem, likely caused by his puberty, Will struggles to accept that his friends are more concerned about romantic relationships than him, Joyce needs to get over Bob, and in a twisted, perverted way, there’s a reason why the flayed zombies eat fertiliser: they all need to grow to become their best selves.

This got me thinking. Maybe one day I’ll have to grow up, have a shave, get a job, stop putting all my hopes and dreams into fictional TV series and writers with Shit Writing Disease. I feel wiser and, just like Will the Wise, I shall impart my inspirational—but kinda terrible—advice unto you all. Set your expectations at absolute rock bottom. I’m thinking Mrs. Brown’s Boys tier, but maybe even lower than that… For everything... In the world. And instead of being eye-squishingly disappointed when things don’t play out as expected, you might just find yourself pleasantly surprised.
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4/5 Stars.

By Rupert Matthews, Historian

But before moving on the more generic issues of uniforms, let's have a look at the dispute between Wellington and the Army HQ.

Until the autumn of 1812, British light dragoons wore a distinctive and rather attractive uniform. The trousers and jacket were dark blue with white detailing, the boots were black and of the Hessian style.  Each regiment had its own colour, which featured on the collar and cuffs. As ever the uniforms of the officers was more ornate than that of the other ranks, with additional embroidery and silver buttons. 

The headgear of the British light dragoons was known as the Tarleton helmet, named for the officer who had invented it. It consisted of a rounded helmet and peak over the eyes, both made from leather boiled in chemicals to make it exceptionally hard – tough enough to turn a sword blade. Along the top, running from front to back, was a fur crest. Officers sported a feather plume on the left side and a coloured cloth – called a “turban” – tied around the base of the helmet.

This Tarleton helmet was unique, used by no other nation, and highly distinctive.
 

The problem here was that Wellington was facing not only French troops, but also those of the allies of the French such as the Neapolitans, Wurttemburgers, Bavarians and so forth. The light cavalry of these states wore jackets of a variety of colours. Confusion was almost inevitable.

Even worse, HQ wanted to get rid of the Tarleton helmet and replace it with a shako that flared out at the top. The shako was made of felt with a leather peak. This was considerably less effective at giving the wearer protection against enemy sabres, but it was the shape that annoyed Wellington. The new-style light cavalry shako was exactly the same shape as that of the French light cavalry. Combined with the new plastron, the shako gave the British light cavalry a very similar appearance to their enemies.

Wellington was furious.

He fired off an immediate reply pointing out that the light cavalry often operated miles from the main army as they scouted around. It was essential, he said, that the uniform of the light cavalry could be recognised at a distance – often several miles away. The old all-blue uniform with Tarleton helmet was quite unlike anything else in Spain. But the new plastron and shako uniform could easily be mistaken for many other light cavalry uniforms worn by the enemy.

Army HQ was unmoved – possibly in part because the Prince Regent loved the more modern and more colourful uniform. Correspondence went back and forth, but in the end the new uniforms were issued in time for the campaigning season of 1813.

The point at issue here had been the appearance of the uniform – and in particular its appearance at a distance. Wellington was particularly annoyed by the change in the silhouette of the headgear, but the coloured plastrons also caused confusion. ​

Clearly one of the key functions of a uniform is to identify the wearer. In an army, that primarily means identifying the army to which he belongs. Details within the uniform give the rank, unit and specialist skills of the wearer.

In civilian life uniforms can be used to identify a police officer, firefighter, paramedic, judge or other profession. In all cases, the appearance of the uniform must be instantly recognisable to anyone who sees it. Given that many of these civilian uniforms are worn by emergency services, there is no point in wearing a uniform that requires a person to read words or look for detail. A police uniform must look very different from a paramedic, and both must be very different from civilian mufti. 

As with Wellington’s light dragoons, silhouette is crucial. A police helmet is distinctive and can be recognised at a great distance. Similarly the style of a police uniform and its blue colour needs to be distinct from that of others.

Of course there is far more to a uniform than its appearance. It must also be functional. Wellington’s soldiers were out in all weathers, day and night, for weeks on end. The opportunities for changing or washing were very limited. Police officers and firefighters, by contrast, may be out in terrible weather, but they are almost certainly able to look forward to a nice hot shower at the end of their shift, and a change into a clean set of clothes before they go on duty again. As a result modern day emergency services uniforms do not need to be as robust as those of Wellington’s soldiers.

And most police officers have a car or motorbike nearby where equipment can be kept, obviating  the need for all the packs, pouches and bags that soldiers used to lug about with them.

Nevertheless, some features of uniforms remain that same as they always were.

• A uniform needs to be instantly recognisable.
• A uniform needs to be distinctive and unique.
• A uniform needs to be weather proof.
• A uniform needs to be comfortable to wear.
• A uniform needs to be practical.

By Timothy Neill and Edited by Tom Guyton-Day

I remember vividly where I was when I got my University acceptance. It was during a visit to the London 2012 Olympics as me and my father waited on the train that would take us back to where we were staying for the evening. I thought this was going to be the next big chapter of my life. The final year of the Scottish school system exists pretty much exclusively (for those whose grades are high enough) to get you prepared for the University environment and submitting the all-important UCAS form. My disability meant I wasn't going outside my hometown, but it will still a fantastic feeling to have made it this far. I was intrigued to see where my Media degree would take me next. ​

Cut to the opening of first semester. In several ways I was surprised how much Media as a degree discipline was simply an extension of the latter school years. Not only in terms of the very school like timetable structure (which is likely the case for most degrees) but more related to the central subject being such a broad topic area. 
​
Traditionally a University course would enable the students to specialise and focus in on a subject area that would allow them to gain specific knowledge that increases their employability. In broad creative focused degree such as Media the focus is more on teaching “a little about a lot” as opposed to “a lot about a little.” This may prove effective for some learners in giving them a broad range of skills that makes them potentially employable in a number of areas but without any real focus a lot of the modules and topics come down to individual skill rather than testing knowledge retention of the specifically taught material.

This initially took me by surprise. I was not entirely sure whether this course would stand me in good stead going forward. Nevertheless, determination and persistence got me through the areas of the course I was a lot less comfortable with. It also enabled me to meet a variety of new people to whom I could showcase my skills regardless of external factors.  This increased confidence in my own ability's really saw me through some difficult times and was the one major benefit I gained with my University experience. 

As the years passed not much changed. Modules and classes passed by regularly with various levels of impact and I gained several stories which could be happily be trotted out as effective conversation starters for years to come. That said, as my final year approached, that was the nagging feeling that I still did not know what the most effective path for me would be given I had a degree covering so many areas. When I went to the open day, I was essentially gated out of enrolling on the Journalism programme because its leader believed the programme was not suitable for those with physical disabilities (like me.) There was an enormous sense of pride and the feeling I had proverbially stuck it to the man given that I had made it this far taking an alternative course. Nevertheless, I always questioned how things might have turned out if I had concentrated on a more focused area of study.
​
When it came time for graduation the difference between those that had really bought into the bond between course mates and those that had mostly kept their distance but were still proud of their achievements was palpable. Whether or not this would have been different with a smaller intake and more focused direction remains to be seen but it's a topic that has always fascinated me.  

A great deal of what is involved in the selling of further/ higher education is all about the university culture and potential lifelong friendships that could be made off the back of shared experience. I'm not saying this is wrong, as it will depend hugely on course of study, individual investment and expectation but I did want to share my experience, having graduated with an incredibly broad degree. I don't regret the time spent completing my course, but I would say that in my experience in creative focused degrees will depend highly on individual investments both in terms of coursework and investment within the University culture.