You’re probably looking forward to the festive season. But as you know it can be a stressful time as well as a happy one.
 
If you’re a student, then returning to the family home after a period of independence is challenging. Plus the most wonderful time of the year is also the most expensive!
 
What’s the best way of avoiding pressure at Christmas, whilst taking the strain off your bank account? Our guide is here to light the way.
 
From wrapping presents to warbling carols, our Santa’s sack is full to the brim with tips. So what are you waiting for? Let’s go-ho-ho…

In the world we live in, it’s increasingly more valuable to be as internationally minded as you possibly can.
 
And no, we don’t mean that you should be mixing up your weekly tikka masala order, and would be better off getting the occasional Chinese or Italian takeaway instead.
 
Being internationally minded - where you’re open to different cultural behaviours and attitudes, and can embrace new ideas from beyond your bubble - is a crucial and invaluable attribute. 

​Studying abroad in Rome, taking a year out to backpack Asia, working a placement in New York - the chance for young people to get out and see the world is just as popular as ever.
 
And why wouldn’t it be? Now’s the perfect time. No obligations, no career commitments, no pesky mortgages to pay.
 
Once you’re free from the grips of school, the world really is your oyster.
 
But there’s something that anyone hoping to trot the globe has to worry about, and that’s how to fund it. 

If you asked a handful of under-10s what they want to be when they grow up, chances are at least one of them is going to say astronaut. You might get a few more who’d come out with YouTube slime reviewer or professional Fortnite dancer, but space explorer is a timeless classic.
 
We’d be lying if we said it doesn’t still sound like one of the coolest careers out there.
 
But out of everyone who’s ever dreamed of piloting their own rocket, how many people actually ever wind up with the elusive job? Not many – but maybe not for the reasons you might expect.

Your mates in the year above might be able to breathe a sigh of relief having submitted their final UCAS and apprenticeship applications, and rightly so. But for you, the process is quickly becoming a reality. So now is a good time to  splash some cold water in your face, puff your chest out and start an exciting research project called: what I’m going to do at 18.​

If you try to put your finger on the education background of someone in a senior position in the government, chances are a few things would spring to mind.
 
Private school education, for starters. An Oxbridge degree would be no surprise.
 
That’s what we’d all expect, right?
 
Well, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner’s background might come as a bit of a shock to you.

If your plan for next year is university (or a higher education course via a college) then you’ve already submitted your application, right? If not, then get a move on. The UCAS deadline (January 15th) may be the official cut-off, but a lot of places will have been filled already. It’s like a queue: being at the back still means you’re in, but the good stuff might be taken by the time they see you.