The web is full of dodgy types and one that students in particular should avoid are the essay cheats – or, as they’re sometimes called, ‘essay mills’.

The situation they prey on is common enough. An essay is due next week and you’re finding it too hard or you haven’t done the reading or there’s some thing else more important right now – your job, your boy/girlfriend, a different essay or even just a party. For a few quid (in fact, often quite a bit of money), you can make the problem go away. You can buy a ready-written essay, dissertation or even PhD thesis online and pass it off as your own.
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Of course, the shysters offering this service don’t advertise that they’re there to help you cheat. They describe them as “sample essays” to “inspire” or “inform” your own work. However, they also describe them as “plagiarism-free” (so that, in theory, unis won’t spot it’s not the student’s own work). Why would they say that unless everyone knows the real score?

You know perfectly well this isn’t ethical and you shouldn’t do it. But, if morality isn’t enough to convince you to do the right thing, here are six reasons why you should never cheat. 

Summer is well underway – we’ve broken into August now. You’ve had a heatwave (or six), you’ve had a long time to relax with the long academic year behind you now. Now’s the time to wipe the Mr. Whippy from your mouth and get yourself back into gear.
 
With not much more than a month left before schools and colleges start up again, you’re running out of time to make the most of your remaining freedom.
 
Take it from us: if you’re thinking of heading to uni, the best investment of your time is  to visit as many as you can in the upcoming weeks. These can be local unis if that’s the area you want to stay in, or they can be further afield. 

Once results are in on Thursday, you have four options — two if you got the grades you wanted, and two if you didn't:
 
If you got the grades you wanted:
 
Thumbs up, round of applause, pat on the back, etc. Your two options are:

Some of you who were in year 12 did exams last term, and this week may well be when you get your results.
 
Okay. Exhale. It will be okay. Push is here to help whether you hit above your weight, hit your target or got hit with a dead haddock on results day 2018.

​You might have heard in the news lately that lots of people are talking about a thing called “unconditional offers”. In terms of UCAS applications, this means a university you have applied for has read your application and decided they like you enough to offer you a place right away, no matter the grades you get at the end of the year.
 
Beware though, the word “unconditional” might be misleading. 

​In this sense, an unconditional offer might be (ironically) on the condition that you make the university in question your firm choice, essentially ditching all of your other options. If you’re the type to like a sure-bet, who maybe doesn’t perform their best under exam stress and who would really be happier all-round to know they have a guaranteed university place waiting for them, this could be a really great thing.
 
But it is absolutely not the best option for everyone. Listen to us when we say: do not feel pressured into making a university your firm choice. By anyone.

Do you know your bops from your balls? Or your CATS from your CUKAS?

Heading into the world of higher education can be like learning a new language – there's more jargon than you can shake a soc at. ​That's why we've created this handy glossary of all the weird and wonderful terms academics like to use. Let Push be your guide.

You'll need us. Honestly, it's a jungle out there. ​

If your plans don't involve uni visits and UCAS forms, there's still loads to do over the Summer to make yourself more employable.
 
If you don't have any work experience, it can be tough to get your first permanent job. But summer jobs, well, they're easier to get and then, ta-da, you've banked some experience and some cash for later. 

We’re an addicted generation, we know. Where would we be without Scottish Twitter, or Facebook’s Love Island memes? Doesn’t bear thinking about.
 
Even so, social media and the devices we access it through aren’t always good for us. For one, they may be harming the quality of our sleep. The cold, blue light that smartphones, tablets and laptops emit is conducive to keeping the brain engaged and awake, so scrolling for an hour before bed to wind down might not be such a good idea. 

Think you’ve missed the boat if you don’t head straight from college to uni? These days, that can’t be any further from the case. The stereotypical student may be late teens, early 20s, but the world of higher education is opening up more and more to mature students from all ages. 

If you're heading to uni, in just about two months’ time, you'll be packing up your life to continue it somewhere else for the next three, four or more years.
 
The weeks between getting your results and starting term scoot by and unis start allocating their housing the moment the grades are out. There are four basic housing choices for students – living at home, living in, living out or private halls.

With this year's exams behind you, you'll be pleased to know that uni isn't all about books, lectures and exams. We all know students get up to other stuff, right? And this other stuff is important when it comes to getting the most out of the whole university experience.

​We all know there's a variety of ways to get things to stick in your head: texts books, spider diagrams, post-it notes, mind-palaces, reading out loud, singing your revision and even sleeping with your notes under your pillow (note: we have no proof of the last one...).
 
If you have a basic understanding of how memory works you can incorporate this into the way you revise. 

​So, it’s getting to the time of year where everyone’s asking the same, awful question: what are you going to do with your life?
 
Yuck. What a quick way to ruin the annual family barbecue.
 
If you’re panicking about the answer, or really just don’t know what you want, you’re not alone. Just remember that it’s your life, and your choices, so be certain that whatever you decide comes from a well-researched place. This is not the time to make a last minute panic decision, or just go along with whatever everyone else is doing or telling you to do. 

​Studying abroad isn’t for everyone.
 
For one? It ain’t cheap. There are lots of options to help with the cost, but one way or another you’ll have to be saving your pennies in the summer up to your time away. You’ll really regret it if you don’t.
 
It’s also not easy, and requires a lot of dedication. The process is a little smoother if you want to study in Europe, but places like North America and Asia have strict visa regulations, and that almost certainly means making the trek to London to visit an embassy. Not much fun, there. 

​Did you know that all of your senses can be helpful when you revise for exams?
 
Some studies have found that if you always suck on Polos while revising the ins and outs of Biology, or wear the same perfume when thinking about French sentence structure, it can help encode what you're memorising. This is because all our senses are linked and they all make pathways into the process of remembering.

​This, however, should only be used alongside your regular excellent study skills otherwise you'll be sat in your exam popping Polos and praying to a confectionery god. Not a good look for anyone.

If you’re anything like the rest of us, it’s not a stretch to say you’ve probably sat around at some point thinking – what makes me unique? How do I stand out from the crowd? These existential questions particularly rear their ugly heads when you’re faced with a personal statement for college or uni, or a cover letter for a job.
 
And it’s tough. Everyone’s their own biggest critic, but when it comes to singing your own praises, especially as to why you’re a better choice than anyone else, it can feel like an impossible task.
 
Yeah, we know you’re all pretty amazing. But to really stand out from the crowd of other applicants for a job or course, you need to have something else on offer besides the same GCSEs, A-Levels or degree as everyone else you’re up against.

For year 12s

Are you heading down the uni highway?

This month you can officially start applying to uni for 2019 entry. UCAS opens its website for people to register on 22nd May.

Don’t worry, the deadline is still a while away, but the dogs are now off the leash.

Hopefully, your thoughts about what you might want to study have, like chewing gum on the pavement, been getting firmer.

The next question is where to study? Sometimes this isn’t just about where it is in the country, but about what the place is
really like – the atmosphere.

No two unis are the same. The surroundings and building affect how it feels, but so too do the people, the students. Some
unis are posh, some are full of students from the area, some are ethnic melting pots, some are arty, sciency or businessy. Some are none of those things.

Everyone hates revision right? But when exams loom, and beyond them lies a career, revising is key. Let’s face it, reading through pages and pages of scribbled notes are going to get you nowhere. And don’t even get us started on the highlighters.
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Make your revision fun, and when we say fun we really mean easier. That way you spend less time convincing yourself to do it and it’s all over a little bit quicker.

Some of the usual advice is worth following. Structure your notes, plan regular breaks and give yourself some time off. There’s no point running out of steam on day one. And as tempting as the night before sounds, start revising with as much time to spare as you can.

LEARNING STYLES

When it comes to good revision it all depends on how you go about doing it. Your sister may have been able to read a page once and remember it forever but forget about her, what works for you? Are you a seer, a hearer or a doer? This may sounds like long-haired hippy nonsense but it isn’t.

• Seers (or visual learners) benefit from images instead of pages of words. Stick posters around your house (the mirror or on the fridge are two good places) – the more you see them, the more likely you are to remember them. 
• Hearers (auditory learners) remember notes by reading them out loud, or from hearing them – pester a family member or friend to sit with you and read your work to you (boring for them, beneficial to you, win/win).
• Doers (tactical learners) learn by practice, practice, practice. Understanding what it is exactly that you are trying to study is one way to drum it into your memory.

No idea which you are? Try them all. Nothing like a little useful procrastination to keep you sane. 

DIET

Revising may be boring, but how you revise is only one part of getting a good grade. What you eat is vital to how your brain works. Snacking on crisps and sweets may sound like the best idea but really isn’t, sorry. Junk food has been found to block the passage of messages between the nerve endings in your brain, so all those hours studying could be for nothing if Doritos are all you're munching on. Instead try a handful of nuts or berries, both contain Omega3 and will keep you active and focused.

Like you've been told a million times before, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Sugary cereals and toast will give you a short buzz but then you’ll be hungry again. Porridge is great because it releases its energy slowly and the milk you use with it provides protein which will aid your concentration levels. 

Lastly, drink lots. Keeps you focused and awake, making lots of trips to the toilet is 100 times better than sitting there staring blankly at the screen and learning nothing whilst dying of thirst.