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Nicky Mackenzie was working hard at her degree - but the drugs she used to help her concentrate led her into the dark world of prostitution.
As she peeled off her clothes in front of the man on the bed, Nicky Mackenzie felt sick to her stomach.
She was about to have sex with a stranger for £200 in order to fund her prescription drug habit.
“I’d taken Valium before I got to his house to block out what I was doing,” she says.
“I was petrified, so I just tried to keep my mind focused on the money.”
Waking up in her own bed the next morning, Nicky was faced with a stark reminder of just how low she had sunk.
“There was a photo on my bedside table of me as a child with my family,” she says.
“I looked so innocent, and I asked myself: ‘How have I come to this?’”
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 27 July 2008, 8:28 GMT
ALMOST a third of British Muslim students believe killing in the name of Islam can be justified, according to a poll.
The study also found that two in five Muslims at university support the incorporation of Islamic sharia codes into British law.
The YouGov poll for the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) will raise concerns about the extent of campus radicalism. “Significant numbers appear to hold beliefs which contravene democratic values,” said Han-nah Stuart, one of the report’s authors. “These results are deeply embarrassing for those who have said there is no extremism in British universities.”
The report was criticised by the country’s largest Muslim student body, Fosis, but Anthony Glees, professor of security and intelligence studies at Buckingham University, said: “The finding that a large number of students think it is okay to kill in the name of religion is alarming.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 27 July 2008, 8:50 GMT
I write this article the day before the inquest into the tragic death Mr. Amir Mahmood (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/7431996.stm)
In the next few days HM Coroner for Leeds will gather a considerable amount of evidence to find why Mr. Mahmood is dead. The coroner will then try to make a finding of fact regarding an explanation. However the truth is very simple.
Amir Mahmood is dead only for one reason and one reason alone; the authorities failed to deal with the issues regarding the bullying of medical students when raised.
Submitted by agentq - submitted 27 July 2008, 18:30 GMT
WHILE other undergraduates were enjoying Freshers’ Week, Ruth Madeley was recovering from an operation to replace two metal rods that hold her spine together.
Three years later, the 21-year-old, who was born with spina bifida, has overcome medical hurdles and has just graduated with a First Class degree in English and creative writing from Edge Hill University.
Ruth, from Westhoughton, a former pupil of Thornleigh Salesian College in Sharples, recalled those early days when she first went to the university in Liverpool.
“I was so annoyed that the operation happened during my first week at university,” she said.
“The infection was painful, but I wasn’t going to let it stop me enjoying Freshers’ Week until I had the surgery.”
Ruth went with her fellow undergraduates to a traditional big night out at a club in Liverpool.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 27 July 2008, 19:08 GMT
Eleanor Stewart, 21, student in Visual Communications at Glasgow School of Art recently won the Cravendale Future Milk competition with a milk bottle she designed to educate children about milk. The prize was £1000 and a month’s work experience with a London creative agency. She talks about making a design impact, setting up a Mural Society at university and her plans for the future.
When I found out I’d won the prize I had to listen to my phone message about six times as I just didn’t believe it. Then I screamed and did a lot of dancing. It was really, really exciting.
My idea behind the milk bottle was to remind children where milk comes from. These days if you ask kids this they will usually say Tesco. So by making a miniature farm that would fit inside a milk bottle, with grass, cows and a farmer, this makes the link with the farm. I was also looking for a way to make a visual impact so I sent Cravendale a handmade model. I think this handmade aesthetic can have more of an affect than sending a polished drawing finished on the computer.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 28 July 2008, 12:06 GMT
MORE than £20million will be wiped off Scottish student debt next month thanks to a major cut in interest rates, the Press and Journal can reveal.
With economic misery hitting many families through record fuel costs and rising food prices, the Student Loan Company is about to announce a 1% drop in interest rates for the next 12 months.
Student debt in Scotland passed £2billion for the first time at the end of the last financial year and the announcement will save Scots more than £20million overnight.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 28 July 2008, 12:08 GMT
There has been "a complete lack of political will" over plans to make UK university admissions fairer, says a teachers' leader.
Four years ago an official report found that it would be fairer for pupils to have their A-level and other results before making university applications.
"Predicted exam grades are notoriously unreliable," said the ATL education union general secretary, Mary Bousted.
Ministers backed calls for change - but so far they have not been implemented.
Despite the support in principle of universities, schools, government and opposition parties there is still no fixed schedule for changing the admissions timetable, with a further review planned for two years' time.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 28 July 2008, 17:51 GMT
A medical student who leapt to his death the day after discovering he had failed his course accepted the news "calmly", an inquest heard.
Amir Mahmood, 25, of Rossendale, Lancashire, plunged from the Worsley Building at Leeds General Infirmary in June 2007.
Last month Leeds Coroner's Court heard Mr Mahmood was told he must leave the course after failing his fifth year.
University sub-dean Patrick Harkin said Mr Mahmood "accepted it calmly."
The court heard Mr Mahood had failed his fifth year for the second time - dashing his hopes of following his father into the medical profession.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 28 July 2008, 17:53 GMT
The tradition of waiting until the second Thursday in August before A-level results are released should be ended, says the head of the UK's largest examining board.
Mike Cresswell, director-general of AQA, wants the marks to be released a week earlier to give pupils in England and Wales more time to challenge lower-than-expected grades that might cost them a place at university. AQA said that this year it will have completed the marking process a week early and that it will be 'sitting' on the papers until the results date.
Cresswell said that under the current procedure, if a student hasn't got the grades needed to get into university and it is a big surprise, there is a system that allows them to appeal very rapidly. 'We turn those around, on average, in less than 10 days. That is quite quick, but it is often not quick enough for the university because it has closed its books,' he added.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 28 July 2008, 17:55 GMT
Universities will offer four times as many poor but bright pupils from London, the Black Country and Greater Manchester a place at summer schools aimed at getting them to pursue higher education.
The summer schools at top universities, including Cambridge University, will be run from August as part of the national Young Gifted & Talented programme. They include master classes in forensic science and creative workshops.
A total of 21,882 summer school places will be offered by 37 universities this year, up from an average of 5,478 places over the last three years.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 28 July 2008, 17:57 GMT
A STUDENT from Whitchurch Hill will brave altitude and exhaustion as she climbs Kilimanjaro for charity.
Tress Wilson, 19, studying sociology at Nottingham University, will take on the challenge with 60 other students on September 4th, raising money for Childreach International.
“The charity helps children in Tanzania and Peru by funding health and education projects,” said Tress.
“I love charity work and have always wanted to do something like this and Karnival, the university’s fundraising group, has given me the opportunity.
“It’s a 10 day climb or eight if we are quick, and I’m running three times a week, up and down Whitchurch Hill.”
Tress has set herself a target of £2,000 and said that just £2 will be enough to provide life-saving vaccines for a child.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 28 July 2008, 18:03 GMT
The once obligatory student credit card and overdraft facilities with a number of freebies and added extras have been shelved by many financial companies for the time being. Slowly but surely more and more basic financial incentives are being taken away from the student market, often replaced by free cinema tickets and the like. So what is going on?
The credit crunch has taken in all areas of the economy, even the student market which has been a great area for future investment by the banks. While the free cinema tickets catch the eye, gone are the iPods and many overdraft terms have been changed with interest rates increased and free overdraft amounts reduced.
A number of reports have highlighted the current plight of students with many leaving education with over £20,000 of debts and some struggling for employment.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 28 July 2008, 18:07 GMT
A coroner has said there is "no evidence to suggest" a medical student from Lancashire who killed himself by jumping from a building after he failed his course had been subjected to racism or bullying by his tutor.
An inquest has heard Amir Mahmood, 25, of Rossendale, jumped from the Leeds University Medical School building at Leeds General Infirmary a day after he was told he had failed his fifth year for the second time and must leave.
At an earlier hearing of the inquest in June Mr Mahmood's father, Dr Khalid Mahmood, told the inquest in Leeds he believed that his son had been harassed by a tutor at the university who had also been racist.
The medical school and the tutor, Dr Richard Fuller, have vigorously denied these allegations.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 28 July 2008, 20:46 GMT
A medical student with dyslexia is to take legal action in a bid to prevent the use of multiple choice exams as part of doctors' training.
Naomi Gadian, 21, claims the use of the tests discriminates against people with the condition and is challenging the General Medical Council to scrap them.
The second year student hopes medical schools may have to drop the exams if she wins at an employment tribunal.
The GMC says it has no powers to set medical examinations.
Ms Gadian claims that, as a professional body which awards qualifications, the GMC is discriminating against her on the grounds of disability.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 29 July 2008, 6:32 GMT
A student group has hit back following a report which claimed almost a third of Muslim students believed it was justifiable to kill in the name of their religion.
The study gathered the opinions of 600 Muslim and 800 non-Muslim students at 12 high-profile universities with active Islamic Societies.
The report by the Centre for Social Cohesion entitled "Islam on Campus" found that most Muslim students (54%) would like to see the formation of an Islamic party to represent their views at Westminster. Only 12% said it was difficult to be equally British and Muslim because religion "comes first" with a massive majority, 78%, seeing no incompatibility.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 29 July 2008, 12:33 GMT
If you’re off to University this autumn, you probably have a lot on your mind right now. What will your halls of residence be like? Do you need to buy text books, saucepans or a crate of lager before you depart? Will you make new friends as good as the ones you have back home?
In the weeks before I started my degree, my friends and I spent more time finding out about pubs and the male student population than we did talking about finance. We were young and foolish (definitely not with a capital F) -- and, as a result, most of us got into some sticky situations while we were at University.
Choosing the right student bank account is important for young people who’ve never been in charge of their money before.
Getting to grips with budgeting, interest rates and how financial products work might be among the most important things you learn during your degree -- although obviously you won’t get marks for it!
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 29 July 2008, 18:19 GMT
Few state schools teach their students about the status differences between universities – even though it is a big factor in how much money they will earn.
Durham Johnston, in the North-east, is one of the few state comprehensives that can give independent schools a run for their money when it comes to getting its pupils into the top universities.
Steve McArdle, head of sixth form, makes it clear to his students that a degree from the University of Warwick will set you up for a high-flying career in a way that may not be case if you get a degree from London Metropolitan or Thames Valley universities.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 29 July 2008, 19:01 GMT
Students coming to the UK from overseas will have to be sponsored by a college licensed by the UK Border Agency, under Home Office proposals.
The colleges will have to prove they are genuine education institutions - not just routes into low skilled work.
They will have to report students who are not attending their courses.
As part of the wider shake-up of the immigration system, applicants will need to have enough points before they can apply for a student visa.
Applicants will be fingerprinted and will need a biometric identity card.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 July 2008, 17:55 GMT
A Yemeni national has been formally named by the Metropolitan Police as a suspect in connection with the rape and murder of a Norwegian student.
The body of Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was found under rubble in a building in Great Portland Street, central London. She died from neck injuries.
Farouk Abdulhak, 21, thought to have left for Yemen the day the student went missing, is the suspect identified.
She was last seen leaving Mayfair's Maddox Club with him on 14 March.
Ms Vik Magnussen, who comes from a wealthy Norwegian family, had been a student at Regents Business School, Regents Park, since 2007.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 July 2008, 18:15 GMT
The son of a Middle Eastern billionaire was today named as one of Britain's most wanted men over the sex murder of a Norwegian student.
The body of Martine Vik Magussen, 23, was found under rubble in the basement of a flat in Great Portland Street rented by Abdulhak, 21, and two friends in March this year. She had been strangled and raped.
An image of Abdulhak was today posted on the Met's Most Wanted site as they stepped up the search for the millionaire's son.
Martine was last seen at Maddox nightclub in Mayfair in the early hours of 14 March and is believed to have left in a cab with Abdulhak. He has since fled to Yemen and police believe he is still there.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 July 2008, 18:17 GMT
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About 500,000 teenagers and their parents have less than a fortnight left to wait before A-level results are published, prompting high street banks to unveil special offers for next year’s freshers.
Although most university students are likely to be in the red for many of their undergraduate days, banks are keen to sign them up in the hope they remain customers when they become well-paid professionals.
So, what are the deals?
Banks offer a wide range of free gifts from webcams and cinema tickets to Young Person Railcards and travel insurance, but try to see past these gimmicks and focus on the underlying numbers.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 July 2008, 18:20 GMT
A Dublin pharmacy student who claims an unfair policy operates in the education system has lost his High Court bid to go to medical school.
Twenty-year-old Frank Prendergast, from Blackrock in Dublin, claims that the policy allowing people from outside the EU to pay for undergraduate medicine courses while Irish and EU citizens can't is unconstitutional and unfair.
The 20-year-old, who just missed out on getting into medicine after sitting his Leaving Cert in 2007, took the case against the Minister for Education and the Higher Education Authority.
He offered to pay the fees charged to non-EU students for whom places are set aside but he was refused by five Irish third-level institutions.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 July 2008, 18:21 GMT
Universities and colleges must keep detailed records on foreign students and alert the Government if any go missing under new plans.
Each institution will have to apply for a £400 licence to recruit international students and could be blacklisted if they fail to comply with regulations.
The moves were announced by immigration minister Liam Byrne as part of a shake-up of the student visa system.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 July 2008, 18:22 GMT
A record 53 students from around the country will be working for local businesses in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset as part of this year’s Shell Step programme.
Shell Step is a national placement scheme for undergraduates which gives students valuable work experience and allows companies to use their skills to undertake a project lasting 8 to 13 weeks.
The University of Exeter, which manages the scheme in the South West, matches students with business partners and also provides training and support.
Jane Gill, Employer Liaison Officer at the University commented ‘The Shell Step programme is a fantastic way for students to put their studies into practise. Local businesses also benefit hugely from being able to complete projects that have often been difficult to resource in any other way.’
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 30 July 2008, 18:26 GMT
A body found on the shores of Loch Assynt was that of a student who went missing while trying to swim across it, police have confirmed.
Craig Hutchison, 20, from Inverness, had been angling with friends at the loch, east of Lochinver in Sutherland, earlier this month.
The electrical engineering student got into difficulty while swimming and his body was found three weeks later.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 31 July 2008, 18:46 GMT
A LIVERPOOL student was held hostage in his car by armed thugs who stole cash and banks cards from his housemates.
They pounced as the man was waiting at traffic lights at the junction of North Mossley Hill Road and Queens Drive, Mossley Hill, in the early hours yesterday.
The 23-year-old was threatened with a knife by a man who flung open the driver’s seat door of his red Ford KA.
The student was then bundled into the back seat of the car while the carjacker was joined by a second man carrying a gun.
The terrified victim was driven home by the pair after being forced to give them his address.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 31 July 2008, 18:51 GMT
Students are being accepted on to childcare courses "unable to string a coherent sentence together", teachers warned today.
Colleges train nursery nurses with weak qualifications and poor social skills because their first priority may be to fill their places, Gail Holland, a nursery nurse from Leicestershire told the annual conference of teachers' union Voice.
"We are increasingly finding that the educational entry level for trainees is abysmal, some are unable to string a coherent sentence together, let alone write one.
"Is this because colleges are anxious to fill their place with little or no regard to the effect it will have on the next generation?" she asked.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 31 July 2008, 19:37 GMT
NUS (National Union of Students) today warned against complacency following a rise in applications to UK universities and colleges through UCAS.
NUS President Wes Streeting said “We welcome the overall rise in applications to universities and colleges. It is a positive sign that more people are aspiring to enter higher education.
“However, it must be remembered that these figures include nursing and midwifery statistics for the first time. As many of these applicants traditionally come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, it is impossible to judge the government’s performance on its widening participation agenda.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 31 July 2008, 19:41 GMT
Responding to the report 'Islam on Campus: A survey of UK student opinions', published today by the Centre for Social Cohesion, Diana Warwick, Chief Executive, Universities UK, said: "We do not believe this report is a fair reflection of the views of British Muslim students. Universities work hard to ensure community cohesion on campus so we find it unhelpful to target one particular group within our diverse communities of students and staff.
“Universities, their staff and students take their responsibility for civic safety extremely seriously, and take appropriate action for dealing with all forms of extremism. We all have a responsibility to be aware of these issues, and universities are no different from the wider society in this respect.
"If problems should occur on campus, universities will work very closely with the police and other authorities, taking appropriate advice. Any activity on campus which is against the law is dealt with. We have said repeatedly that violence, or the incitement to violence, has no place on a university campus.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 31 July 2008, 19:45 GMT
Student colleagues in Bristol have paid tribute to a honeymooner who was left in a critical condition after he was shot in Antigua.
Benjamin Mullany, a physiotherapy student at the University of the West of England, was shot in the neck at the Cocos Resort in the Caribbean on Sunday.
His new wife Catherine was killed during the night time attack, which took place on the last day of their two week honeymoon.
Mr Mullany has reportedly been left brain dead as a result of the shooting and is unaware of his partner's fate.
The couple, both 31, lived in South Wales but Mr Mullany studied at UWE.
EWell wishers have expressed their shock and sadness about the tragic events.
Sophie, also a UWE Physiotherapy student, said: " I think I speak on behalf of every UWE student that knows Ben when I say he is a fantastic guy and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 31 July 2008, 20:10 GMT
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A man of 30 once stole the identity of a schoolboy to get back into medical school.
Brian Mackinnon was so determined to become a doctor after failing his university exams that he pretended to be a 16-year-old Canadian orphan. He got a place at the same school he had graduated from 13 years earlier by forging enrolment certificates.
No one suspected him and he continued the deceit for two years - gaining five A grade Highers in Glasgow. He won a place at the University of Dundee's medical school in 1995.
But an anonymous call to officials finally exposed Mackinnon, now 45, and he was stripped of his university place.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 August 2008, 6:41 GMT
A GIFTED student who told police he downloaded child porn during a bout of amnesia has been jailed for six months.
Lyle Milne, 23, was caught with four sickening videos showing young children being abused when police raided his flat.
They had been tipped off by a disgusted flat-mate who was looking for music on a shared computer system when she stumbled across the movies.
Milne, who was studying divinity at Edinburgh University, told police he did not know anything about the illegal files, but may have downloaded them during "a period of memory loss".
But today at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, the "straight A" student was jailed after admitting he was fully aware of what he had done.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 August 2008, 6:42 GMT
A teenager who murdered a young student with a sub-machine gun in south London last October has been sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey.
(Advertisement)
Eighteen-year-old Jermaine Callum fired at least three shots with a Mac-10 automatic weapon at Robel Tewelde, 21, after chasing the student up a stairwell in a block of flats in Stockwell.
Tewelde was hit by two of the bullets, with the fatal shot striking his liver, both lungs and heart.
The court was told Callum's mobile phone contained a number of text messages written by him that made reference to machine guns and killing his rivals.
The judge on Friday recommended Callum should serve a minimum term of 19 years.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 August 2008, 11:56 GMT
A student who sparked a search at his university residence after being arrested for firearms offences in the US has pleaded guilty to the charges.
Stephen Jackley, 22, from Sidmouth, Devon, was arrested in Vermont in May after he tried to buy a gun using fake documents.
Court documents showed Jackley planned to use it for armed robberies.
His university halls of residence at Worcester University was evacuated and searched following the arrest.
Jackley will be sentenced in October.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 August 2008, 11:58 GMT
Thames Valley Police have announced that they have found a weapon which they believe caused severe head injuries to an Oxford University student in an attack yesterday morning.
"We have found an object, which we believe to be the weapon used to cause Mr
Ikeda's injuries," a spokeman has said, though police did not confirm what sort of weapon it was.
Kentaro Ikeda, a 27-year-old graduate student was attacked while walking on a cycle path early yesterday morning.
Passers-by found Mr Ikeda at 2am lying on the path which runs between Ferry Road and along the University Parks in North Oxford. The ares was cordoned off by police while a forensic search was conducted.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 1 August 2008, 16:45 GMT
Thousands of business-school students in Britain and abroad are being investigated for cheating. In the latest scandal to hit the worldwide entry test for business schools, the GMAT, up to 6,000 prospective students may have their scores cancelled after buying questions from a rogue website run by a Chinese criminal gang.
The aspiring executives paid the Scoretop.com website $30 (£15) to access real GMAT questions that had been posted on the site by gang members who had recently taken the exam.
Scoretop.com was shut down last month after an FBI investigation. But The Times discovered at least five other sites selling GMAT questions, also known as Jungle Juice questions, or JJs, for as little as £5 each.
One student, called Luckytest, boasted on the BeattheGmat blog: “A Chinese friend gave me the JJs from July 07 to Dec 07. I recognised 17 questions in my exam. Of course, I saved much time and passed the test easily.”
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 2 August 2008, 7:06 GMT
Young people in care and those at university can seem to belong to very different worlds. The lazy assumption is that university creates the management class, care the underclass. Until now, there has been very little crossover between the two.
There are 60,000 children in care at any one time, as many as 90,000 spend time in care over the year, and no part of society has been more excluded from higher education. In 2004, researchers at London's Institute of Education showed that only 1 per cent of students had been in care. Of nearly 11,000 young people leaving care each year, only 60 were going to university.
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 2 August 2008, 7:10 GMT
The Oscar-nominated star of Atonement and Pride And Prejudice now battles to prove to herself - and those around her - that she has brains.
"I am completely uneducated," said Knightley, 23. "Not going to university did give me an incredible driving force because it leaves you with a slight chip on your shoulder. It makes me feel I am going to read absolutely everything so I can prove that I am not stupid."
Submitted by ukstudentnews.co.uk - submitted 2 August 2008, 7:13 GMT
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University sport gets new national voice
BUSA and UCS merge to create British Universities & Colleges Sport - A new national organisation set up to promote the benefits of sport and physical activity in the higher education sector began business for the first time today.
We need sports writers. If interested, please contact us
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