Spark*

Every student wants some extra cash and this is, in theory, what the TV Licensing agency is offering. TV Licensing reminds students that those moving home this summer to claim a refund on their TV License worth £36.37, or in student terms a free takeaway dinner, pre-drinks and a night out. Eligible students need to have a TV Licence and be leaving halls or rented accommodation and returning home or to another licensed address. This money is eligible to students as the TV Licensing agency offers refunds for each quarter and any students who purchased their TV License at the beginning of the academic year will have a full quarter remaining when they leave at the end of the term. Spokesperson for TV Licensing, Glen Morris said: “With exams fast approaching and the Easter term coming to an end, the student refund is fantastic news for students who planned ahead and bought their licence at the start of the academic year.” Phil Davis, Chair of the National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA), added: “The summer is a great opportunity for students to repair their bank balances, and it’s important they use every opportunity to do so. Getting a refund [...]

Many have dreamed of the day when alcohol is finally announced as ‘good for you’ and here it is! Well, almost anyway; Scientists at the University of Reading have recently conducted a study on the effects of champagne on memory. It was found that one to three glasses a week may help to improve memory. The study found that champagne could improve spatial memory which is associated with your surrounding environment, for instance, remembering directions. It was also reported that champagne can delay the effects of memory loss associated with old age and possibly delay brain disorders such as dementia. This area does need further research, however, it could be a major breakthrough, especially as Dementia is a massive medical issue in the UK, The Alzheimer’s Society reported that ‘There are currently 800,000 people with dementia in the UK.’. Studies such as this one could be very beneficial to help lower this number. They also reported that ‘Delaying the onset of dementia by 5 years would reduce deaths directly attributable to dementia by 30,000 a year’ which relates directly to the findings of this study, which could be a start to achieving this goal. Professor Jeremy Spencer who works at [...]

A new site has been developed for students in higher education that allows them to make the most of their time at University. Unii is a new, student only social network aimed at being a one-stop shop for students in higher education, helping them to make the most of their time at University, and keeping their parents at bay. Obviously things happen at University that your parents don’t want to see or know about yet most of your friends probably will and this site finds the ultimate balance for this. In summary, this site is brilliant for hiding from parents and possible future employers. Unii conducted a study which revealed that parents stalk their children more than they do not stalk their children and most of these parents had discovered things which they later regretted. Swearing, drunkenness and nudity all featured in the top five regrettable discoveries list. The new social networking site is able to stop this from happening as anyone wishing to sign up to the site needs a university email address which upon registering has to be verified from the account itself. Unii’s aim is to help students build and maintain their own network amongst fellow students [...]

Oxbridge Essays is a company boasting contracts with over 2000 academics from leading universities from which any level university essay can be ordered.  The company advertised a ‘money back guarantee’ if the student did not achieve the required grade: “we guarantee that you will receive at least the grade you order. If not, we’ll give you your money back.” However If the customer was to read the terms and conditions of the company they would discover that the company explains this does not represent a form of a guarantee in any way. The Advertising Standards Authority were very keen to investigate this further. Oxbridge Essays states that the essays they produced to order were to be used as a guideline and simply demonstrated a model answer that would achieve the grade that was ordered. The guarantee is therefore saying that the essay example that they provided, would achieve the required grade and if it didn’t then you could have your money back. However, Oxbridge Essay informs its customers that the essay has to be altered to make it your own but if the essay is changed, the guarantee is therefore void. If the customer chose to receive the guarantee and [...]

On Friday 15th May the RUSU says relax campaign brought a petting farm to the campus and it was a roaring success. Students really enjoyed themselves and appreciated the fact that they had a chance to have a break from revision. Several students even commented on social media sites that they were gutted they couldn’t make it. Sally Brown, a first year student studying Law, commented that: “It’s the best procrastination technique in the entire world. It’s a good way to get out and do something interesting that’s not book work.” RUSU says relax is a campaign to help students during the examination period to ensure that they are prepared for their exams, eating healthily, taking regular breaks and looking after themselves. Sophie Davies, VP for Welfare and Representation stated: “RUSU says relax is all about reminding people to study and prepare for their exams whilst reminding them to take a break and relax. It has been a really successful campaign and we’ve had lots of people saying that it has made them feel so much better, especially at the farm with the help of the pet therapy.” More events for RUSU says relax include: a free film night with [...]