Most graduates still rely on parents three years later
The majority of students are still financially dependent on their parents three years after they have graduated, according to a survey published today. A poll of 1,200 students who graduated in 2002 showed 58 per cent were relying on their parents to tide them over this year. Many had moved back home to avoid paying bills. The report, conducted for Royal Bank of Scotland, also revealed that 56 per cent were dissatisfied with the salaries they were earning three years on and less than a third ( per cent) were happy with the amount they were saving.
The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times
Women graduates step off fast track for civil service
Women graduates are snubbing Whitehall’s fast-track schemes for the brightest and the best, raising alarm that they are being put off by the domination of men in top jobs. The number of women graduates applying to join the schemes last year was the lowest for seven years and has fallen ten percentage points in three years. The falling popularity among women of schemes aimed at the “crème de la crème” of graduates comes as Whitehall faces tough competition in the jobs market from local government, law and medical professions.
The Times
Revolt and free love make 1973 the top year for students
The year of 1973 was the friendliest, spaghetti bolognese was the classic meal and Hull the most sociable university. In a review of student life spanning five decades, the late 1960s and early 1970s have emerged as the best time to go to university and the students of that era the most likely to keep in touch. The Friends Reunited website, which has 12 million members, questioned 4,139 students and graduates to establish which of Britain’s 116 universities had developed the friendliest reputations.
The Times
Graduate engineers in Aberdeen enjoy degree of happiness
It may not sound like a recipe for happiness, but graduates who become engineers and live in Aberdeen are the happiest in Scotland, according to new research. More than 1,000 graduates across Britain were surveyed on their quality of life to find the best professions and cities for the first three years after leaving university. The study found 64 per cent of graduates living in the Granite City are satisfied with their salaries, personal relationships and their home.
The Scotsman
Sperm and eggs grown from stem cells
The shortage of donated eggs and sperm for fertility treatment could be solved after British scientists found they can both be grown from laboratory stem cells. But some specialists warned the discovery raised serious ethical questions, saying it could mean that a single man could provide both the sperm and egg for fertility treatment, making him genetically father and mother of his child. Researchers from the Centre for Stem Cell Biology at the University of Sheffield studied six human embryonic stem cell lines taken from very early embryos that had been donated by couples undergoing IVF treatment.
The Independent, The Guardian, The Times
Universities and companies rush to file stem cell patents in spite of controversy
Companies and universities are patenting stem cell discoveries at a frenetic pace in spite of public controversies and legal and regulatory difficulties, according to a study due to be published today at the world's biggest biotechnology conference. The report by Marks & Clerk, a London-based firm of patent attorneys, shows that more than 3,000 patents related to stem cells have been filed worldwide in the past five years. The rate of filing has doubled during the period with the US, Japan, Australia and the UK topping the list.
The Financial Times
Letter
Regarding adult education.
The Daily Telegraph
From the weekend's papers:
Saturday
- Queen Mary university library dumps rare books. The Guardian
- University support staff suffering abuse, says survey. The Guardian
Sunday
- Fees give students a gap-year dilemma. The Sunday Times
- Graduates can no longer expect to walk into well-paid jobs. The Sunday Times
- Top university donor in horse fraud case. The Sunday Times