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<ul class="summary-list"><li>This summer, I studied abroad in the UK as a Yale student.</li><li>Some of my classmates were working professionals, which inspired me.</li></ul>As a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yale-graduate-lives-with-mom-nyc-move-out-2024-8">Yale student</a>, my life doesn't slow down in the summer. Ahead of this year's fall semester, I interned at my local public defender's office, got a new job doing policy research, and participated in some political action.I also took classes at the London School of Economics for six weeks — aided logistically and financially by the Yale <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/college-student-studying-abroad-classmates-taking-luxury-trips-2024-4">study abroad</a> office but ultimately organized by myself. That meant I had to move to the UK and immerse myself in its educational system. I studied macroeconomics and public policy analysis.Although I was only there for a few weeks, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed my experience with the UK <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-my-kid-to-argentina-for-a-friendlier-school-system-2022-1">school system</a>.<h2 id="f7215bf2-1212-430c-aead-b1eca6dd3578">My classmates in London were different than what I'm used to</h2>Studying in London was my capstone to a busy summer. I enrolled in my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/learning/best-free-online-courses-from-top-universities">college courses</a> with two different aims: macroeconomics to refresh my skills for any future economic study and public policy analysis to help me with my job as a writer and research associate.In my first class, I met mostly undergraduates — primarily Americans and Yale students.But I was one of only a few undergraduates in my second class. Many of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/childhood-best-friend-lost-touch-reconnect-college-2024-2">my classmates</a> were — or were about to graduate and aspired to be — professionals and bureaucrats working for governments and NGOs worldwide.This was my first time interacting with a demographic of this sort in a classroom setting. It brought a more professional atmosphere to the whole class and broadened my perspective on what <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/landed-6-figure-government-job-after-military-stress-management-2024-9">government work</a> can look like overall. I've interacted with graduate students or college fellows in classes before, but it was nothing like this.I felt more comfortable being part of a distinctly international <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/day-in-the-life-nyu-student-intern-content-creator-2024-1">academic community</a> (although with a slight American bias) than I expected. I could suddenly see my future self in my classmates.<h2 id="9665b14e-da1e-4919-beed-2775d870444b">Studying abroad helped me dream bigger</h2>Like many civic-minded <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/daughters-take-student-loans-ivy-league-schools-2024-9">Ivy League students</a> with presidential-sized ambitions, I have fantasized about studying in the UK for graduate school since I started planning out my future career.There are a myriad of scholarships for American <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/college-graduates-more-likely-have-friends-participate-community-civil-engagement-2024-10">college grads</a> to study abroad in the UK. Plus, the opportunity to immerse myself in a different environment while learning about public policy would be invaluable. There's a romanticism to it — the idea of strolls through the Magdalen College grounds in autumn has a certain pull.But it's always been a bit of a scary prospect. I would be separated from my family. I'd be living in a new country with essentially no ties to home. Famously, I'm one for adventure, but even that is a bit much.My perspective changed when I finally took a trip to Oxford to tour the campus during my semester in London. It was beautiful. To be honest, it made Yale look like a "normal" college: The sprawling grounds, massive towers, and lovely <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/preferred-college-life-oxford-over-college-us-2024-1">downtown Oxford</a> really hammered home that Yale was modeled after the older school. The sheer scale of everything in Oxford — not to mention the age — was incomprehensible.I might have been intimidated if I had taken that trip as a child; the idea of moving for two years to study in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/travel-budget-tips-international-traveler-2024-10">foreign country</a> straight out of college is a little scary. But seeing the school in person made it feel more realistic.Plus, studying (and surviving) in the UK only made me more determined.<h2 id="8c3b9e4b-6c63-4afe-ab96-a497f77ef785">I'm now looking toward the future</h2>Although I still have a few years left in college to figure out what I want to do, I now see a new path I might take.After graduation, I want to pursue an advanced public policy or political science degree — potentially as preparation for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/student-loans/is-law-school-worth-it">law school</a> with my sights on a legal or political career. I either want to spend much time abroad in the UK for my studies or fully enroll in a British university.All of that now seems doable for me because of the time I spent studying abroad.

I'm a Yale student who just spent a semester abroad in the UK. I now know I want to eventually move overseas for grad school.

Students of IIT, Kharagpur will now be able to study abroad, as a part of the 'Semester Away Programme'. 
 
After the completion of this programme, students will be able to opt for a semester or two at any foreign or Indian university before they complete their course. The course fee for the SAP will have to be arranged by the students. 
 
PK Das, dean of IIT-Kharagpur's post-graduate programme said, "A student will be able to choose an institution in India or abroad and a course offered by them. They will choose the course, take the approval of the faculty and apply." 
 
"The university does not necessarily have to be one we have an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with. If chosen, the students will be able to go there for one or a maximum of two semesters," he added. 
 
Criterion - At the UG level, a student would have to complete four semesters with a CGPA of more than 7 (with no backlog) in order to be eligible provided there are no disciplinary action pending against him/her. A PG candidate will have to complete two semesters (4 semesters for MMST students) with a CGPA more than 7(with no backlog) and no pending disciplinary action. 
 
On successful completion of the programme, students will stand the chance of getting their credits at IIT-KGP waived against the credits earned through SAP. It will depend on the courses they opt for. However, if a student chooses a course for which he cannot get his credits waived, he will be allowed to complete the pending semesters at IIT-KGP within an additional six months. 
 Application deadline for the <keyword id="4271906" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="autumn-semester">autumn semester</keyword> is March 31 and for the spring semester July 31.

Now, IIT Kharagpur students will get to study in world's best colleges for a semester

<ul class="summary-list"><li>My husband and I went to the same college but didn't become friends until the pandemic.</li><li>Our friendship grew as we talked, and eventually, it became obvious that we should date one another.</li></ul>I documented this story as it happened in journals and prayers, but the beauty in telling it now is that I get to see the finale: We did get married, we did <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/graduated-college-early-save-money-regret-not-worth-it-2024-1">graduate college</a>, and we did get our happily ever after.We met at Clemson University, where <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/older-parents-felt-unwanted-childhood-2024-3">my parents</a> met 23 years earlier. The chances of meeting my husband there, too, were small, but I was hopeful.My first friend group was a 10-person cohort of scholarship recipients. We went on retreats, had a private workspace, and even took a class together every semester. My <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dating-couple-started-business-failed-relationship-married-2024-3">future husband</a> was a part of this 10-person group. Somehow, I managed to talk to everyone except for him.<h2 id="c889357b-1f33-4261-b884-1483d187c21e">We became friends during the pandemic</h2>Before we knew it, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/college-nyu-fresham-move-overwhelming-2023-9">freshman year</a> ended, the world shut down, all of our cohort events were canceled, and our classes moved to Zoom. Oddly enough, that's when my future husband and I finally had a conversation. In the middle of a pandemic, we became friends.We had the friendship to end all friendships. We were two of the few people sheltering on campus, and neither of us had a car; therefore, we had nothing to do but talk — six feet apart. We did everything from showing each other our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-school-senior-commutes-hour-school-every-day-2024-4">high school</a> prom pictures to discussing what the fourth dimension should look like. We shared our memories from childhood, our dreams for the future, and even the fears we allow to hold us back. We talked like this for the next year and a half.At the end of our junior year, we found ourselves both single and not ready to mingle. We were over it. Done dating. We found ourselves only wanting to spend time with one another. Deep down, I think we knew how this ended. We knew it, but there's a difference between knowing the truth and acting on it. There's an even bigger difference between knowing the truth and believing you deserve it.Our friendship coincided with a spiritual awakening that made us each question what makes someone's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/signs-your-partner-is-marriage-material-2018-4">marriage material</a>. We read books on relationships and marriage and asked each other the hard questions, determined not to let each other date meaninglessly again. How long should people date before getting engaged? Married? How do you determine if someone is good enough to marry?In the weeks leading up to winter break, I chose to pray and write about the attributes I would need to see in a man to marry them. Then it happened. My eyes opened to the relationship I had in front of me. I was in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coworker-dating-other-people-fell-in-love-marriage-2024-5">friends-to-lovers romance</a> I had seen in rom-com movies, books, and shows. A few weeks later, I learned he felt the same way.<h2 id="5cdd0ec5-5c9d-4cfc-83bb-c14da7b775ba">We then chose to marry in college</h2>We started dating in January of 2023. After nearly two years of friendship, I knew no one could know me like my future husband did. So, we committed to getting married a month later. We were engaged in July of that same year.We spent the summer between our junior and senior years planning for our marriage. We had to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cohabs-harlem-new-york-townhouse-tour-coliving-costs-benefits-photos-2024-4">find an apartment</a> off-campus that we could afford. We made budgets and estimates for the upcoming year and then set a date for the wedding: November 2023. Our wedding date was in the middle of the semester, but it allowed us to have an autumn wedding and have our honeymoon during our fall break.On November 5th, 2023, we married in the brand-new chapel <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/day-in-the-life-nyu-student-intern-content-creator-2024-1">on campus</a>. Our favorite wedding picture was taken as the fall leaves fell in the parking lot of the music building.Not everyone is ready to get married as young as we did, but we committed. Now I have memories of returning home after a bad exam grade to my husband and a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/parenting/making-a-family-movie-night-at-home">movie night</a>, and my husband had his wife's support at his Jazz band concerts.I was afraid that marriage would make college harder or that college would make marriage harder. Now, I know that it wasn't easier or harder. It was just me and my best friend together, encouraging, loving, and talking with each other.So, why did we get married in college so quickly? We ultimately chose to embrace a good thing.

I married my best friend while still in college, and we held the wedding on campus. It was the best decision I ever made. 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Aivaras Vilutis, 28, grew up in Lithuania and moved to Vilnius, the country's capital, as an adult. </li><li>He shares why he thinks Lithuania was ranked the happiest place on earth for under 30s.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with a digital marketer Aivaras Vilutis, about being a 28-year-old living in Vilnius, Lithuania. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I grew up in a small Lithuanian town but moved to the capital, Vilnius, for university. I've lived here most of my adult life.Vilnius is a growing city full of opportunities. Compared to smaller Lithuanian cities, it has more jobs and events, and there's a constant influx of new people.Recently, Lithuania topped the <a target="_blank" href="https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/WHR+24_Ch2.pdf">World Happiness Report</a> ranking for under 30s, with the country's young people rating themselves 7.76 out of 10 on the happiness scale. I completely understand why, especially as a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-lithuania-world-happiest-country-for-gen-z-millennials-education-2024-6#:~:text=Lithuania%20was%20ranked%20the%20happiest,in%20tech%20and%20creative%20fields.">young person living in Vilnius</a>.<h2 id="703f0fa1-23bb-4ae9-a696-e0a271b0c704">Young people can study for free in Lithuania</h2>When I was in high school, most classmates planned to either learn a trade in college or go to university.The state funds higher education in public institutions. As long as you <a target="_blank" href="https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-education-systems/lithuania/higher-education-funding#:~:text=In%20order%20to%20apply%20for,foreign%20language%20and%20maths%20exams.">pass your national exams</a> during high school, you can apply to a state-funded university with free tuition.Although our degrees are specialized, you can still change your mind and switch degrees. I initially studied creativity communication but changed my mind. Because I'd completed less than half of my credits for the degree, I could still switch to a new bachelor's and complete it free of charge. This is the standard practice in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-european-universities-2014-2014-7">Lithuanian universities</a>. Our education system didn't put me in a box. I started and completed a degree in neurophysics.If I had completed more than half the credits for my degree, I would have had to pay to start another degree.During my four-year neurophysics bachelor's degree, I did several paid internships in science labs and traveled abroad for a semester at NASA, which the university paid for.When I did an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/internship-programs/nasa-intern-and-fellow-opportunities-for-international-students/">International Internship</a> for NASA in America, people said they appreciated how specialized Lithuanian degrees were, which showed me that our education system is respected internationally.I left university without any debt, giving me a strong financial start.<h2 id="304b42ae-4389-48f9-bca4-e4a9cb1a8048">There are lots of job opportunities for young people</h2>Lithuania has plenty of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.trumpf.com/en_IN/newsroom/stories/laser-land-lithuania-why-being-small-is-an-advantage/#:~:text=We%27re%20used%20to%20people,the%20Department%20of%20Laser%20Technologies">laser</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/plus/tbd-media-group/global-campaigns/innovation-agency">medical</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://balticassist.com/why-you-should-outsource-it-services-to-lithuania/">customer support industries</a> that have been around for years. They're still thriving and generating new job opportunities.We're also becoming a major tech hub. Startups and tech companies are booming in cities like <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/06/22/lithuania-vilnius-tech-zity-campus/">Vilnius</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://lithuania.lt/news/business-and-innovations-in-lithuania/vilnius-and-kaunas-among-the-worlds-top-200-cities-for-startups/">Kaunas, and Klaipėda</a>.Lithuania is home to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1911785/lithuania-has-its-third-unicorn-minister-says">unicorn companies</a> like Vinted and Nord Security, and the government has started investing in tech development through <a target="_blank" href="https://attraction-project.eu/invest-in-lithuania/">national programs</a>. My first job after university was in tech at a simultaneous language interpretation company. I've also worked in digital advertising.<h2 id="b97baa3d-4d14-4e06-9ea8-db4a629fa46e">Vilnius is an affordable location for young people</h2>While working in Vilnius, I've earned more than my parents did in their small town. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.euronews.com/business/2023/11/24/switzerland-and-iceland-highest-payers-across-the-eu-and-eea">Salaries aren't as high</a> as in Western Europe, but they align with the lower cost of living.I never worried about money on my digital advertising salary. I ordered takeaway for most dinners and never turned down a social event for money reasons. I've still been able to travel to western countries as well as to cheaper destinations in Eastern Europe.When I briefly lived in America and other European countries, the cost of everything seemed really high compared to Vilnius.I can find a place to rent on my own in Vilnius for <a target="_blank" href="https://en.aruodas.lt/butu-nuoma-vilniuje-naujamiestyje-sv-stepono-g-isnuomojamas-kvm-ploto-kambario-4-1327510/">600 euros a month</a>. Although I'm not looking to buy a house, my parents bought a two-bedroom apartment eight years ago for around 80,000 euros. House prices are more expensive now, but still cheaper than in other European cities.Going out with friends is cheap, making for a great social life. A beer costs five euros, and an average restaurant meal costs 10 euros.As a single person, I can spend as little as 40 euros a week on groceries.My friends and I attend several concerts or festivals a month because they are either free or very cheap. Nightclub entry is often 10 euros or less.<h2 id="96a13632-8d6c-43bf-85ee-5b41697a8631">The capital city is lively and inclusive</h2>Autumn and winter can be very cold in Lithuania. People get excited by the first snowfall of the year, but they also tend to socialize less than they do in the spring and summer. The occasional person experiences seasonal depression when the seasons change, and people go out less, but most appreciate this calmer time.In Vilnius, outdoor cafés stretch throughout the Old Town, with people catching up over espresso that is just as good as in Italy.The mix of city and nature is perfectly balanced. There are beautiful outdoor areas, and I run in the woods every morning.In the summer, my friends and I flock to one of the many lakes scattered around Vilnius.The city is home to many young people and is more multicultural than other parts of the country, so it feels more open to minorities.As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I find Vilnius very safe. People from the LGBTQ+ community move to the city because it's a younger, more accepting demographic, and the culture is more vibrant here. Living in a post-Soviet country, it's difficult to change the views of older people.<h2 id="77c445d2-6c3e-4e88-bb73-b0bad6523b1b">I prefer Vilnius to other places I've lived as a young person</h2>I love my country. I have lived elsewhere, including in Portugal, America, and Italy, but I always wanted to return to Vilnius. I missed the hipster bars, Lithuanian craft beer, and the forest greenery. It is the happiest place for me as a young person.However, outside Vilnius, the situation isn't as good for young people. It's less diverse, and there aren't the same opportunities, so young people often move to bigger cities.I don't think people in old age would classify Lithuania as one of the happiest places in the world. They don't want to leave, either, but in regional areas, there are fewer opportunities for them. The generation spent most of their lives in the Soviet era and was not exposed to the same opportunities as we are now.I would love Lithuania to become more multicultural. Our happiness ranking for under 30s is great publicity, but I'm not sure it will encourage people to move here.You have to live in Vilnius to really understand how welcoming and wonderful the city is. There is a vibe here unlike any other place I have visited or lived.

I live in Lithuania, the happiest place on earth for under 30s. As a very happy 28-year-old, here's what it's like.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The state of <keyword id="6357385" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="florida">Florida</keyword> is saturated with the highly-transmissible <keyword id="11357594" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="delta-variant">Delta variant</keyword> of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>.</li><li>Meanwhile, colleges across the state are preparing to open their doors for the fall semester.</li><li>Undergrads at schools statewide told Insider that their plans to keep <keyword id="17049" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="partying">partying</keyword> aren't slowing down.</li></ul>On a recent Saturday night in July, the vibrations of EDM music pulsating from bars and nightclubs along Atlantic Avenue drifted into the palm fronds and sliced through the humid Florida air.In the heart of Palm Beach County, a throng of 20-somethings snaked down the block outside The Office, a local nightlife venue in Delray Beach, poised to elbow their way toward the crowded bar and order rounds of shots.Across the road at Taverna Opa, another late-night party scene, a DJ spun some tracks to a crowd of dozens as belly dancers stood on top of wooden tables and swerved through the air.During the worst surges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida hotspots like these have counted on the loyalty of one oftentimes carefree constituency: local <keyword id="6360288" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="College">college</keyword> students who, come Saturday night, are ready to get lit."I don't think I can really name a whole lot of people that don't go out," Nicole Prescott, 23, a drama student at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, told Insider. She's noticed that masks have been a rarity throughout the spring and summer on the few occasions she's gone out with friends since receiving her Pfizer shots."Being so lax about protocols and just letting people go through life however they want with <keyword id="8764262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid">COVID</keyword> is really dangerous," she added.Across Florida, the highly-transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus is surging. As of July 30, a record high of more than 21,000 new COVID cases <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-covid-19-cases-jumped-50-percent-surges-2021-7?utm_source=copy-link&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=topbart=topbar">was reported in the state</a>, versus just over 2,400 one month before, <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailytrendscases">according to data</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.And on a CDC map which designates counties as red zones if they've experienced high levels of community spread, <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view">all of Florida is illustrated in crimson.</a> Less than half of the adult population has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.Nevertheless, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed an <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-ne-desantis-covid-power-scaleback-20210503-iitoveienvfjjg6hjbi5d7bb7m-story.html">executive order in May</a> which ended all mask mandates local governments in the state had imposed on their residents. In September, he <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-desantis-florida-reopens-20200925-f3sr4wk5tncvvkhwr6ua4pereq-story.html">rolled back restrictions</a> on restaurants' operating capacity, months before vaccines were available.On Friday, DeSantis issued another <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-signs-bill-block-school-mask-mandates-2021-7">executive order</a>, this one prohibiting schools from requiring mask-wearing in the classroom, even after the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-fully-vaccinated-new-guidelines-wear-masks-indoors-delta-2021-7">CDC recommended</a> this week that K-12 students and staff do exactly the opposite.<h2>'They're just going out and not caring at all'</h2>Insider interviewed seven undergrads from five universities throughout the state: the University of Miami, the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida State University in Tallahassee, Palm Beach State College, and Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.In spite of the virus' growing threat, the consensus from these students was that the party is far from over.For Brianna Pope, 20, a Palm Beach State College nursing major, the nightclubs in Fort Lauderdale's cosmopolitan Las Olas district are the most tempting draw.Weekend nights out typically begin around 10 P.M., she told Insider. On the dance floors of popular hotspots, masks aren't part of the dress code."They're just going out and not caring at all," Pope said. "When you go down there, there's really no one wearing masks or anyone taking precautions."<h2>Schools vary on requirements for masking or social distancing as the semester begins</h2>The University of Florida, a state school in Gainesville, is known as much for its athletic culture as for its undergrads' hard-charging party scene.In an emailed statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the university told Insider that classes will resume in-person this semester without physical distancing. Wearing masks will be optional, though vaccines are highly encouraged for students, faculty, and staff.At Palm Beach State College, which operates multiple sites throughout the county, the school strongly recommends face coverings on campus, inside classrooms and offices, and outdoors when social distancing isn't possible, according to an internal email sent in late July by administrators which was reviewed by Insider.Spokespersons for Palm Beach State College did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Saturday.<h2>Fears are mounting over what the fall semester could bring</h2>The very real prospect of coronavirus outbreaks in student residences has some housing administrators putting preemptive restrictions into place.Insider reviewed an email sent by Shawn Woodin, president and CEO of the Southern Scholarship Foundation, which provides off-campus housing for 470 students in cities including Tallahassee and Gainesville.The email, sent on July 29, informed students that face coverings would be required within any of its 26 housing sites where fewer than 80% of residents are fully vaccinated. Having guests will be forbidden in any of those houses.When reached by phone on Saturday, Woodin told Insider that fewer than 50% of residents ages 18-23 reported that they had been fully inoculated against the virus, based on data he'd reviewed."Based on the spring semester, I know that, as college students, some of our residents were going to parties, gatherings, that should not have happened," Woodin said. "Will those behaviors continue? I hope not, but it's likely some of our residents will."Nevertheless, some students are wary of what the autumn semester may have in store as school gets underway."Some students might ignore the CDC guidelines and prioritize having fun," said Daniel Gallup, 20, a student at the University of Florida who received the Pfizer vaccine in March."But I'm going to follow the recommendations," he added, "because going out isn't worth getting sick and spreading it to anyone else, especially people I care about."

Florida nightlife is going wild and college students refuse to stop the party even as the Delta variant of the coronavirus rips through the state

By Aditi Khanna London, Jun 18 () The UK government has issued updated guidance to confirm that international students, including Indians, will remain eligible for post-study work rights at the end of their degree course even if they have to begin the 2020-21 academic year online from abroad given the coronavirus lockdown. The UK Home Office said the Graduate Visa route, commonly referred to as a post-study work visa and designed for overseas students to be able to work or look for work for two years after completing their course, will apply to the 2020-21 intake as long as they are physically present in the UK by April 2021 to complete the final semester. "Students will normally be expected to undertake their studies in the UK to be eligible for the Graduate route. However, if students are required to either continue their current studies or commence a new course by distance or blended learning due to COVID-19, they will still be eligible to switch into the Graduate route on a concessionary basis if they spent some time studying outside the UK," notes the Home Office guidance issued this week. "Students will benefit from this concession if they enter the UK before 6 April 2021 and complete the final semester of their studies in the UK," it says. A number of UK universities have indicated plans for a so-called blended teaching approach, incorporating online as well as some physical lessons, as the coronavirus lockdown and social distancing rules remain in place around the world. University groups have been lobbying the UK government for steps to address the impact of the pandemic on the country's higher education sector, which had registered an impressive 136 per cent jump in Indian student visa numbers in the year ending March 2020. "Indian students can now have confidence that even if they are unable to travel to the UK in the autumn to start their studies due to COVID-19, they will still be eligible to apply for the graduate immigration route if they are in the UK by April 2021," said Vivienne Stern, Director of the Universities UK International (UUKi), an organisation that represents 143 UK universities. "The Graduate route allows students to remain in the UK for two years after graduation to work or look for work, and this concession means Indian students starting a UK course this autumn will be eligible to apply even if they need to start their UK course online due to COVID-19. We welcome this concession, as one of the areas of flexibility we asked of the government in our 'Kickstarting the Recovery' paper," she said. The paper had highlighted that international students bring over 6.9 billion pounds income to UK universities in tuition fees and contribute over 26 billion pounds to the wider UK economy. As an export sector of growing importance to the UK, higher education must be bolstered with measures such as concessions to ensure that online study amid the lockdown does not disqualify students from the Graduate Visa route, which is set for its launch for the 2020-21 cohort of university intakes. A recent study by former UK Universities Minister Jo Johnson called for the two-year post-study offer to be doubled to four, a move he believes would prove particularly attractive to Indian students. UUKi, which has campaigned for the Graduate Visa for years, agreed that such a bold policy move would help the UK compete with other higher education destinations. "We agree that extending the period to four years would make us really competitive with destinations like Australia, which offers between three and four years. A bold policy move like this would help the UK stand out to Indian students in an increasingly competitive field. Meanwhile prospective Indian students can be assured that the top priority for our universities is ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of all students and staff in the new academic year," added UUKi's Stern. AK ZH

Indian students' UK post-study work visa rights safe amid COVID-19 crisis

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In the autumn, students across the world will be learning remotely as Coronavirus forces <keyword id="48403" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="universities">universities</keyword> to close campuses.</li><li>Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker has been <keyword id="6356090" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="teaching">teaching</keyword> 80 students, holed up from Beijing to Illinois, since June.</li><li>Working under pressure, he and his colleagues had to work out how they could deliver their informal, interactive teaching to people on opposite sides of the planet. Here's how they made it work.</li></ul>Universities will soon welcome students to the new normal that coronavirus has forced upon them. Rather than cramming into lecture halls and sitting in group seminars, most teaching will be done remotely, and both students and staff wait with trepidation. But delivering an International Multimedia Journalism master's degree to 80 students across the world, from Beijing to Illinois, has taught me there's a way to make <keyword id="9171976" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="remote-learning">remote learning</keyword> just as useful as face-to-face contact time.When the pandemic first hit, Newcastle University quickly began shifting online. We used "digital learning environments" — online spaces that mix slideshows and message boards, basically — like Blackboard and Canvas more. It was a chaotic and stressful second semester for everyone. As students began preparing a dissertation over the summer, staff at most universities were granted a reprieve to consider how best to move to a digital system more permanently.But we didn't have time for a break. We had just a few weeks to turn an on-campus, 30-hours-a-week journalism programme into something that could be taught digitally over the summer to students around the world. Thankfully, those of us who, like me, still work as journalists are used to being under pressure and adapting to new technology. When we began the summer module in mid-June, many students were worried the immersive <keyword id="6355445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="education">education</keyword> they'd signed up for would be replaced by something sub-par. But halfway through, students have so far responded positively.Read more... <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scott-galloway-coronavirus-pandemic-reshaping-higher-education-universities-may-close-2020-4">NYU professor Scott Galloway: The pandemic will reshape the future of higher education — and many universities may not make it</a>We tried to focus on the benefits technology might bring. Some learning is through Microsoft Sway, a flexible layout tool that allows us to better format video and text for the classroom (think of it like Squarespace, but for academia). In one class, it enabled me to embed a live Excel spreadsheet of data that students could play with. Just as we would in person, we then set exercises within Sway that students can go off and complete, and for a personal touch, we insert videos of ourselves going into more detail on anything they find difficult.That's only part of it. We have regular one-hour lectures, delivered through Microsoft Teams, recorded, and then available on demand, that complement other materials. Twice-weekly two-hour workshops take place at 9am UK time, for students in this and later time zones, and again at 4pm for those in earlier ones. They're full of quizzes, discussions, and collaborative exercises, all in Microsoft Word.In a workshop about how to pitch stories as a freelancer, we asked students to write three single-line story ideas in a shared document. We then went through some, explaining how to fine-tune them — after we'd discussed how to write a full pitch, we had them pick one idea and craft an editor-ready email. Other times, they've scrambled to find an item near their laptops that they could build a story around, developing the inquisitive skills a journalist needs, then explained to classmates on camera what stories they might tell. They've also used social media to find a case study that illustrated an issue high on that day's news agenda, and drafted a message to ask for an interview. Our style of teaching remotely has kept their attention because we emphatically avoided the stereotype of stuffy lecturers droning on, as they have for decades. <h3>"We signify our arrival at a drop-in session with a GIF of Judge Judy"</h3>But rewriting a timetable for students in time zones across the globe can leave even teachers uncertain what's next, which is why, every morning, we flag up what's scheduled that day. As well as lectures, workshops, and masterclasses with industry professionals, there are drop-in sessions, where students can video chat with a teacher about any concerns. Teaching staff use spreadsheets to track contact with students to make sure anyone we don't speak to one-on-one is okay, and still working towards their final assessment. There's a lot of work that goes into what, hopefully, looks like effortless delivery. Some teachers will have to learn new ways to communicate. I'm usually informal with students, preferring to talk to them like peers rather than pupils. Online, we signify our arrival at a drop-in session with a GIF of Judge Judy tapping at her watch, and respond to messages of thanks with GIFs of The Rock's character from "Moana" saying "You're welcome." That may seem alien to lecturers who didn't grow up with the informality of online forums, Reddit groups, and instant messaging. But it's one way teaching staff can connect with students who are now so detached from each other. A supportive message, or a chat with a student who fears their English skills are on the wane because they're talking less with people outside their halls, is harder to do digitally. But it's possible.It has been a tumultuous four months for students midway through their studies. But the standard of my teaching has been just as high as if I were in a physical classroom. Remote teaching has forced me and others to adapt and test our limits — so far, everything has worked, and the journalism programme is now seen by the university as the Gold Standard for online teaching.But don't take my word for it. On Friday, July 17, I delivered a lecture about reporting out a real-life story on chess that will shortly be published on Insider, as well as a more in-depth session on Sway that went through the steps I took researching and writing an article for the New Statesman that week. Afterwards, a student emailed me to say how much they'd learned. They are one of many over the last month to say the same. We can't escape the "new normal", but we have worked to make sure it is as normal as it is new.

Remote university learning can be just as good as a physical classroom. I've been teaching 80 students, from Beijing to Illinois, online since June — here's how I've made it work.

The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Insider Picks</a> team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.pntrac.com/t/TUJGRUxJR0JGSEhLR01CRkhKTk1H?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parachutehome.com%2Fproducts%2Fclassic-bathrobe%3Fvariant%3D30628549194&amp;sid=biipgf_111317_best-bathrobes-men" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>Parachute/Business Insider</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Bathrobes are welcome all year round thanks to the casual comfort they afford, but they're indispensable during the cold winter months. </li><li>If stepping out of the hot shower into the chilly bathroom is your nightmare, then a soft, warm robe is a dream come true. </li><li>The <a href="https://amzn.to/2yyCL6s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TowelSelections Men's Plush Kimono Robe</a> is our top choice because it's well-priced, well-made, and luxuriously soft.</li></ul>I went to college just before social media flourished and only a year or two before smartphones with cameras became ubiquitous. I'm grateful for the timing in regards to the technology for two reasons: First, there was no quick and ready way to solve debates over this or that random fact (e.g. "No, Braveheart won Best Picture that year, not The English Patient!" or "Dude, the capital of Colombia is Bogotá, not Caracas! I think..."), so the conversations often spiraled off into the blissfully ridiculous; second, there are relatively few candid pictures of me and my friends dressed like idiots and/or doing decidedly idiotic things.For indeed I must admit that, for a semester or two, I was often to be seen wandering around the halls of the dorm and even at times plying the streets of Boston wearing a bathrobe. By my junior year of college, I had decidedly shifted away from wearing loungewear in public, and today, I'll scarcely be caught bringing trash to the curb without first having donned proper attire. In the home, however - and especially when the late autumn chill sets in - I'm still a great aficionado of the bathrobe. I have a cotton robe I often don immediately after bathing and a fleece robe I'll wear about in the morning until it's time to dress in actual clothes. My son has a fleece robe that may or may not match its navy blue color. And my wife has a cashmere robe of which I may or may not harbor secret envy.You don't need to spend a lot of money to get a good bathrobe, but on the other hand, if you're willing to shell out some cash, you can get a robe that will last you for many years. The funny thing about bathrobes is that for some men, their best choice is often a low-cost option. For example, I don't care for the feel of silk. I would never buy a silk robe, thus incidentally shielding me from the elevated cost. A man who lives in a warm climate might want a thin, lightweight robe, thus de facto ensuring he will end up with a lower cost garment. And polyester fleece, one of the softest and coziest materials, is also one of the cheapest. Choosing the right robe isn't rocket science, but as you might wear the thing every single day for the next ten years, go ahead and choose with care. Consider materials, the weight and warmth a robe, the length and fit, and of course the price. And if you think you might wear your bathrobe while walking down Bolyston Street on a Thursday afternoon, then, by all means, consider style, too. <h2>Here are the best men's bathrobes you can buy:</h2><ul class="summary-list"><li>Best bathrobe overall: <a href="http://amzn.to/2yyCL6s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TowelSelections Men's Plush Kimono Robe</a> </li><li>Best hooded bathrobe: <a href="http://amzn.to/2zD8qXJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alexander Del Rossa Men's Fleece Long Hooded Bathrobe</a></li><li>Best flannel bathrobe: <a href="http://amzn.to/2iTcvgl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Latuza Men's Cotton Flannel Robe</a></li><li>Best silk bathrobe: <a href="https://amzn.to/2yvU7AH" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LilySilk Men's Long Pure Silk Robe</a></li><li>Best cashmere bathrobe: <a href="http://amzn.to/2yyqnDq" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cashmere Boutique Men's Full Length Robe</a></li><li>Best post-shower bathrobe: <a href="http://www.pntrac.com/t/TUJGRUxJR0JGSEhLR01CRkhKTk1H?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parachutehome.com%2Fproducts%2Fclassic-bathrobe%3Fvariant%3D30628549194&amp;sid=biipgf_111317_best-bathrobes-men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parachute Classic Robe</a></li></ul>Updated on 12/07/2018 by Malarie Gokey: Added the Parachute Robe, updated prices, and revamped formatting.<h3>Read on in the slides blow to check out our top picks.</h3>Find the best holiday deals on our <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-friday-deals-2018">Black Friday Deals</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cyber-monday-deals-2018">Cyber Monday Deals</a> page. <a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a> Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com. Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.

The best men's bathrobes you can buy

On November 3, 2010, I woke up in the middle of the street, staring into the night sky. "What happened?" I muttered. A paramedic stood over me and said, "You were hit by a car."My shirt and sweater had been cut off, and the chill of the autumn air enveloped my body. My throat was dry, my voice was raspy. I recognized nothing around me. I heard the sound of a large engine idling nearby. It was an ambulance. I wiggled my toes, terrified that I might be paralyzed because I felt no pain. I wasn't paralyzed, but my brain was hemorrhaging. On the way to the hospital I slipped in and out of consciousness.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>The medics wheeled me into a big room with bright lights. By then, I felt pain everywhere. The headache was like nothing I'd ever experienced - even worse than the open-heart surgery I had at 21.The doctors would later tell me I'd suffered a traumatic brain injury, and that it wasn't clear if I would live through the night.The car's impact had flung my body out of the crosswalk, to the other side of a four-lane road near Lake Merced in San Francisco. I was covered with cuts and bruises. My skull was fractured, and my brain was bleeding in three places. I'd stay in the hospital for several weeks.During that time, teams of doctors visited daily, eyeballing me from head to toe. Many of them marveled at my survival. During the first week, a physical therapist helped me walk for the first time since the accident. She stood in front of me, holding both my hands as I took a step. Neurological specialists tested my cognitive abilities to see how well I could process and remember information.The accident couldn't have happened at a worse time. I was in the last weeks of fall semester of my senior year at San Francisco State University and taking 19 credits of classes. By the time I was discharged from the hospital, I'd have two weeks left before finals.I was miserable and in pain and weak from all that time in the hospital. But I put on my toughest face and got to work. It took a couple all-nighters and several deadline extensions, but I turned in every assignment, took each final, and finished the semester, albeit completely wiped out.Spring semester was the same, filled with long days and nights just to keep up in class. I'm sure some of my friends thought I was crazy. They'd ask why I was trying so hard. "You're injured, take some time off," one of them said. "Don't rush back. Try to recover."Everybody kept telling me not to rush back. But in my mind I had to make it to graduation. At the time, my mom had stage 4 lung cancer and months to live. I was determined to finish school so she could see me graduate. Thankfully, she did.I also refused to miss the unbelievable internship I had lined up at NBCUniversal that summer. But when I arrived the effects of my brain injury finally became real. I felt slower and less sharp. It would take longer for me to process information. People repeated instructions for me several times but I'd still forget them. I started having to write everything down.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Even then, I'd read a paragraph, retain fragments of it, and have to read it again. I've always been articulate, but soon I developed an annoying speech impediment that caused me to trip over my words. One coworker, with no knowledge of my accident, rudely, and wrongly, speculated to my face that I might have a learning disability.As I struggled in that internship, I remembered one nurse from my time in the hospital who urged me to sign up for public assistance. While I was being discharged, she ran through a list of symptoms I might experience post-injury. Other doctors had gone over these same lists before and always seemed confident I'd recover. But everything in the nurse's tone suggested I should give up.A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can change you from the inside out, quite literally. Social psychologist <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amy-cuddy-psychology-new-years-resolutions-2014-12">Amy J.C. Cuddy</a>, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, put it like this:Your brain is made up of different layers, so with an impact to the head, those layers move against each other at different speeds, and parts of the nerve cells that transfer information get damaged throughout the brain. Ultimately, that means you end up a little bit different, everywhere … your emotions, your thoughts, your preferences, everything is a little different.The changes can happen in countless ways, meaning no two TBI patients are alike. The effects can include forgetfulness, mood changes, excessive sleeping, insomnia, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, vision and speech problems, and seizures. Intellectual capacity can be affected.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>My IQ, once in the "gifted" range, had fallen. After further evaluations showed the loss wasn't enough to significantly impair my cognitive ability, doctors called me one of the "lucky ones." But there were times I'd get so frustrated with myself because I didn't feel as sharp as I did before the accident.I had to put in tremendous effort to think clearly. I hated that this terrible accident happened, and wished I could be my old self again.Even now, nearly five years later, I still think back to how that one night changed my life.Recently, I shared my experience over the phone with Cuddy, who is known for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/power-poses-interview-body-language-2014-3">a presentation she gave on the "power pose"</a> at the TED Global conference in 2012. During the talk, she famously revealed she'd suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was 19 after being thrown from a car that had rolled over. Her IQ decreased by nearly 30 points because of the accident.Here's some of our conversation:Me: The brain injury makes you feel like a shell of your old self, doesn't it?Amy: It changes you completely.Me: But at the same time you're still trying to be the person you were before the injury.Amy: I couldn't remember my old self well enough. You can't just put it together again ... it's like holding on to a ball of wet sand that's drying, and it's slipping through your fingers.Me: That's an isolating feeling.Amy: It's totally isolating. I realized that I had to let it go and just take this leap of faith that something else was out there - that some other self was there and that I just didn't know her yet.Amy inspired me. She was the first person I heard about who also endured a traumatic brain injury and fought her way through it. After her injury, she <a href="http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=491042">earned a doctorate at Princeton</a> and has since published dozens of academic and professional studies while teaching some of the world's top business students at Harvard.Like her, I was determined not to let my TBI problems define me.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>I worked five days a week and finished my internship at NBCUniversal and kept finding opportunities. I worked my way through two more internships, at The Hollywood Reporter and ABC-7 in Los Angeles. I learned an active brain is a healthy one, so I ordered material to pick up Russian again, which I excelled at in college.Soon I landed my first full-time job at the No. 1 talk-radio station in the US, KFI AM 640. The Hollywood Reporter hired me back as a contributing writer. And with my speech impediment gone, I became the weekend news anchor at an NPR affiliate in San Diego.More opportunities would come, including ones where I got to showcase my skills as a drummer and pianist, with gigs at Dodger Stadium, the House of Blues, and the Avalon in Hollywood. I still experience effects from the injury, but I take excellent care of myself and get plenty of sleep to stay sharp.I'm not sad I suffered a brain injury. It only stoked an already burning fire in me to be the best version of myself. I no longer wonder what could have been if I wasn't hit by a car. It just reminds me of this: If I can survive all that and still thrive, I can do anything. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div> If you have a similar story, or know someone who does, I'd like to hear from you. Send me an email at blogan@businessinsider.com. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/effects-concussion-brain-football-super-bowl-sports-2015-1">Here's What Happens To Your Brain When You Get A Concussion</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="BkdTFzcjqUDxNRMuDuA-mLpms5kuHyVb" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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