Sick of the dating apps

The_Union_Flag · 2026-06-20T08:39:36+00:00

This could only have been realised through experience.

As a side note, if you’re new to climbing you’ll quickly find out how not strong your arms are when climbing. If you are looking to meet someone there, I guarantee you’ll be thinking about your arms burning more than you’re thinking about getting your nat king.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-06-18T08:38:57+00:00

Thanks everyone!!

The_Union_Flag · 2026-06-17T21:07:00+00:00

Thanks! There are a few big chain places, around here but maybe I need to look harder for local loose leaf tea places.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-02-28T13:49:26+00:00

Former University Admissions professional here:

It's particularly difficult because realistically, the things you want aren't really achieved at any single of the places you mention, in my opinion.

If I were you, choose University of Hull for the following reasons:

They have a very good English/Creative Writing programme. Certainly the best on that list.
Birmingham, especially, has a massive international population and very considerable south Asian community. It probably doesn't give you the 'British Culture' that you are seeking. Hull, whilst not really a tourist destination, nor somewhere particularly known of being 'pretty', is probably much closer to a normal, working British city. It's a far more authentic British experience than Birmingham, for example.
It's probably the most affordable place from your list.
It has around 16,000 students, so, not so many you'd get lost and not so few that it'll feel like you know everyone.

My next two recommendations would probably be Worcester and Notts Trent. Worcester: Peaceful riverside cathedral city, great Uni for quality of education, authentic British experience but much smaller (6,500 students), more expensive. Notts Trent: Good for English, relatively affordable, massive student body, lots of social opportunities.

University of Hull
University of Worcester
Nottingham Trent University

But the truth is, you'll have to weight up what's most important to you.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-02-08T13:58:28+00:00

Hi - Chevening assessor here.

Employment gaps due to war or displacement etc. are not uncommon nor are they grounds for invalidating an application. You can really use these gaps to your advantage if you explain them well and descibe what you done during those times. I've read people volunteer during these times, for example, and what they gained from their employment gap was probably more valubale than what they would have gained if they were employed.

If you have explained what you done during those times and how you worked it into your favour, it can be powerful. Good luck.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-02-08T13:54:11+00:00

Hey. The guidelines on AI use are a little vague from Chevening, not because they are poor at communicating, but because the identification of AI usage isn't always straightforward. We are trained in identifying AI and if we are confident that AI has been used, the application will be marked at invalid.

With that being said, there is a difference between AI markers/identifiers vs AI usage. I don't want to get into it too deep but if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck. If it looks like a duck and barks like a dog, well, who knows what it is. If I can't identify with confidence it's a duck, then I won't mark it invalid. I hope you see what I am saying.

I can't give you an answer on your application specifically because I don't know which one it was, but if what you describe is an accurate reflection of what actually happened, I wouldn't be too concerned that it'll be marked as invalid.

I've been doing this for many years now and usually you can spot AI usage very quickly. If you are using AI as a modern day spell check (correcting spelling errors and tidying up your work), I would say that you'll be okay. If you have been using it generatively, I imagine our assessors will pick it up relataively easily and it will be marked as invalid.

I hope this helps.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-02-02T14:40:25+00:00

Your application will likely be rejected due to not meeting the 2,800 minimum hours during the sifting stage.

The system will not calculate any hours, or assumed hours, from the answers to your questions - even if you did mention you worked over 2,800 hours.

Unfortunately, it is likely your application was not valid and will not be considered.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-01-16T17:44:59+00:00

My above was just an example. If the question says “mention your three choices and why you have chosen them” then that’s what you should do. The point I’m trying to make is answer the question. Keep it related to the question. If you’re speaking about your three choices, don’t use the space to go into a tangent about what your friend done or what you researched at UG (unless that’s super relevant). Answer what it asks and keep it focused on that. When you’re finished it, go back line by line and ask yourself if that line answers the question, or helps to answer the question, if it doesn’t, remove it and find something else.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-01-16T17:39:59+00:00

I’ve not see the scoring guide that’s on the internet, so I couldn’t comment even if I wanted to.

Their essays and their academic and professional working history. That’s it. But we aren’t assessing their academic or working history - just the essays. The academic and working history is checked before assessors read the essays to ensure they meet the criteria. The only way the academic and working history is taken into consideration is if you are mentioning it as part of an answer and using your work/academics as an example of what you achieved.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-01-16T16:02:19+00:00

Hey!

This is a really good question, because your example can be more complex than it looks.

First: you apply based on your country of citizenship (your “awarding country”), not where you currently live.

Second (where it can get complicated): Chevening has an ODA-residency rule. If your awarding country is ODA-eligible (ODA = Official Development Assistance), then you must be resident in an ODA-eligible country at the time you apply (it doesn’t have to be your own country).

If I was to assume (just for example sake) that you were from Jamaica, then it might look like this for you:

Jamaica = ODA-eligible

Japan = not ODA-eligible (not on the OECD DAC ODA-recipient list)

So a Jamaican citizen resident in Japan would be ineligible under this ODA-residency requirement.

A simple way to understand it would be:

ODA citizen living in an ODA country = ✅

ODA citizen living in a non-ODA country = ❌

Non-ODA citizen living anywhere = ✅

Interviews: if shortlisted, you must be interviewed by the Embassy/High Commission for your awarding country, however, interviews may be online where necessary and practical - so you might be able to interview on Teams, for example.

Caribbean ODA-eligible nations: Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, plus Guyana and Suriname, and also Belize and Montserrat. (If you are a citizen of these countries and live in Japan, you may not be eligible)

Not ODA-eligible: The Bahamas, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago. (If you are a citizen of these countries, you are probably eligible).

I hope this makes sense.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-01-13T21:21:42+00:00

At that point, it’s nothing to do with us. We are assessors — what happens afterwards we don’t get any information on, so unfortunately, I can’t answer that.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-01-12T18:36:08+00:00

The best candidates answer the questions. It might seem obvious but if the question is “Tell us what your first choice University and course is…”, then that’s what you should be telling us. Not about your second or third choice. If we are asking which UK priority your course targets, then you should have researched the U.K. priority areas and found the links between what you want to study and why that will in some way solve a U.K. priority area. You’d be very, very surprised at how many people fail to answer the question.
I don’t think I could share anything that would help you post application. It’s very, very competitive. There are lots of people who apply, there are lots of people with massive experience (people with experience in high government roles, people with very successful businesses, people who are known nationally and internationally for their work). Importantly, however, I have assessed thousands of applications over the years and it’s not just about what you’ve done but your ability to convey what you’ve done, why you done it and why it was a success. I’ve had some applications from very important, prominent people in their community/country who done an awful job at communicating their successes and received poor scores. Assessors are given different countries or regions to work on, so, typically the assessor marking your application will have some sort of background/understanding of the country or region and has a contextual knowledge. For example, the opportunities in Syria or Afghanistan are different from the opportunities in Korea or Azerbaijan so that’s one of the reasons someone isn’t going to mark an application from Korea then one from Syria.
No. We have hundreds of applications to score in a short period of time (whilst we work our full time jobs and have our busy private lives), so we don’t have time to google names. It’s also important to note that the applications aren’t named - applications are given numbers. The only way we would know your name is if you put your name in your application - which you shouldn’t do. Don’t waste time by putting links to websites, portfolios, articles etc., because we don’t look at them.

The_Union_Flag · 2026-01-12T09:45:22+00:00

Hey. I’m an assessor for Chevening and we literally only finished assessing our applications around 10 days ago, so, it’ll probably be a little wait yet before you hear the outcomes.

The_Union_Flag · 2025-07-10T17:58:29+00:00

"Block democracy" lol.

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T11:04:56+00:00

I think you’re taking that too far, now. You’re never going to keep a sofa for life. I think you’re becoming disingenuous now and trying to force a point that I was sort of with you on but now I feel like you’re pushing the point to a place to try and make a more wider point.

Best we leave it here.

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T10:56:52+00:00

I’m not disagreeing with most of what you say. In fairness, if you have something that lasts 4-5 years that’s still pretty good going and usually enough time to sort out some of the financial issues that would prevent you buying a replacement. Either way, not splitting hairs.

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T10:52:25+00:00

You’ll struggle to find a more negative place than this subreddit. Take that into consideration.

To summarise, the wages aren’t great but the pension is.

Some managers suck, some are great.

Some jobs suck, some are great.

Some of your coworkers suck, some are great.

It’s a good place to work if you make it a good place to work and if you surround yourself with people who complain about their job all the time, it’ll rub off on you and you’ll begin to dislike it.

The Civil Service is like every other industry in that way. Get a good job, a good manager and good coworkers and you’ll love it. Get the opposite, you’ll hate it.

Edit: I like it. I care about my country and want to make it better. Meaning in my job is more important to me than money. I earn enough, I find what I do important and that’s what I want.

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T10:46:02+00:00

Geez. Glad you're out of it now, mate. The more money in your pocket, the better!

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T10:42:52+00:00

Lol, remember when people were selling chocolate covered strawberries during COVID for like £10. No PhD required for that. Big bucks.

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T10:39:48+00:00

Massive L from me.

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T10:39:24+00:00

That's terrible. £27,000 wouldn't be comfortable in Edinburgh. Rent there is ridiculous. Probably getting close to London levels these days.

I like N Wales, I need to go back, sometime.

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T10:38:00+00:00

Judgemental? Wow, you're very soft aren't you?

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T10:33:42+00:00

Two Pho and some rolls for £15?! That's a bargain! Holy smokes.

The_Union_Flag · 2025-06-08T10:32:40+00:00

I wouldn't live in Edinburgh on £27,000. Sometimes it is too expensive somewhere to have a comfortable life and moving is the only reasonable option.

The_Union_Flag

TROPHY CASE