The Ultimate University Survival Guide: The Uni-Verse

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Levesque's writing is witty and honest, and asks us all to reconsider our relationship with the Universe. Most of it feels unrelated to uni for example there are tips for living on your own (even few cooking recipes) also... it's very targeted to British audience (which I am most definitely not). Writer Giles Sparrow tells the stories of well-known 'celebrity' stars such as Proxima Centauri, Betelgeuse and our very own Sun, but also of those holding the sky's secrets; supernovae, quasars and dark matter. Through these 21 stars (and 3 imposters) he reveals the impact that astronomy has played on science's understanding of the past, present and future.

Remember what information has already been covered in the rest of your application. When you apply to a university, it’s not just your personal statement that is sent to them. There’s also the rest of your UCAS application, which includes a reference from your school or sixth form, and a full transcript of your academic record. It’ll tell the admissions officer about all the grades you have acquired over the years, and contextualise them with the school you went to and the area you grew up in. For this reason, you don’t need to flaunt your past grades (or your target grades for the future) in your personal statement. If you got an A in your Maths GCSE – or 7/8/9 for those studying under the new system – which will suggest your suitability for a Maths degree, then the admissions staff will already know. Don’t waste valuable space by inserting each grade you’re proud of one-by-one and the circumstances in which you achieved them. You’ll only be repeating yourself. Who better to describe life in space than someone who’s walked the (space)walk? Peake pens answers to the public’s burning questions, revealing what space smells like, how he enjoyed a cosmic cuppa, and what it felt like to return to Earth. Straight from the pen of a scientist working with commercial spaceflight comes a memoir of getting into the air. Kellie Gerardi has worked with NASA, tested technology that would be sent to the International Space Station, and helped develop programmes for future space exploration. Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.” Stories in the Starsis both an imaginative and in-depth collection of human's encounters with the night sky. Ask An Astronaut: My Guide to Life in Space

Stargazing does not have to be complicated, reveals Abigail Beall in this beautifully compact guide. It's not a hobby reserved for those who can afford a telescope, nor is it completely inaccessible to city-goers who spend most of their time under a light-polluted sky. Even though I appreciated the basic survival tips and the A level revision tips (those will be coming in useful way too soon!), I especially appreciated and loved the sections on diversity, wellbeing and dealing with rejection. I won't lie - a few tears were shed when I was reading the dealing with rejection section and the imposter syndrome section, as a lot of that stuff hits very close to home.

For more reading recommendations and free samples of new and popular books, sign up to our book club newsletter below. For fans of Jim Al-Khalili's The World According to Physics, this book is an accessible and engaging introduction to one of the Universe's most extraordinary phenomena. This book is brilliantly written, it's engaging and it's full of golden nuggets of information that I'm going to desperately need. I have tabbed this book to within an inch of its life, and I will definitely be revisiting it over the coming months and years.Still this book managed to take some stress of my shoulders and help me worth treating university less seriously because of the jokes (BUT SHOULD A GUIDE RELY ON JOKES? - NOT REALLY, MAN) We think it's a great collection of space and astronomy books, but if you think we've forgotten any please do let us know over on the Science Focus book club Facebook group. Or, take a look at our list of big, coffee table photography books about space. Many of us have heard of space celebrities such as Tim Peake and Brian Cox writing about this topic, but – while books of that kind are included on this list – there are a wide range of great titles to be read in your search for an understanding of the Universe. Some of these will help amateur astronomers get to grips with the night sky, while others will bring heart-warming tales of the collaboration and community within the space industry.