Have a Good NEWS

Everything you ever wanted to know about universities but were afraid to ask; plus some phone sex

Sound the trumpet: today we launch the Guardian University Guide 2011. And, ladies and gentlemen of the education fraternity, it features:

• The university league table â€" a ranking of universities according to the Guardian's exclusive formula

• A guide to every subject, with rankings for the universities that teach them

• Updated descriptions of the universities, with useful links

• A guide to fees at universities across the UK

• Plenty of advice on how to apply

• And a full explanation of how we compile the tables - see methodology under "how to read the tables" on this page

If you're an academic, here's hoping your institution excelled itself; if you're a student or parent, good luck in finding the right course. We're turning off our mobiles and heading for the pub.

Report card

Quick off the blocks In this recessionary era, it's not going to be a walk in the park getting into university. But we have some hot tips for those in the race to find a place.

Touchy feely The institutions that have fared best in our subject league tables in this year's University guide are the ones that have put students at the heart of their agenda.

In the thick of it Our sixth-formers are in the middle of their exams and trying to go to open days, too. How are they coping?

On the margins

Phone sex It is still believed in some quarters that mobile phones cause damage to the brain, but what about other parts of the body: the testicles, for example? Japanese researchers thought it would be too hard to conduct an experiment on real men, so instead they used ... rabbits. Obvious, really. Find out how mobile phones affected the poor bunnies' sexual performance.

And while we're on the margins, there's nothing funny about a video of Michael Gove falling over, is there?

Quote of the week

As Vince Cable announced a possible cut in the number of university places, a source described as being "close to Cable" â€" not George Osborne, then â€" said: "There needs to be a big national debate between excellence and quality on the one hand and bums on seats on the other hand. Packing more and more students in is not necessarily good value for money."

What you said

Geoffrey Alderman argued that a revolution was needed in the history curriculum. Students need to see a broad sweep of history, he said, not learn about past events as isolated pockets of knowledge.

Among the responses were this from TristramShandy:

"Overhauled, yes. Broad sweep, yes. But not by Niall bloody Ferguson â€" let's not replace one simplistic, reductionist version of history with another and call it progress."

And this from OneManIsAnIsland:

"If only we could start by teaching our politicians some history, they wouldn't keep making the same mistakes."

Stories of the day

The pupil premium It's costly, and won't necessarily help the right children. Reforming the admissions system would be a better way of balancing intakes, argues Fiona Millar.

Further forward A growing number of students are choosing to do their degrees at FE colleges rather than university; in fact, the sector now represents around 10% of all higher education students. It's not just a case of cost - colleges can sometimes be better value for money.

Clean skies Space is full of junk â€" redundant spacecraft, mostly â€" and the danger of collisions out there increases each year. Could a big tinfoil "sail" be the answer?

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