Medicine is a highly competitive course to get into at university, but traditionally students from Scotland’s poorest neighbourhoods have not attempted to enter the meritocracy that medical school admissions should be. It does cost a lot of money to put yourself through medical school, but grants, loans and other financial assistance are available. An initiative by Universities Scotland aims to raise awareness of the possibilities open to applicants from poorer backgrounds.

For fans of Star Wars, the attraction is not only the technology and special effects but the epic drama of the characters, the forces acting upon them and the choices they must make. The themes of good and evil, light and dark, the idea of characters choosing their own paths and the far-reaching consequences of those decisions, are appealing and engaging because they are rooted firmly in classic drama and tragedy. The conflict the characters have with their own destinies is central to the franchise, and it is appropriately riddled with philosophical and spiritual questions.

To coincide with Valentine’s Day, an eLearning content provider is offering a free course in Emotional Intelligence for the workplace. Does this mean showering your co-workers with chocolates and teddy bears in the hope that they will like you more? Um, no. Well maybe, but it would be pretty sappy and would probably backfire on you. What this course is about is recognising your own emotions and those of others, acknowledging them, and using that wisdom to defuse conflicts, stop tantrums before they start, and stay cheerful and productive.

Having an ‘ace in the hole’ is a popular expression which means to hold a hidden advantage or secret weapon. It comes from the game of stud poker, a version in which a mix of face-up and face-down cards is dealt at the beginning of a series of betting rounds. The face-down cards are called ‘hole’ cards, and any valuable card that lurks there is called an ‘ace in the hole’.

Many bookshop chains in the United States have a coffee bar where shoppers can read in comfort with a pastry and a skinny latté or caramel macchiato. It’s a pretty good business idea, because even as people are evaluating books and making buying decisions, the store is selling them coffee. For the customer, it beats leafing through books whilst standing in aisles.

Of all the courses there are out there, there’s one in particular that promises to lay the groundwork for achieving what we all desire: happiness. What use, after all, is a degree in Food Science, a diploma in Business Management, or a certificate in Survival Skills if our underlying ‘operating system’ is broken, preventing us from experiencing pleasure or self-actualisation? Surely there is more to life than the acquisition of skills and the creation of wealth?