Studying at the University

Students from others countries that I met at university often took a long time to get used to the system. The university terms lasted only six months' and you were free to do what you liked in the vacations. Attendance of lectures was optional, and the only compulsory assignment was to write an essay once a week and present it to your tutor. The idea was that you were not supposed to be there to obtain an academic qualification, but to extend your knowledge of the subject in your own way. It was all there in the libraries and laboratories and lecture halls if you looked for it. A poor American student who had attended all the tutor's lectures once reproduced them almost word for word in his essay, and the tutor said: “I know what I think. What do you think? The life of an undergraduate was relaxing and enjoyable, but you had to work things out for yourself.”

Note: In British universities, there is normally only one Professor for a given subject; other university teachers are called lecturers. They are also tutors when they give individual students classes in small numbers.

b) Answer the questions to the text.

1. Is this system similar to that of your country? If not what is the difference?

2. Why do you think people go to university? Do you think they go for the right reasons?

3. What did an American tutor expect his students to do? What similarities and differences have you noticed compared with out system of education?

Task 7 Maria Brown tells us about her educational background. Complete each sentence with one of the words or phrases from the box below. Then speak on your own educational background.

You may use Maria’s as a model.

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1. I started at … in London when I was 5.

2. At the age of 11, I went on to …, also in London.

3. At 17, I … to university.

4. I got a … at Manchester to … Engineering.

5. In fact I was awarded a … .

6. But at the end of the first year I changed to another …

7. I … from University in 2003.

8. I have a first class … in Economics.

9. I decided to … at university.

10. So I did a … in business administration at the University of California.

11. During the course, I did an … on small business development.

12. I found the topic so interesting that I applied for a … to do a doctorate on the same subject.

13. Once I had got the money, I had to write a 50,000 word …

14. So now I have a BA, an MBA and a …

15. All I need now is a …