Education in Great Britain. Бояринцева Е.И - 25 стр.

as far away from home as possible! So, many students in northern and          Talking points:
Scottish universities come from the South of England and vice versa. It
                                                                                    – Is it a good thing to leave home at the age of 18? What are the
is very unusual for university students to live at home. Although par-
                                                                              advantages and disadvantages?
ents may be a little sad to see this happen, they usually approve of the
                                                                                    – Many British people believe that if you do nothing more than
move, and see it as a necessary part of becoming an adult.
                                                                              study hard at university, you will have wasted a great opportunity.
       Anyway, the three university terms are only ten weeks each, and
                                                                              What do they mean by saying that? Do you agree?
during vacation times families are reunited.
                                                                                    – How do British universities differ from universities in your
FRESHERS!                                                                     country? What do you like and dislike about the British system?
       When they first arrive at college, first year university students
                                                                              Text C. Read the text about Oxford and Cambridge. Be ready to talk
are called "freshers". A fresher’s life can be exiting but terrifying for
                                                                                      about them in class, emphasizing the details you find most ex-
the first week.
                                                                                      citing and unusual
       Often freshers will live in a Hall of Residence on or near the col-
lege campus, although they may move out into a rented room in their
                                                                                                             Oxbridge
second or third year, or share a house with friends. Many freshers will
feel homesick for the first week or so, but living in hall soon helps                Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest and most prestigious uni-
them to make new friends.                                                     versities in Great Britain. They are often called collectively Oxbridge.
       During the first week, all the clubs and societies hold a ‘fresher’s   Both universities are independent. The normal length of degree course
fair’ during which they try to persuade the new students to join their        is three years. Some courses, such as languages or medicine, may be
society. The freshers are told that it is important for them to come into     one or two years longer. The students may work for other degrees as
contact with many opinions and activities during their time at univer-        well. The degrees are awarded at public degree ceremonies. Oxford and
sity, but the choice can be a bit overwhelming!                               Cambridge cling to their traditions, such as the use of Latin at degree
       On the day that lectures start, groups of freshers are often seen      ceremonies. Full academic dress is worn at examinations.
walking around huge campuses, maps in hand and a worried look on                     Oxford and Cambridge Universities consist of a number of col-
their faces. They are learning how difficult it is to change from a school    leges. Each college is different, but in many ways they are alike. Each
community. They also learn a new way of studying. As well as lec-             college has its name and its coat of arms. Each college is governed by a
tures, there are regular seminars, at which one of a small group of stu-      Master. The larger ones have more than 400 members, the smallest col-
dents reads a paper he or she has written. The paper is then discussed        leges have less than 30. Each college offers teaching in a wide range of
by the tutor and the rest of the group. Once or twice a term, students        subjects. Within the college one will normally find a chapel, a dining
will have a tutorial. This means that they see a tutor alone to discuss       hall, a library, rooms for undergraduates, fellows and the Master, and
their work and their progress. In Oxford and Cambridge, and some              also rooms for teaching purposes.
other universities, the study system is based entirely around such tuto-             Oxford is one of the oldest universities in Europe. It is the sec-
rials which take place once a week. Attending lectures is optional for        ond largest in Britain, after London. The town of Oxford is first men-
"Oxbridge" students!                                                          tioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 911 AD and it was popular
       After three or four years these students will take their finals.       with the early English kings (Richard Coeur de Lion was probably
Most of them will get a first, second or third class degree and be able to    here). The university’s earliest charter is dated back to 1213.
put BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BSc (Bachelor of Science) after their                   There are now more than thirty colleges where men and women
name. It will have been well earned!                                          are educated together, many from overseas studying for higher degrees.
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