College Life in England

The University of Oxford is a collection of colleges. Some of these colleges were founded hundreds of years ago. The University is only an administrative centre, which arranges lectures for all the students of the colleges, holds examinations and gives degrees. Every college has students of all kinds; it has its medical students, its engineers, its art students, etc. The tutorial system is one of the ways in which Oxford and Cambridge differ from "all other English universities. Every student has a tutor who plans his work. Each week some students come to see him and he discusses with them the work, which they have done. This system has some advantages, but has often operated against progressive thinking in British universities because many tutors are reactionary and they try to hove a great social and political influence on their students. Other English universities called «modern» or «provincial» are located in large centres of industry. There are no tutorial systems there. These universities rely on lectures. Very few children of the working people can be found among the students of all the British universities because the cost of studies is too high. According to official reports only 3 per cent of the whole number of students at the universities are sons and daughters of the working people.

The academic year in England is divided into three terms. Terminal examinations are held at the end of the autumn, spring and the summer terms. Final examinations are taken at the end of the course of studies. If a student fails in an examination he may be allowed to take the exam again. Only two re-examinations are usually allowed. For a break of discipline a student can be fined a sum of money, for a serious offence he may be expelled from the university.

British universities usually keep to the customs of the past. At Oxford University all the students wear long black gowns and students' caps. Undergraduates try to get old gowns so that people would think that they have been at Oxford for years. Without his or her gown no student is allowed to call on a tutor, to have dinner in the college dining room or attend a lecture - where the gowns are rolled up and used as cushions.

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Universities and Colleges

In 1960 there were only 23 British universities. There are now 46, of which 35 are in England, 8 in Scotland, 2 in Northern Ireland and 1 in Wales. They can be roughly divided into three groups.

Oxford and Cambridge: Scholars were studying in these ancient universities in the early thirteenth century. Since that time Oxford and Cambridge have continued to grow, but until the nineteenth century they were the only universities in England, and

they offered no places to girls.

Four universities were founded in Scotland before Scotland and England were united: St Andrews (1411), Glasgow (1450), Aberdeen (1494) and Edinburgh (1583).

The redbrick universities: In this group are listed all universities founded between 1850 and 1930, including London University. They were called "redbrick" because that was the favourite building material of the time, but they are rarely referred to as "redbrick' today.

The new universities: These were all founded after the Second World War. Some of them quickly became popular because of their modern approach to university courses.

Which university? Gareth asks questions

"My chemistry teacher wants me to try for Cambridge, Chris," Gareth said. "But I'm not sure that I'd fit in there, with all those public school boys."

"Don't be silly! Public school! Comprehensive school! What difference does it make? Anyway, you can't get a place at Oxford or Cambridge these days just because your father is rich or famous. Lei's talk to Henry Robinson. He's at Cambridge, and he didn't go to a public school."

The Robinsons were Christine's neighbours. Henry's younger sisters were both at university too. Pat, aged 20, was at a new university in an ancient cathedral town. Liz, aged 19, was at a university in a northern industrial city. Pat's university was planned in the American campus style, with halls of residence grouped around the main buildings. They had a magnificent library, comfortable common rooms and bars. The halls of residence were mixed.

"They treat us like, adults," Pat said.

Liz does not envy her sister. She and two other girls have rented cheaply a house in a poor district of the city about ten minutes' bus ride from the university. The house is awful," Liz said. "Door handles keep falling off and the cooker doesn't work properly. Once, our lights failed. Luckily, one of our neighbours is an electrician. He spent hours repairing our wiring. We have long talks with him over cups of tea, and we've learnt a lot about how people in the poorer pans of big cities live. Our street is almost a slum, but my people are so kind and friendly. The men are bitter about being unemployed, of course..."

"Our town is a lot smaller than Liz's," Par said. "It hasn't got any slums, but there are a lot of lonely old people. I spend an hour or two each week with an old lady of eighty. We just sit and talk."

"Do many students do social work of that sort?" Christine asked.

"Quite a lot."

"Why did you choose Cambridge, Henry?" Gareth asked.

"Because it's the best university for science subjects. Besides, it still helps to have an Oxford or Cambridge degree."

"They still have snob value when it comes getting a job," said Pat.

"Not nearly as much as they used to, and only in certain jobs," Henry said. "Anyway, I chose Cambridge because of its special atmosphere. I've got rooms in one of the old colleges overlooking the river. It's the college, not the university, that is the centre of our lives. It's like living in a community within a community."

There is great rivalry between colleges, especially in sport.

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