Undergraduate

UNIT 1

Words from the wise

Those who graduated yesterday and stop learning today are uneducated by tomorrow.

(Oxford wisdom)

Useful vocabulary

session academic year	учебный год
term (British) semester (Amer.)	семестр
(to) enter university	поступить в университет
(to) study at university	учиться в университете
(to) graduate from university	окончить университет
full – time department	дневное отделение
part-time department	вечернее отделение
correspondence department	заочное отделение
faculty	факультет
undergraduate	cтудент вуза
graduate	выпускник вуза
post-graduate	аспирант
course of studies	курс обучения в целом
year	курс (год обучения)
first-year student	первокурсник

Beware of ‘false friends’!

• ‘Session’ – this word doesn’t mean «сессия»! It is translated as 1) «учебный год», or 2) «занятие в вузе». E.g. In Russia session usually begins on the 1^st of September. We’ve got two sessions on Friday.
• ‘Course’ doesn’t mean «курс» («первый, второй и т.д. курс»). We use the word ‘year’ in this meaning. (E.g. ‘ second-year students’, ‘she is in her first year’ etc.). The word ‘course’ means «курс обучения в целом» or «курс обучения по какому-либо предмету». E.g., The course of studies at Russian universities usually lasts 5 years. In the second yearundergraduates do a course in the history of culture.
• ‘Student’ has a more general meaning in the English language than the Russian word «студент». It means ‘ a person who is involved in any studies’. A small child, a pupil at school, and an old man can be called ‘students’ if they attend any classes. There is a special word ‘ undergraduate’ which means ‘ a university/ college student’.

Just for fun

Professor: ‘Now, John, what are you doing – learning something?’

Student: ‘No, sir. I am listening to you.’

***

The professor rapped on his desk and shouted: ‘Gentlemen – order!’

The entire class yelled: ‘Beer!’

Nota Bene

There are some Russian words and phrases which have no equivalents in English. For example,

• Сессия – there is no corresponding word in English! We may use the following to express this:

1. Mid-sessional examinations (formal) / mid-sessionals (non-formal)/ winter examinations.

2. Sessional examinations (formal)/ sessionals (non-formal)/ summer examinations.

· Зачет – this is a specifically Russian concept and has no equivalent in most English universities and colleges where there are only tests and examinations. In American universities they have official certification of the completion of a course of study. Students are given credit for each course which they satisfactorily complete. To express the meaning of «зачет» we may use ‘ end-of-term test’, ‘final test’, ‘credit’.

· Зачетная книжка – English and American students do not have any book of this kind. To express this idea one may say ‘ student’s record book’. E.g. How many excellent marks are there in your record book?’

Check yourself.

What do you know about higher education in the United Kingdom?

Use the Internet and other sources to find the answers to the following questions.

Part 1: British universities; university courses; university entrance.

1 How many universities are there in Britain?

a. 65

b. 82

c. 99

d. 116

2. How many British school-leavers go to university?

a. 25%

b. 35%

c. 44%

d. 58%

3. What is the difference between these kinds of universities?

a. Oxbridge

b. Red brick universities

c. Old universities

d. Ex-polytechnics

e. Russell Group universities

4. Give the full name for each type of qualification:

Undergraduate

BA _____________________ (e.g. History, English Literature)

BSc _____________________ (e.g. Biology, Maths)

BEd _____________________ (to become a teacher)

BEng _____________________ (to become an engineer)

LLB _____________________ (to become lawyer)

MB _____________________ (to become a doctor)

Postgraduate

MA _________________________

MSc _________________________

MEd _________________________

MBA _________________________

LLM _________________________

MPhil _________________________

5. How do home (British) students get into university?

6. Are British universities private or public?

7. Scottish students studying in Scotland do not have to pay tuition fees. Is it true or false?

Part 2: Being a student at a British university.

Are these statements true or false?

1. Lectures, seminars and tutorials are the same.
2. A course has compulsory modules and optional modules.
3. In a postgraduate degree, you may do independent work and group work.
4. You are given a reading list to help you study independently.
5. Your tutor cannot give you any help with an assignment.
6. You just have to present other people’s facts and ideas in an assignment.
7. You have a personal tutor who you can talk to about anything.
8. You have to do exams, coursework, a dissertation and a viva (spoken exam).

Reading

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