British universities

There are 46 universities in Britain. To get a place at one of them good results are necessary in two or more subjects. However, good results are not enough. Universities choose their students on the basis of recommendations from their schoolteachers and the impression they make during interviews. Competition for a place at the University is stiff. Many young people as well as their parents believe that having a degree will help them get a higher salary and a better job. Every applicant who has been enrolled at the university gets a grant from the Local Education authority. The grant covers tuition and some of the living expenses. The amount depends on the parents’ income. Low-income families get full grants which will cover all their expenses.

It is unusual for university students to live at home. They prefer to study far away from home. First-year students are called “freshers”. Freshers may live in the college campus or near it. They may also rent a room or share a house with their friends. Many freshers are very homesick for the first weeks but soon they make new friends. They are offered many clubs and societies to join.

On the day the lectures start the freshers look worried. They learn a new way of studying. Besides lectures there are seminars at which a small group of students has a tutorial during which they see a tutor to discuss their work and progress.

After three or four years students take their finals. Most of them will get first, second or third class degree and put BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BSC (Bachelor of Science) after their names.

TOPICAL VOCABULARY

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Дата добавления: 2015-10-02