British universities

For all British citizens a place at university brings with it a grant from their Local Education authority. The grants cover tuition fees and some of the living expense The amount depends on the parents' income. If the parents do not earn much money, their children will receive a full grant which will cover all their expenses.

Most 18 and 19 year-olds in Britain are fairly independent people, and when the time comes to pick a college they usually choose one as far away from home as possible! So. many students in northern and Scottish universities come from the south of England and vice versa. It is very unusual for university students to live at home. Anyway, the three university terms are only ten weeks each, and during vacation times families are reunited.

When they first arrive at college, first year university students are called 'freshers'. Often freshers will live in a Hall of Residence on or near the college campus, although they may move out into a rented room in their second or third year, or share a house with friends.

During the first week, all the clubs and societies hold a 'freshers' fair' during which they try to persuade the new students to join their society.

As well as lectures, there are regular seminars, at which one of a small group of students (probably not more than ten) reads a paper he or she has written. The paper is then discussed by the tutor and the rest of the group. Once or twice a term, students will have a tutorial. This means that they see a tutor alone to discuss their work and their progress. In Oxford and Cambridge, and some other universities, the study system is based entirely around such tutorials which take place once a week. Attending lectures is optional for 'Oxbridge' students!

After three or four years (depending on the type of course and the university) these students will take their finals. Most of them (over 90 per cent) will get a first, second or third class degree and be able to put BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BSc (Bachelor of Science) after their name.

Students who have completed a first degree are eligible to undertake a postgraduate degree, which includes:

· Master's degree (typically taken in one year)

· Doctorate degree (typically taken in three years)

Postgraduate education is not automatically financed by the State, and so admission is in practice highly competitive.

Lecture 8

British Culture

PLAN

The Arts

1.1 Literature

1.2 Theatre

1.3 Music and cinema

1.4 Visual art

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1116