Особенности учебного процесса в разных странах, Академическая мобильность, страница 15

3. The third stage is “further” education at university, college or Polytechnics (tertiary). 

The availability of higher education and finding a university place is not easy. Universities, although financed by the government, have autonomy and each one has complete control over what to teach, how to teach it, and how to test the students. They make their own choices and accept only the better students on their courses. Universities normally select students on the basis of top grades in several A-level results and an interview, and competition for places is fierce. Because of this, and also because of the relatively high degree of personal supervision of students nearly all university students complete their studies in a very short time. The costly and labour-intensive system of instruction known as tutorials has been polishing minds for 800 years. The strength of the tutorial system is that it’s almost impossible to be lazy under it. Within the first week the freshman meets the tutor to whom he is assigned and begins his work. At his first interview the tutor discovers how far advanced the student is already, and tells him about the requirements for the examination, about the course of reading to be begun at once, and about the lectures which he must take.

The academic year in Britain’s universities is divided into three terms, which usually run from the beginning of October to the end of June or beginning of July. After three years of study a university graduate will leave with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc. The degrees are awarded at public degree ceremonies. It is only for modern languages, medicine and certain vocational studies that students take more than three years. Later a university graduate may continue to take the Master’s Degree and then the Doctor’s Degree. Research is an important feature of university work.

Another reason for the low drop-out rate is that “full-time” really means full-time. For all British citizens a place at university brings with it a grant from LEA which covers tuition fees and some of the living expenses. The amount depends on the parent’s income. Students from low-income families receive a state full grant of money which covers all their living expenses and includes the cost of accommodation if they are non-local. The cost of education depends on the college and speciality which one chooses.

This is how a student spends his day. His working hours are from 9 to 1. At 9 o’clock he will see the tutor or go to the library, or to the lecture. From 2 to 5 he is engaged in sport and all kinds of exercise to prove himself on river or field. From 5 to 7 he usually either works in the library or in the laboratory. 7 o’clock is the dinner-hour when the undergraduates and dons are gathered in the hall. After dinner the students have club activities, debating societies, etc. At 10 o’clock the student must be in the college and sit down to work for about 2 hours.

In many cases people cannot gain qualifications for certain professions by doing an ordinary university course and go to specialized institutions which are separate from any university. They can study architecture at university but this alone does not qualify them to be architects and most of them have learnt their professions at a separate School of Architecture.

There is an interesting form of studies which is called the Open University, when people study in their own free time and “attend” lectures by watching television, listening radio, using Internet. They keep in touch with their tutors by phone, letter or on-line.

Glossary