Questions 2

Higher Education in Britain and the USA

1. Entrance to British universities is via a strict selection process based on an interview. After the interview a potential student is offered a place on the basis of exam results. If the student does not get the grades specified in the offer, a place cannot be taken up. Some universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, have an entrance exam before the interview stage.

American high school students who want to study at a college or university always take a standardized test, e.g. SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the ACT (American College Test). Non-native speakers of the English language must take the TOEFL. The student also has to send a transcript (= an official list of all the subjects studied and the grades received) and letters of reference

2. Vocational Schools, Technical Schools, and For-Profit Schools

3. The Associate degree is the first academic or professional degree that can be awarded in U.S. postsecondary education. Programmes of study for this degree are usually designed to take 2 years of full-time study, but some take longer to complete. The Bachelor's degree is the second academic degree that can be awarded in U.S. postsecondary education, and is one of two undergraduate (first) degrees that qualify a student to apply to programmes of advanced (graduate) study (the other such degree is the first-professional degree). Programmes of study for this degree are designed to take between 4 and 5 years, depending on the field of study. The Master's degree represents the second stage of higher education and is the first advanced (graduate) degree. U.S. Master's degrees may be taught (without thesis) or research (with thesis) and may be awarded in academic or professional fields. Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as PhD, Ph.D., D.Phil., or DPhil in English-speaking countries and originally as Dr.Philos. (for the Latin philosophiae doctor or doctor philosophiae), is in many countries a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities. The academic level known as a Doctorate of philosophy varies considerably according to the country, institution, and time period, from entry-level research degrees to higher doctorates. A person who attains a doctorate of philosophy is automatically awarded the academic title of doctor.

4. Traditionally, the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degrees require roughly 124-127 credit hours of coursework, divided among various subject, field and optional requirements. The four-year Bachelor's degree is divided into two years of lower-division studies (background or distribution courses in a wide range of subjects), followed by two years of upper division studies (mainly courses required by one's major subject. Students apply for admission to a major subject at the end of their second year.

Full-time students generally complete the Bachelor's degree in eight semesters (four academic years) of study, and would average a course workload of roughly 16 credit hours per semester, or 5-6 classes simultaneously. A full-time student is usually defined as one who takes (and passes) a minimum of 12 credit hours of courses per semester. The maximumnumber of credit hours students are allowed to attempt per semester is usually 20, unless special permission is granted.

5. Released in 1959, the PSAT is a standardized exam that prepares high school underclassmen for the SAT. Like the SAT, it tests math, writing and critical reading aptitude. Unlike the SAT, however, it has no timed essay or experimental section. The College Board states that SAT measures literacy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college. They state that the SAT assesses how well the test takers analyze and solve problems—skills they learned in school that they will need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. The ACT originally an abbreviation of American College Testing) college readiness assessment is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States. The ACT originally consisted of four tests: English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Natural Sciences. In 1989, the Social Studies test was changed into a Reading section

6. A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further his or her education. Scholarships are awarded based upon various criteria, which usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award. Scholarship money is not required to be repaid. Grants are often called “gift aid” because they are free money—financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid. Grants are often need-based, while scholarships are usually merit-based.    Grants and scholarships can come from the federal government, your state government, your college or career school, or a private or nonprofit organization. A student loan is designed to help students pay for university tuition, books, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in that the interest rate may be substantially lower and the repayment schedule may be deferred while the student is still in education. It also differs in many countries in the strict laws regulating renegotiating and bankruptcy.

7. Your Grade Point Average (GPA) is a measure of how well you are doing in your academic studies.  At TRU, the academic grading scale goes from “A+” to “F”, with corresponding grade points ranging from the highest “4.33” to the lowest “0.00”.  A student’s Grade Point Average, or GPA, is a mathematical calculation that indicates where an average of the grades falls on the scale.

8. A student’s counselor is responsible for:

·         Assisting students to identify their academic values and goals, consistent with their capabilities, interests, and educational backgrounds

·         Clarifying pertinent information and discussing the implications toward students’ academic success

·         Being accessible and available to students to respond to their questions and concerns

·         Clarifying academic policies, college regulations, program requirements, procedures, and other college information

·         Maintaining professional integrity, confidentiality, respect, and sensitivity in advising

·         Helping students define and develop educational plans; assisting in the selection of appropriate course work and opportunities to achieve students’ goals

·         Respecting students’ individual needs and diversity

·         Assisting students to independently monitor their progress toward achieving their educational and career goals

·         Being knowledgeable about, promoting and referring students to appropriate campus and community resources and services

·         Informing students of the roles and responsibilities of the advisor/student relationship

·         Maintaining currency in academic advising trends and techniques through professional development

 10. Government, voluntary sector

 11. An undergraduate student is one who is pursing either an associate's or bachelor's degree. A graduate student (also, grad student or grad in American English, or postgraduate student in British English) is an individual who has completed a bachelor's degree (B.A., B.S./B.Sc., or another flavor) and is pursuing further higher education, with the goal of achieving a master's degree (M.A., M.S./M.Sc., M.Ed., etc.) or doctorate (Ph.D., Ed.D., D.A., D.Sc., D.M.A., Th.D., etc.).

12. I like written exams because you can think more, miss one question and them return to it. It is less stressful for me. I like to have a plan and spontaneous questions in oral exams are not for me. I don’t know which exam is more objective but I think that the written one.

13. After completing the secondary general education, students need to pass the State final attestation (written), after which they will be awarded a Certificate of Secondary General Education.

14. Yes, I would like to try to study in Britain and in the USA as well. It’s a good opportunity to improve language and get a qualified education which would be useful all around the world.

15. I would like to add the US system of two years at college where you are thinking about your future specialization and attend courses you like.