The terms “college” and “university” are often used interchangeably in the United States. Usually, a college offers a four-year program of study leading toward the Bachelor’s degree. Colleges may be independent, offering only undergraduate programs, or they may be part of a university that offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
The four- year program leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree (B. A.) or the Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.). Generally, the B.A. degree is regarded as preparation for further graduate or professional study, while the B.S. degree is regarded as preparation for immediate professional work. In some programs the distinction may be slight.
Within separate university colleges there are departmental divisions, made according to disciplines: Department of Computer Science, Department of Political Science and Economics, Department of Mathematics. Each department is headed by the Chairperson.
One major decision which faces the American student ready to begin higher education is the choice of attending a large university or a small college. The large university provides a wide range of specialized departments as well as numerous courses within such departments. The small college, however, generally provides a limited number of courses but offers a better student/ faculty ratio, thus permitting individualized attention to students. The large university exposes its students to many different cultural, social, and extracurricular programs. The small college provides greater opportunities for direct involvement and individual participation in such activities.
In the United States, public educational institutions receive about 75 % of their funds from local, state and federal sources, but private colleges and universities receive little or no government support. Student financial aid is administered by the university or the sponsoring agency and is provided by private organizations, and the state and federal governments. All financial aid awards are made by the Financial Aid Office of a college or a university and are based on financial need of a student. Student financial aid is awarded in the form of grants (with no repayment), loans (long-term, low interest, with repayment following graduation) and scholarships (with no repayment).
Methods of instruction in US colleges and universities vary with the type of class and the style of the professor teaching it. Professors are allowed a great deal of freedom in conducting classes, and sometimes students need extra help in learning how to study for classes. If a student should fall behind in any of his/ her classes, he/ she is expected to seek help immediately from the professor, teaching assistant or his/her academic advisor.
The most common method of instruction at U.S. colleges and universities is a classroom lecture usually lasting 55-60 minutes. Lecture classes are usually large, while seminar classes are much smaller and involve more participation and presentation based on independent reading or research in the library.
In many courses, lectures are followed by discussion at seminar classes. If class discussion is encouraged, it is important to contribute to it. In many cases the student’s grade will be partly determined by his/ her participation in class discussion.
American colleges and universities operate on three main types of calendars that divide the year into terms: the semester, trimester, and quarter systems. The academic year is approximately nine months long, no matter how it is divided.
The semester system divides this period of nine months in half, resulting in fall and spring semesters. It is used by 69 % of US colleges and universities. Schools that use the trimester and quarter systems divide the same nine months into three-month terms. The summer term is the forth quarter in the quarter system, and enrollment in classes is optional.
There are usually two examination periods in each term, one in the middle and one again at the end. Holiday schedules vary with each school, but there are usually a number of short holidays in each term, a longer break in December and January, and a weeklong vacation period in the early spring.
NOTES
| BrE | AmE |
| programme towards graduate = a person who has com- pleted a university degree course student/ teacher ratio autumn (semester) | program toward graduate = a postgraduate student student/ faculty ratio fall (semester) |
TEXT 2
A Student in Economics
Charlie Wintage ran up the steps of the Administrative Building, hurried through the revolving doors and walked down the long hall to the Dean of Men’s1 office. He was ten minutes late. Before he opened the frosted-glass door he took out a pair of amber-colored spectacles and put them on. Then he went in and handed the summons2 to the secretary.
“The Dean will see you in a moment”, she said, “Please take a chair”.
Charlie sat down and gave a glance about the office. Three freshmen, holding their green caps were waiting with him. He recognized none of them, so he picked up a week-old copy of a newspaper and started reading it. But the room was warm and he immediately went to sleep. The newspaper slipped down on the floor. His amber-colored spectacles hid his eyes and no one could see that they were closed. He was awakened by the secretary shaking him.
“Wake up and pay for your bed, old man!” one of the freshmen called and everyone laughed heartily.
“I sort of drowsed off3. It’s so nice and warm here”, Charlie said apologizing to the secretary.
The Dean of Men got up as he entered and said: “Ah, this is Charlie Wintage, isn’t it? How do you like the university by now, Wintage? Eyes troubling you?4“
“Pretty well, sir. Yes, sir, a little. I wear these spectacles“.
The secretary brought his folder5 and the Dean looked through it briefly. “Well, Wintage, I suppose you are anxious to know why I sent for you. The unpleasant truth is, Wintage, you don’t seem to be doing well in your studies. Now, to be quite frank, Wintage, you’re on the verge of flunking out6. Less than a third of the semester remains, and you have an F grade7 in English and D grades in Psychology and Military Training. On the other hand, you have an A average in Spanish and a B in Economics. Wintage, how do you account for8 your failing English when you are an A student in Spanish?
“To tell you the truth, sir, I got behind in my written work in English and I’ve never been able to catch up. And I don’t really have to study Spanish. My father is a railway section foreman in my home town and he’s always had a gang of Mexicans working for him. I’ve been speaking Spanish ever since I was a kid9”.
“How about this B grade in Economics? That’s a fairly high grade”.
“Yes, sir. Our Economics professor doesn’t give exams. Instead he gives everyone a B until he calls for 10 our term papers. And the grade you get on your term paper is your semester grade. We have to do a lot of outside reading for the term paper. But I’m counting on keeping11 that B in Economics”.
“That’s fine, Wintage. But it appears to me that it’s high time12 you were getting busy on some of the other grades too. You made an unusually high grade at your entrance exams. Graduated from high school13 with honours14. What’s the trouble, Wintage?”
“I don’t know, sir, except I work at night at a cafe”.
“How many hours do you work?”
“Ten hours, sir. From nine till seven. The cafe stays open all night”.
“Very interesting, Wintage. But don’t you suppose that it would be advisable to cut down a bit on this outside work and attend a little more closely to your studies?”
“I couldn’t work fewer hours and stay in school15, sir. I pay my room rent and I’ve been paying out on a suit of clothes”.
“Can you arrange for a little financial support from home? “
“No, sir. I’m afraid not. I have two brothers and two sisters at home younger than I am. It wouldn’t be right for me to ask my father to send money out of what he makes”.
“I see, but all this is beside the point16. We are here to discuss the state of your grades, Wintage. As you must know, any student who turns in17 less than half his work is automatically suspended18 from the university and must return to his home. Now one more bad mark and out you will go, Wintage’.
“I’d hate to have to go back home like that. You know there are not many jobs nowadays, sir’.
“Well, unless you can alter your circumstances, I suggest that you withdraw from the university19 at once”.
“I believe I’ll try to stick it through20, sir. I’ll try to remove the F and D grades and maybe I can luck through on my finals21”.
(After George Milburn)
Notes:
| 1) Dean of Men = (in some universities) a person who is responsible for academic matters and behaviour of male students. 2) summons = official order to appear in the Dean’s office 3) I sort of drowsed off = I nearly fell asleep 4) Eyes troubling you? (colloquial) = Are your eyes troubling you? 5) folder = папка с личным делом студента 6) flunk out (AmE, informal) = be dismissed from a college or university for failure 7) F grade = 0.0 mark for failing work (D grade is 1.0 mark, passing mark at U.S. universities) 8) account for = explain 9) kid (AmE) = child 10) call for = ask for 11) count on keeping... = expect to keep... 12) it’s high time = it’s proper time 13) high school (AmE) = secondary school 14) with honours = with top marks 15) school (AmE) = university 16) beside the point = has nothing to do with the main subject 17) turn in (a term paper) (AmE) = hand in (a term paper) 18) be suspended from = be dismissed from classes the university for a time 19) withdraw from the university = drop out of the university 20) stick it through = continue in spite of difficulties, refuse to give in 21) I can luck through on my finals = I hope to be lucky at my final examinations |
UNIT 3
TEXT FOR STUDY: A Talk on Globalisation. (TEXT A)
GRAMMAR GUIDE: 1. THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE.
2. THE PRESENT PERFECT AND THE PAST PERFECT TENSES
3. THE PRESENT PROGRESSIVE (CONTINUOUS) TENSE
READING Topic: Global Brands (TEXT B)
Skill: Scanning (reading for specific information).
TOPICAL SPEAKING TASK: Globalization and the World Market
SPEAKING Topics: 1. Making requests.
2. Expressing one’s personal opinion.
3. At a students’ scientific conference.
Activity: Interviewing your partner. Acting out
dialogues.
WRITING: Correcting a letter
INDEPENDENT READING:
TEXT 1. Consumerism as a by-product of the global market
economy.
TEXT 2. New terms from the last global recession.
TEXT 3. Access to information technology in “information society”.
PRE-TEXT TASKS
