Similarities in Student Life

[A] At colleges and universities around the world, students from other places live in student housing, apartments or the private homes of other people. They walk to school or get there by bicycle or by car or with public transportation like the bus or subway. They take courses and attend classes. They study and take quizzes or tests or exams. They complete requirements. After years of study, they get certificates or college degrees. Outside school, they have other interests and family or social lives. In some ways life on the campuses of institutions of higher learning is the same everywhere in the world.

Systems of Higher Education

[B] Maybe student life is similar, but the system of higher education differs in countries around the world. For example, in the United States, post secondary students can live at home and go to community colleges for two years or more. Or they can choose four-year state or private colleges or universities. They can get financial aid, like scholarships, grants or loans. With undergraduate degrees, they can attend graduate school. The system is different in some countries of Asia or the Middle East, like Iran. There students take an exit exam in their last year of high school. The people with the highest scores attend the best universities in the country. Other students can go to other kinds of colleges or get jobs. There is another system in Germany. In that country, most graduates of academic high schools go to public universities or technical colleges. These schools don’t charge high tuition or educational fees, and students can stay in school for many years.

Differences in Teaching and Learning Styles

[C] But not only can the system of higher education vary. Teaching and learning methods and styles differ in various cultures, at different colleges and universities and in individual courses. For example, the atmosphere in many classrooms is very formal. Students use titles for their instructors, like “Professor Smith,” “Mrs. Jones,” and so on. Some teachers wear business clothes and give academic lectures. Other classrooms have an informal atmosphere. Instructors dress casually, and students use their first names. In this relaxed atmosphere, class members work together in groups. They give their opinions and talk about their ideas. Some teachers always follow a course plan or the textbook. They give a lot of assignments. They give points, scores, or grades for homework. In their courses, students take many quizzes, tests, and exams. All over the world, there are teaching and learning differences.

Campus Facilities and Services

[D] And what about the facilities and services available to students at college and university campuses around the world? At many institutions of higher learning, resources for learning and recreation are available to students. At libraries, they can read and study books and other materials. At learning resource centers, they can often work on computers. Maybe they can use educational software programs or the World Wide Web or Internet. Sometimes audio or video equipment is available. And people can buy books, supplies, and other things at campus stores. Also, learners can get advice from counselors and individual help with their courses from tutors. Maybe they can relax and have fun on campus, too. Some schools have swimming pools, tennis courts and other sports facilities. Most have snack bars, cafeterias, or other eating places. And at some schools, not all students go to the campus. They take Internet courses by computer, see and hear lectures on television, or use other kinds of distance learning.

Notes to the Text

1.quiz, test & exam: a quiz is a short test, while a test is less formal than an exam.

2.in some ways: to some extent, in a way.  

       

3.community college: a junior college funded by the government without residential facilities for students. As it is funded by the community or the government, the curriculum is fitted to the needs of the community. Students learn for two years and complete the academic requirements to get an associate degree. If possible, on the qualification of the academic records, students can be transferred to a four-year university to apply for a Bachelor’s Degree.

        

4.These schools don’t charge high tuition or educational fees, and students can stay in school for many years.

For several decades, German colleges and universities do not charge tuition or educational fees from the college students (although they do now). High school graduates do not have to take the entrance exams to get into universities. Instead, a graduation certificate from high school is enough. Due to its specific features in college education, the higher education adopts the principle of “loose enrollment, strict graduation”, which means that it may be easy to enter into colleges and universities but the graduation will be far more difficult so as to ensure the quality of students. According to the rules, the shortest academic term is 4-5 years. However, in fact, the average term for college graduates is 6 years. As the government and schools do not clearly put a limit on the academic terms, students can stay in the universities as long as they like, hence, the “professional” college students, who have stayed on campus for nearly 20 semesters.     

5.business clothes: formal dress.   

6.points & scores: the score is the total number or the adding up of points. E.g. The score of Lily’s English exam is 85 points.

7.counselor: a person who gives advice; an adviser. The counselor, esp. career counselor, plays an important role in students’ life. Career counselors often help students get a clear understanding of themselves and the social situation before they make their career choices, which provides good guidance and orientation in job hunting and effectively reduces the chances of wrong or improper choices.      

   

8.court: in English, the names for the places of various sports games are different. Court is an open area marked with lines for games such as basketball, tennis, badminton, volleyball, etc. Places for baseball and football are called “fields” while the golf games have “course” as its game ground.

Vocabulary

Nouns

subway (Am. E)—underground (Br. E): an underground urban railroad, a kind of public transportation.   

certificates: a document testifying to the truth of something 证（明）书

scholarships: a financial aid awarded to a student, as for the purpose of attending a college. 奖学金

grants: an amount of money given to students in financial difficulties by the government. 补助金      

loans: a sum of money lent at interest.贷款   

instructors: (Am. E)—lecturer (Br. E): a university teacher.    

facilities: (often in plural form)equipment that make the process easier or convenient.       

resources: an available supply that can be drawn on when needed. 资源        

assignments: homework.

Verbs

relax: to relieve from tension 使轻松

differ: often appear with from in showing A is different from B. E.g. Mary differs from the other contestants in several aspects.

Adjectives

relaxed: 放松的

audio：relating to humanly audible sound. 声音的  

individual: 个体的，个人的

Adverb

casually: informally. It can refer to someone’s style of behavior and his clothes as well, as in casual wear.

Phrases

course plan 课程计划     

take courses 选课        

financial aid 经济资助      

take an exit exam: an exam similar to the national entrance examination in our country. 毕业考试.      

swimming pools 游泳池   

tennis courts 网球场     

distance learning 远程教育，网络教育

Cultural Note

College is a time to learn and grow—both in and out of the classroom. And the longer you spend on campus, the more inclined you might become to try new things. Taking on a college leadership role can, plain and simply be one of the best ways to challenge yourself and learn some valuable skills that you can use both during and after your college years. Fortunately, there's no shortage of leadership opportunities in college. You can be resident adviser in your residence hall, or run for a leadership role in a club or organization you're involved with, or even chair, start or help organize a community service project.

Working with a professor can be an amazing opportunity. You'll demonstrate that you're an intellectual leader who is interested in pursuing new things while learning important skills that you can use after graduation (like how to research and how to follow through on a major project). Leading the way toward the discovery and exploration of new ideas are fascinating, too.