Higher Education in Britain and the USA
1. Each university and college in the U.S has its own
international student entry requirements – the minimum requirements for grades
and standardised tests, e.g. the TOEFL and SAT, varies from institution to
institution. Even within the same university there may be different admissions
requirements, depending on which major you choose to study. Usually, the higher
your grades and test scores, the better chance you have of getting into one of
the top institutions in the U.S, eg. Cornell, Harvard.
The universities
in the United Kingdom (with the exception of The Open University) share an
undergraduate admission system which is operated by UCAS. Applications must be
made by 15 October for admissions to Oxford and Cambridge (and medicine,
dentistry and veterinary science courses) and by 15 January for admissions to
other UK universities.Many universities now operate the Credit Accumulation and
Transfer Scheme (CATS) and all universities in Scotland use the Scottish Credit
and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) enabling easier transfer between courses
and institutions.One-half of universities have lost confidence in the grades
that are awarded by secondary schools, and require many applicants to sit for a
competitive entrance examination. According to the Schools Minister, “strong
evidence has been emerging of grade inflation across subjects” in recent years
2. What are the three types of schools in higher
education?
Almost all
higher educational institutions proceed through an accreditation process, which
is developed to promote academic standards within the educational institution.
Several accreditation agencies exist to ensure that graduates meet certain
standards and secure consistency in education. There are numerous benefits for
accreditation, namely, evaluation of curriculum, attentiveness of faculty to
present the curriculum, and program. The educational philosophy that guides the
principles of the institution and its structure has several components, which
will be addressed under specific educational institutions. Vocational Schools, Technical Schools, and
For-Profit Schools.
3. What degrees are offered by schools of higher learning
in the USA/Britain? What are the requirements for these
degrees?
Four-year
colleges, which usually have a larger number of students and offer a greater
range of studies, provide the bachelor's degree, mostly the Bachelor of Arts
(B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.). They are either primarily undergraduate
institutions (i.e. Liberal Arts Colleges) or the undergraduate institution of a
university (such as Harvard College and Yale College). Universities
are research-oriented educational institutions which provide both undergraduate
and graduate programs. However, for historical reasons, some universities (such
as Boston College, Dartmouth College, and The College of William & Mary)
have retained the term "college" as their name. Graduate programs
grant a variety of master's degrees (like the Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of
Science (M.S.), Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) or Master of Fine
Arts (M.F.A.)) in addition to doctorates such as the Ph.D. The Carnegie
Classification of Institutions of Higher Education distinguishes among
institutions on the basis of the prevalence of degrees they grant and considers
the granting of master's degrees necessary, though not sufficient, for an
institution to be classified as a university.
At postgraduate
level, the main qualifications offered are:
Master's degree.
A master’s qualification gives you the opportunity to further your knowledge of
a particular subject or to go in a completely different direction using the
skills you’ve gained from your undergraduate studies. A master’s degree is an
academic qualification awarded to individuals who successfully demonstrate a
higher level of expertise in a particular field of study. You can study one in
almost any subject, but there are two main types of master’s: taught and
research.
MBA courses. A
Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is an internationally recognised
qualification which gives you the skills you need for a successful management
career. MBA courses cover topics such as business policy and strategy,
operational and strategic management, marketing, market research, finance and
accounting, IT, human resource management, leadership, entrepreneurship and
international trade.
PhDs/doctorates.
A Doctor of Philosophy, or doctorate (PhD/DPhil) is the highest academic level
a student can achieve. These degrees are very demanding and often lead to
careers in academia. Doctorate courses can be applied for by students who achieve
at least a 2:1 result at undergraduate level. Although you don’t necessarily
need a master’s degree, it is usual practice to undertake one before a PhD.
Postgraduate
diplomas and qualifications. For those wishing to continue their studies beyond
an undergraduate degree, a variety of options are available. Postgrad
certificates and diplomas allow students to study something new or build on the
skills and knowledge already gained during their first degree.
Professional and
vocational qualifications. A professional or vocational qualification is
usually taken to improve skills or gain attributes required by specific jobs.
Most awards will involve practical training, giving you the opportunity to
experience a job first-hand.
Conversion
courses. A conversion course is a vocational postgraduate qualification usually
taken by graduates wanting to change subject area after their first degree and
better prepare themselves for the job market.
4. What is a credit in the US system of higher education?
How many credits must an undergraduate student earn to receive a bachelor’s
degree? How
can they be earned?
Most colleges
use a 5-stage letter grade system in which the letters are worth a certain
number of "points":
A -- highest
grade -- worth 4 "points"
B -- above
average grade -- worth 3 points
C -- average
passing grade -- worth 2 points
D -- minimum
passing grade -- worth 1 point
F -- failure (no
credit) -- zero points
5. What steps do
students have to take to enroll in a college/university for admission? Speak
about the exams they take – PSAT, SAT, ACT.
The SAT and ACT
tests are primarily used for college admission purposes or financial aid. If
your child is college bound, these tests are important. Even if your home
school child is not currently thinking about attending college, you may still
want to consider having your child take either the SAT or ACT (primarily used
for east coast schools). Your child's post high school plans may change one
day, and having an SAT or ACT score on file will facilitate the college
entrance process.
6. What
financial assistance are applicants eligible for? What is college scholarship,
grants, loan? Explain and bring out the essence of student financial aid.
Loans
Remember when you were a kid and asked your
brother for some cash to buy a few new baseball cards? Sure, he gave it to you
but he did so expecting you would pay him back. That’s a loan in its simplest
form and when it comes time to start writing those checks to your child’s
college or university, you’ll need more than those few bucks to cover the cost.
The school, banks and even the government can step into that role formerly held
by your sibling – its pockets are much deeper – to provide the funds you need
but just like your baseball card loan, you will have to pay it back
eventually…this time with interest.
Grants
Grants, like
loans, can come from both federal funds and private institutions but, unlike
loans, you do not have to repay them. Stop rubbing your eyes and questioning
your reading comprehension skills because you read that sentence correctly: YOU
DO NOT HAVE TO REPAY THEM. Feel free to let out a sigh of relief or do a
celebratory dance; we’ll be here when you’re ready to start reading again.
Scholarships
Hooray for more free money for college: Just
like their cousin the grant, scholarships do not require repayment and are
awarded for almost anything. Seeing as though scholarships are what we know
best (note our name), you’ll find plenty of advice on this subject all over our
site but here are the most important things to consider.
7. What is a GPA
(Grade Point Average)?
Grading in
education is the process of applying standardized measurements of varying
levels of achievement in a course.
Grades can be
assigned in letters (for example A, B, C, D, E or F), as a range (for example 1
to 6), as a percentage of a total number correct, as a number out of a possible
total (for example out of 20 or 100), or as descriptors (excellent, great,
satisfactory, needs improvement).
In some
countries, all grades from all current classes are averaged to create a grade
point average (GPA) for the marking period. The GPA is calculated by taking the
number of grade points a student earned in a given period of time divided by
the total number of credits taken.[1] The GPA can be used by potential
employers or educational institutions to assess and compare applicants. A
Cumulative Grade Point Average is a calculation of the average of all of a
student's grades for all courses completed so far.
8. What is the
role of a student’s counselor? Specify the function of career development and
job placement within a university.
Student
Counselors provide vital services to all students who want to make the most of
their time in college. When visiting Counseling Services, students will receive
caring, knowledgeable assistance. Below
are just a few of the services we offer.
10. What are the
sources of funding for universities and colleges (both public and private)?
Universities
that provide four-year study courses are either privately funded foundations or
are state or city foundations that depend heavily on the government for
financial support. Private universities and colleges depend largely on tuition
charges levied on students. The individual state governments fund the nation’s
highly developed system of state universities, which ensure the provision of
higher education for the vast majority of those willing and academically qualified
to receive such education.
11. What is an undergraduate student? A graduate student?
The
undergraduate classes are usually the first 4 years of college until you get
your Bachelor's Degree. After the Bachelor's Degree, you would apply to
graduate school to get a Master's Degree or a PhD.
12. Are you for written or oral examinations? Which ones
are more objective?
Oral and written
examinations have much bigger differences then common features. At first glance
the written examination seems to be easier for student – you have more time for
preparing, rallying your thoughts, you have the chance of cheating and copying
the information from the textbook – that’s all advantage. From the other hand
it is very difficult to put in words your thoughts when the time is limited. If
you didn’t learn some theme and you happened to take the examination card with
this question, it would be impossible to trick your teacher by using many words
for describing what you didn’t know.
14. Would you like to study in the USA or Great Britain?
Why? Why not? What are the requirements for foreign students to study in the
USA or Great Britain?
The number of
international students attending school in the US has risen steadily in the
past five years, and now totals more than 723,000 students according to the
most recent report from the Institute for International Education. Within the
US, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Texas are the most
popular locales for foreign students.
Though the UK's
higher education system is much smaller than what the US has to offer, the
proportion of international students in the UK is comparatively high,
accounting for 17% (as compared to ~3% in the U.S.). In 2009-10, the number of
international students in the UK was 428,225; in descending order, the most
chosen destinations for study were England, Scotland, Wales, then Northern
Ireland.
15. What aspects of American or British higher education
system would you like to introduce into our system?
Well, it’s very
difficult to judge what I would like to introduce , because every system is peculiar
but I believe that system of admission in US universities is rather better that
in Russia.
