DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(Higher Education in Britain and the USA)

1. American students who want to study at a college or university have to take a standardized test ( SAT or ACT). Each college has its own application form and every student has to send an official list of all the subjects which he had studied and the  letters of reference.

2. Three types of schools in higher education are universities, teacher-training colleges and polytechnics.

3. In Britain:

A first degree, which is usually an honours degree, generally takes three years. Most courses end with exams called finals. Results are given as classes (= grades): a first is the highest class, seconds are often split between upper second and lower second, and below that is a third. Graduates may add the letters BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BSc (Bachelor of Science) after their name. Some graduates go on to study for a further degree, often a master’s degree or a doctorate.
In the USA: Students are given grades at the end of each course. The highest grade is A; the lowest is F, which means that the student has failed the course and will not get credit for taking it. To check a student’s overall progress, the university calculates a grade point average (GPA). Students who finish their degree with a high GPA may be awarded Latin honours, of which the highest is summa cum laude.

4. The student’s work is given a mark. “A” is the highest mark and “F” is the lowest one. A bachelor's degree in most areas can require between 124 to 128 college credits particular to a specific program of study. Every student can earn it in four years.

5. SAT can be taken two or three times (in the 11th and 12th grades), generally proceeded by PSAT (preliminary), a test to give students a warm-up exercise for the SAT and indicate their probable SAT scoring range.  ACT (the American College Testing program) is similar to SAT but scores social studies and natural studies. The ACT is taken when required by certain colleges or universities.

Both tests are widely used in the admission process of US colleges and universities. Their results are sent to the colleges or universities to which the students have applied. ACT is meant to be taken only once.

6.  Students in Britain formerly had their tuition fees paid by the state and received a government grant to help pay their living expenses. Now, they receive only a loan towards their expenses, and from 1999 most will also have to pay £1 000 a year towards tuition fees.

7. Grade Point Average (GPA) is  an average academic score for a student in a US high school, college or university. The highest grade A receives 4 points, В is 3, С is 2, D is 1 and F is 0.

8. School counselors help students in the areas of academic achievement, personal and social development, career development.

10. A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government. Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive tax breaks, public student loans, and grants.

11. Undergraduate is a student who is doing a university course for a Bachelor's degree.

Graduate is a person who has completed a university degree course.

12. Speaking about the best way to examine a student, in my opinion, it’s rather difficult to say what is better. I think oral examinations are not always the best way to check the knowledge, because sometimes students may simply forget everything they know due to their anxiety. To my mind written exams are more objective.

13. As for our university, the oral exams are more popular. In spite of the fact that this procedure is more nervous for students, it’s a good way to check his knowledge.

14. I think it would be unreasonable to give up such an opportunity to study abroad. As for students who have graduated from a high school in a country where English is not the official language they must take a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  

15. I think it will be great to allow students to choose a list of major subjects, which are more interesting for them.