#1 University Vocab: Lectures vs Seminars
🆕 Are you preparing to enter university at home or abroad? Our university vocab guide is here to give you some background knowledge.
❗️We all know what classes are. At university we also have classes but there are different types of classes!
▶️ Lectures are classes for many students, sometimes over 100, often held in big rooms called lecture halls. The teachers are normally professors or senior lecturers and students sit quietly while listening and taking notes.
▶️ Seminars are for fewer students, usually no more than twenty. The students don’t sit in rows but in a U-shape or around a big table. In this way they can discuss, which is the main purpose of a seminar.
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📝 lecture hall = big room in a university where lectures are held
📝 senior lecturer = an experienced university teacher
📝 taking notes = writing down important points
📝 row = a line of seats
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
🆕 Are you preparing to enter university at home or abroad? Our university vocab guide is here to give you some background knowledge.
❗️We all know what classes are. At university we also have classes but there are different types of classes!
▶️ Lectures are classes for many students, sometimes over 100, often held in big rooms called lecture halls. The teachers are normally professors or senior lecturers and students sit quietly while listening and taking notes.
▶️ Seminars are for fewer students, usually no more than twenty. The students don’t sit in rows but in a U-shape or around a big table. In this way they can discuss, which is the main purpose of a seminar.
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📝 lecture hall = big room in a university where lectures are held
📝 senior lecturer = an experienced university teacher
📝 taking notes = writing down important points
📝 row = a line of seats
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#2 University Vocab: Academic Literature
❗️When you study at a university you most likely have to read a lot for your essays and thesis paper.
🔎 Books are reliable sources of information. You find them in the library or, if you’re lucky, as pdf-files on the internet. Copyright is tricky, but you can always turn to Russian websites!
🔎 Articles, also just called papers, are more specialised than books. They are usually included in academic journals. It’s easy to get them on the internet but the quality of articles and also journals is not always good.
🔎 Websites are not academic literature! Anyone can publish anything online.
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📌reliable = trustworthy, always there for you
📌tricky = complicated, difficult
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❗️When you study at a university you most likely have to read a lot for your essays and thesis paper.
🔎 Books are reliable sources of information. You find them in the library or, if you’re lucky, as pdf-files on the internet. Copyright is tricky, but you can always turn to Russian websites!
🔎 Articles, also just called papers, are more specialised than books. They are usually included in academic journals. It’s easy to get them on the internet but the quality of articles and also journals is not always good.
🔎 Websites are not academic literature! Anyone can publish anything online.
----------
📌reliable = trustworthy, always there for you
📌tricky = complicated, difficult
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#3 University Vocab: Tuition Fees
❗️ Deciding where to study is never easy because you have to think about so many things. Especially money. So it’s good to know what is what!
🔎 Tuition fees (British English) or just tuition (American English) is the money you have to pay for your studies.
🔎 A scholarship can be awarded to good students, either only covering their tuition or both tuition and living expenses. It is either paid to the university directly or to the student in form of monthly payments, not called “salary” but stipend.
🔎 A grant is money that can be given by a government or an organisation as part of a programme.
🔎 A student loan is money that students can get from a bank and have to pay back after they graduate.
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📌sth is awarded to sb = sth is given to a person for doing sth well
📌cover sth = here: be enough money to pay for sth
📌living expenses = money that people spend for food, housing, etc.
Keep it cool!
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❗️ Deciding where to study is never easy because you have to think about so many things. Especially money. So it’s good to know what is what!
🔎 Tuition fees (British English) or just tuition (American English) is the money you have to pay for your studies.
🔎 A scholarship can be awarded to good students, either only covering their tuition or both tuition and living expenses. It is either paid to the university directly or to the student in form of monthly payments, not called “salary” but stipend.
🔎 A grant is money that can be given by a government or an organisation as part of a programme.
🔎 A student loan is money that students can get from a bank and have to pay back after they graduate.
----------
📌sth is awarded to sb = sth is given to a person for doing sth well
📌cover sth = here: be enough money to pay for sth
📌living expenses = money that people spend for food, housing, etc.
Keep it cool!
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#4 University Vocab: Assessment
❗️ When studying at a university the way you get your grades is quite different from school. Let’s take a closer look:
🔎 Assessment means “evaluation” but it is more than just one grade. It’s usually made up of several parts adding up to 100%, for example 40% for an exam, 30% for an essay, and 30% for participation.
🔎 The pass mark is different in different countries. This is something to watch out for!
🔎 We speak of coursework for all the assessed homework that we have to do for one course at university. Did I say “homework”? That sounds a bit childish. The better word is assignments.
🔎 When we successfully complete a course we usually get some credit points.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❗️ When studying at a university the way you get your grades is quite different from school. Let’s take a closer look:
🔎 Assessment means “evaluation” but it is more than just one grade. It’s usually made up of several parts adding up to 100%, for example 40% for an exam, 30% for an essay, and 30% for participation.
🔎 The pass mark is different in different countries. This is something to watch out for!
🔎 We speak of coursework for all the assessed homework that we have to do for one course at university. Did I say “homework”? That sounds a bit childish. The better word is assignments.
🔎 When we successfully complete a course we usually get some credit points.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#5 University Vocab: Time Off
❗️ When we go to school we get our holidays, and that’s fairly simple. But what about university?
🔎 The time between two semesters is called semester break. How long that is and whether the students are totally off or still have exams or coursework (see #4) depends on the country.
🔎 Academic leave is what you apply for if you have personal reasons like illness, pregnancy, family issues, etc. and you cannot study for one semester or more.
🔎 Between school and university young adults may do a gap year in which they work or travel or do some volunteering. This has become a common thing to do in recent years, especially in developed countries.
🔎 It is popular for university lecturers to have a sabbatical – that is a break from their academic career, usually for one year. Academics enjoy some time away from the students, and it is important for their research and career development.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❗️ When we go to school we get our holidays, and that’s fairly simple. But what about university?
🔎 The time between two semesters is called semester break. How long that is and whether the students are totally off or still have exams or coursework (see #4) depends on the country.
🔎 Academic leave is what you apply for if you have personal reasons like illness, pregnancy, family issues, etc. and you cannot study for one semester or more.
🔎 Between school and university young adults may do a gap year in which they work or travel or do some volunteering. This has become a common thing to do in recent years, especially in developed countries.
🔎 It is popular for university lecturers to have a sabbatical – that is a break from their academic career, usually for one year. Academics enjoy some time away from the students, and it is important for their research and career development.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#6 University Vocab: Online Education
❗️ Online education – e-learning or distance education – is becoming more and more popular.
🔎 Distance learning is not a new thing, and at some universities you can get Bachelor or Master degrees just by studying online. However, such degrees are not very valuable.
🔎 While higher education is still mostly on-campus learning, almost every university nowadays has their own e-learning platform for sharing materials, submitting coursework, etc.
🔎 There is something between on-campus education and distance education which is called blended learning. Students of blended courses do one part of their studies on campus and another part online.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❗️ Online education – e-learning or distance education – is becoming more and more popular.
🔎 Distance learning is not a new thing, and at some universities you can get Bachelor or Master degrees just by studying online. However, such degrees are not very valuable.
🔎 While higher education is still mostly on-campus learning, almost every university nowadays has their own e-learning platform for sharing materials, submitting coursework, etc.
🔎 There is something between on-campus education and distance education which is called blended learning. Students of blended courses do one part of their studies on campus and another part online.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#8 University Vocab: Entering & Leaving University
❗️ There are some words to know about starting and finishing your studies at university. What are they?
🔎 There is only one way to begin your studies officially, and that is to enrol after receiving an admission letter to confirm that you have been accepted.
🔎 There are three ways to leave the university. In the best case you complete your programme and graduate. However, some students find studying too hard or they have other things to do. They may stop studying without completing their programme and drop out. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were famous university dropouts. Finally, some few students may also get expelled for doing something bad.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❗️ There are some words to know about starting and finishing your studies at university. What are they?
🔎 There is only one way to begin your studies officially, and that is to enrol after receiving an admission letter to confirm that you have been accepted.
🔎 There are three ways to leave the university. In the best case you complete your programme and graduate. However, some students find studying too hard or they have other things to do. They may stop studying without completing their programme and drop out. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were famous university dropouts. Finally, some few students may also get expelled for doing something bad.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#9 University Vocab: Coursework
❗️ University isn’t like a primary school. We may have to do some reading as homework for the next seminar or lecture but what about written, graded homework?
🔎 In each semester you have some coursework to do. Coursework consists of assignments you have to write for each course (seminar, lecture, etc.) that you are taking. That could be essays, project reports, summaries, internship reports, or any other pieces of writing that you give (hand in or submit) to your professor or lecturer for grading.
🔎 What’s really important for coursework is the deadline of each assignment, sometimes also called “due date”. You will be given a date and by that date you have to finish writing and submit. If you’re late you may get punished, perhaps by a 5% penalty on your mark per day. Some universities are very strict with this.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❗️ University isn’t like a primary school. We may have to do some reading as homework for the next seminar or lecture but what about written, graded homework?
🔎 In each semester you have some coursework to do. Coursework consists of assignments you have to write for each course (seminar, lecture, etc.) that you are taking. That could be essays, project reports, summaries, internship reports, or any other pieces of writing that you give (hand in or submit) to your professor or lecturer for grading.
🔎 What’s really important for coursework is the deadline of each assignment, sometimes also called “due date”. You will be given a date and by that date you have to finish writing and submit. If you’re late you may get punished, perhaps by a 5% penalty on your mark per day. Some universities are very strict with this.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#10 University Vocab: Undergrad Years
❗️ Most universities in the world now offer 4-year Bachelor programmes. What’s the vocab?
🔎 There are basically two ways, one American and one British. The American one is more specific, four words, one for each year, while the British one is plain and suits any country’s education system.
🔎 In America, students in the first year of college or undergrad studies are called freshman, no matter if they are male or female. Students of the second year are called sophomore, in their third year they are called junior and in their final year senior. There are also super senior students – those who don’t graduate on time and stay for a fifth year.
🔎 In Britain and elsewhere first-year students are simply called first-year students, or in Britain itself sometimes freshers, in the second year we can call them second-year students, then third-year students and in the fourth year final-year students.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❗️ Most universities in the world now offer 4-year Bachelor programmes. What’s the vocab?
🔎 There are basically two ways, one American and one British. The American one is more specific, four words, one for each year, while the British one is plain and suits any country’s education system.
🔎 In America, students in the first year of college or undergrad studies are called freshman, no matter if they are male or female. Students of the second year are called sophomore, in their third year they are called junior and in their final year senior. There are also super senior students – those who don’t graduate on time and stay for a fifth year.
🔎 In Britain and elsewhere first-year students are simply called first-year students, or in Britain itself sometimes freshers, in the second year we can call them second-year students, then third-year students and in the fourth year final-year students.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#11 University Vocab: Rankings
❗️ The world loves Harvard and Oxford, no matter who makes these university rankings and how they are made. What’s there to be understood?
🔎 There are three big global university rankings: QS, Times Higher Education (THE) and ARWU (or “Shanghai”) Rankings. QS and THE are both published in Britain while the Shanghai Rankings are Chinese. QS is the most popular one but don’t forget that there’s no agreement on the ranks as they all use different criteria. So nobody can say that Oxford is definitely better than Cambridge or vice versa.
🔎 If you’re really interested in the quality of your future university you may want to check subject rankings. What matters more to your studies is the quality of your faculty and department, not the whole university. Besides, national rankings (not from the big three) can also give you some clearer ideas.
❗️Rankings can help us make decisions but we should be careful. Statistics and likelihoods are not guarantees.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❗️ The world loves Harvard and Oxford, no matter who makes these university rankings and how they are made. What’s there to be understood?
🔎 There are three big global university rankings: QS, Times Higher Education (THE) and ARWU (or “Shanghai”) Rankings. QS and THE are both published in Britain while the Shanghai Rankings are Chinese. QS is the most popular one but don’t forget that there’s no agreement on the ranks as they all use different criteria. So nobody can say that Oxford is definitely better than Cambridge or vice versa.
🔎 If you’re really interested in the quality of your future university you may want to check subject rankings. What matters more to your studies is the quality of your faculty and department, not the whole university. Besides, national rankings (not from the big three) can also give you some clearer ideas.
❗️Rankings can help us make decisions but we should be careful. Statistics and likelihoods are not guarantees.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#12 University Vocab: Science, What Science?
❓Academic subjects, also called disciplines, can be divided in two kinds. What are they?
🔎 On the one hand there are natural sciences, sometimes also just called science. These include mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. A scientist is always a person from the natural sciences.
🔎 On the other hand there are social sciences, also called humanities. They include disciplines like history, psychology, philosophy and sociology. People working in those disciplines are called scholars, not scientists.
❗️Natural sciences and humanities go hand in hand but natural sciences usually get more funding from governments and are more prestigious. To distinguish them from the humanities they are also called hard sciences or exact sciences, sometimes criticising the others as ‘soft’ or ‘non-exact’ sciences. Social sciences are usually stronger in countries that have academic freedom.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❓Academic subjects, also called disciplines, can be divided in two kinds. What are they?
🔎 On the one hand there are natural sciences, sometimes also just called science. These include mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. A scientist is always a person from the natural sciences.
🔎 On the other hand there are social sciences, also called humanities. They include disciplines like history, psychology, philosophy and sociology. People working in those disciplines are called scholars, not scientists.
❗️Natural sciences and humanities go hand in hand but natural sciences usually get more funding from governments and are more prestigious. To distinguish them from the humanities they are also called hard sciences or exact sciences, sometimes criticising the others as ‘soft’ or ‘non-exact’ sciences. Social sciences are usually stronger in countries that have academic freedom.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#13 University Vocab: Degrees
❓Academic degrees used to be quite different from country to country but in the age of globalisation they have become remarkably similar. What are they?
🔎 Your first academic degree is a Bachelor’s degree or short a Bachelor’s. In North America and most of Asia you can get it after 4 years while in most of Europe it only takes 3 years. For scientific subjects you get a Bachelor of Science (BSc), for other subjects a Bachelor of Arts (BA).
🔎 After your Bachelor’s you can do a Master’s which takes 1-3 years. There are Master of Science (MSc) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees.
🔎 If you still can’t get enough you can study fore a doctorate degree usually called PhD which literally means “doctor of philosophy” (and not of medicine).
❗️ When using these words, most importantly don’t pronounce the words your mother tongue in an English way (“Magister” – ouch!) and forget the ‘s after “Bachelor” and “Master”.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❓Academic degrees used to be quite different from country to country but in the age of globalisation they have become remarkably similar. What are they?
🔎 Your first academic degree is a Bachelor’s degree or short a Bachelor’s. In North America and most of Asia you can get it after 4 years while in most of Europe it only takes 3 years. For scientific subjects you get a Bachelor of Science (BSc), for other subjects a Bachelor of Arts (BA).
🔎 After your Bachelor’s you can do a Master’s which takes 1-3 years. There are Master of Science (MSc) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees.
🔎 If you still can’t get enough you can study fore a doctorate degree usually called PhD which literally means “doctor of philosophy” (and not of medicine).
❗️ When using these words, most importantly don’t pronounce the words your mother tongue in an English way (“Magister” – ouch!) and forget the ‘s after “Bachelor” and “Master”.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#14 University Vocab: Academic Writing
❓Most students would agree that this is the hardest part of their studies. What’s there to know about academic writing?
🔎 A piece of academic writing is often called a paper. There are term papers, also called final papers, that focus on content of a particular course and research papers that require independent research.
🔎 Essays are usually shorter and less scientific. In certain types of essays you may also be asked to state your opinions, which is quite different from research.
🔎 At the end of your studies you most likely have to write a thesis paper, or simply a thesis. Depending on the degree this can be a bachelor thesis or a master thesis. For PhD level we usually speak of dissertation.
🔎 Published papers are called articles, and they are published in academic journals.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❓Most students would agree that this is the hardest part of their studies. What’s there to know about academic writing?
🔎 A piece of academic writing is often called a paper. There are term papers, also called final papers, that focus on content of a particular course and research papers that require independent research.
🔎 Essays are usually shorter and less scientific. In certain types of essays you may also be asked to state your opinions, which is quite different from research.
🔎 At the end of your studies you most likely have to write a thesis paper, or simply a thesis. Depending on the degree this can be a bachelor thesis or a master thesis. For PhD level we usually speak of dissertation.
🔎 Published papers are called articles, and they are published in academic journals.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#15 University Vocab: Course Modules
❓At school students study together in classes but how about universities?
🔎 There are usually no stable groups we can call “classes”. Instead, students attend different course modules. Americans are more likely to call them courses while in Britain people tend to speak of modules.
🔎 From each course module you collect credit points for exams or course work like essays. In order to graduate you need a certain number of credits.
🔎 There are some course modules that you have to take and some that you can choose. The required ones are called core modules while the others are electives.
❗️ In a modular system you can put your own timetable together. You can also decide if you want to study in the recommended time or graduate later as you might be working part-time. As long as you have your credit points you can finish your studies.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❓At school students study together in classes but how about universities?
🔎 There are usually no stable groups we can call “classes”. Instead, students attend different course modules. Americans are more likely to call them courses while in Britain people tend to speak of modules.
🔎 From each course module you collect credit points for exams or course work like essays. In order to graduate you need a certain number of credits.
🔎 There are some course modules that you have to take and some that you can choose. The required ones are called core modules while the others are electives.
❗️ In a modular system you can put your own timetable together. You can also decide if you want to study in the recommended time or graduate later as you might be working part-time. As long as you have your credit points you can finish your studies.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#16 University Vocab: Exam Types
❓Do we always have to choose A, B, C or D, or are there other kinds of exams, too?
🔎 Multiple choice exams let you choose between three or four options (usually) and are popular with teachers and administrators, especially in traditional education systems.
🔎 Essay exams require students to write a long and structured answer to a given question, either focusing on a description or on their opinion.
🔎 Open-book and take-home exams allow students to find relevant information by themselves, either during the exam or at home.
🔎 Problem-based or case-based exams consist of just one task in which students have to apply knowledge from their class.
🔎 Practical exams make students demonstrate their practical skills.
🔎 Oral exams are carried out in speaking only.
🔎 Online exams we all know and love…
❗️ These types are often combined. They all have their pros and cons and what’s best depends on the content.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❓Do we always have to choose A, B, C or D, or are there other kinds of exams, too?
🔎 Multiple choice exams let you choose between three or four options (usually) and are popular with teachers and administrators, especially in traditional education systems.
🔎 Essay exams require students to write a long and structured answer to a given question, either focusing on a description or on their opinion.
🔎 Open-book and take-home exams allow students to find relevant information by themselves, either during the exam or at home.
🔎 Problem-based or case-based exams consist of just one task in which students have to apply knowledge from their class.
🔎 Practical exams make students demonstrate their practical skills.
🔎 Oral exams are carried out in speaking only.
🔎 Online exams we all know and love…
❗️ These types are often combined. They all have their pros and cons and what’s best depends on the content.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#17 University Vocab: Higher Education
❓What’s higher education and how is it organised?
🔎 Higher, or tertiary (=third type) education comes after primary and secondary education. That normally means university but actually it also includes colleges and graduate schools.
🔎 The word college can have very different meanings in different countries. In Britain it can be like a specialised high school or vocational (=about job) school while in America it’s more like a university but of lower status.
🔎 In American English a university can be called school, e.g. “Harvard is a good school.” In British English "university" is often shortened as uni.
🔎 Inside universities we usually find faculties and within them departments. But that also varies – faculties are also sometimes called schools, e.g. “School of Economics”.
🔎 Sometimes attached to a university there is a graduate school for postgraduate (=master or PhD) students.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❓What’s higher education and how is it organised?
🔎 Higher, or tertiary (=third type) education comes after primary and secondary education. That normally means university but actually it also includes colleges and graduate schools.
🔎 The word college can have very different meanings in different countries. In Britain it can be like a specialised high school or vocational (=about job) school while in America it’s more like a university but of lower status.
🔎 In American English a university can be called school, e.g. “Harvard is a good school.” In British English "university" is often shortened as uni.
🔎 Inside universities we usually find faculties and within them departments. But that also varies – faculties are also sometimes called schools, e.g. “School of Economics”.
🔎 Sometimes attached to a university there is a graduate school for postgraduate (=master or PhD) students.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
#18 University Vocab: Thesis Papers
❓What are thesis papers and what do we find in them?
🔎 A thesis is the final piece of academic writing you need to do before getting your degree. This could be a bachelor thesis, a master thesis or a doctoral thesis.
🔎 In the beginning of a thesis paper you should have an abstract which is a short summary of your research, including the main results.
🔎 A table of contents in the beginning shows which chapter can be found on which page. It is also a good overview of your structure.
🔎 Either in the beginning or the end of your thesis there should be an acknowledgement in which you thank the people who helped you.
🔎 You should write a list of books and articles that you read for your research in the bibliography at the end.
🔎 At the very end of your paper there usually is an appendix in which you list data that is too much to write in the main body. This can contain figures, lists, pictures, graphs or transcriptions.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab
❓What are thesis papers and what do we find in them?
🔎 A thesis is the final piece of academic writing you need to do before getting your degree. This could be a bachelor thesis, a master thesis or a doctoral thesis.
🔎 In the beginning of a thesis paper you should have an abstract which is a short summary of your research, including the main results.
🔎 A table of contents in the beginning shows which chapter can be found on which page. It is also a good overview of your structure.
🔎 Either in the beginning or the end of your thesis there should be an acknowledgement in which you thank the people who helped you.
🔎 You should write a list of books and articles that you read for your research in the bibliography at the end.
🔎 At the very end of your paper there usually is an appendix in which you list data that is too much to write in the main body. This can contain figures, lists, pictures, graphs or transcriptions.
👉@afandi_english👈 #uni_vocab