Speaking

1. Compare the system of higher education in the USA and Great Britain with that of your country following the plan. Which system do you find more effective?

· The value of education

· Types of higher educational establishments

· Admission policy

· Tuition fees and opportunities to cover them

· Methods of instructions, the way studies are organized

2. Imagine that you have to choose a place to study. Put these factors in order of priority from 1 to 5 (1 = most relevant). Which one would influence you most in making a decision?

· the location

· the reputation

· the qualifications offered

· international contacts

· teaching methods

· residential accommodation

· tuition fees

· extracurricular activities

· other facilities (specify)

3. Work in groups of three. Discuss the list with other members of your group.

4. Many British colleges offer language studies for foreign students. Look through some college prospectuses. What information about the colleges and the courses they run do these provide you with? If you were to choose among these which one would you prefer to apply to? Explain your choice to the partner.

Hastings College of Arts and Technology   Contact: Mr Gahie. Association: Baselt. Course times: All year, Summer vacation.   This State college is located on a hillside close to the sea, with extensive views. The international department is in its own separate building near the main college. It prides itself on its caring environment. The maximum class size is 14, average 10 to 12. There are 21 hours of tuition per week. All language skills are taught, with emphasis on students’ confidence in language use. Students are expected to work hard.   Facilities. Facilities include computers with self-study, video and a library with study areas.   Options. There are options in business English, travel and tourism and computing.   Exams. Cambridge PET, FCE, CAF, Oxford Preliminary and Higher, TOEFL.   Accommodation. Host family, self-catering, guest houses, hotels. Host families provide single rooms with breakfast and evening meal, plus lunch at weekends. Living in a family is a good way of practising the language.   Social life. The college has access to all the extensive study, sporting and social facilities of a major full-time institution. The social programme includes cultural and educational trips from time to time. Students benefit from meeting British students also studying at the college.   International department, Archery Road, ST LEONARDS-ON-SEA, East Sussex, TN38 OHX. Telephone 01424 423847. Fax 01424 721763.

University of Westminster   Contact: Mr. Peter Symonds. Association: Bascelt. Course times: All year. Location: The university is in central London within easy reach of Underground and mainline stations. Course details. Full-time courses have 15 hours of tuition per week. Teaching includes grammar and structure, vocabulary, writing, reading and listening. A team teaching approach is used to ensure specialist instruction.   Facilities. Facilities include a library and self-access language center with audio, video, computing and hypertext. There are also separate skills courses, 1 hour per week for 10 weeks.   Exams. Cambridge FCE, CPE, Oxford Preliminary, LCCI (various) Social life. The university has access to all the extensive study, sporting and social facilities of a major full-time education institution. The social programme includes organized excursions and theatre visits. 9–18 Euston Square, London, NW1 3ET. Telephone 0171 911 5000. Fax 0171 911 5001.

5. Study the following questions. On the basis of these write an advertisement / make a poster about your dream university, which you should then present to the rest of the class in an advertisement/poster contest.

1. Where is the college / university located?

2. What courses does it run?

3. What qualifications do courses lead to?

4. How much does the course cost?

5. How classes are taught and how many students are in class? Is teaching carried out in small groups (tutorials) or large groups (lectures)?

6. Are all subjects obligatory or do students have a chance to choose some subjects?

7. What kind of practical training does the university provide?

7. What can one do in the event of failing any part of the course? How many times can exams or credits be retaken?

8. What other facilities does the university offer?