Discuss education in different countries in pairs or small groups and read short students’ interviews about studying in the UK

1. Do you know anything about universities in European/Asian countries?

2. Have you ever heard about “Fresher’s week”? What does this notion mean?

3. What do you think about getting education abroad? What are the advantages and disadvantages of education in other countries?

a) Lin:

I’m from China and I’ve been studying in Bristol for 4 years. I’ve just finished my MA degree. When I first arrived in the UK I found it very difficult as I didn’t know anybody here, but I soon met other Chinese people studying at the university, and as my English improved I made friends with more people on my course.

Studying in the UK has been a very positive experience for me. I’ve met a lot of interesting people and travelled around Europe in the holidays. For me the most difficult aspect was having the confidence to take part in tutorials, and when I was told I would have to give a presentation to the rest of the class, I was very nervous.

My tutor helped me a lot, however, and said that for someone using their second language I did very well.

b) Thomas:

I came to Leicester on the Erasmus scheme a year ago. I had a choice of universities and I chose this one because it’s in a multicultural area. In the Czech Republic I had never come across foreigners, so I was interested in living in a place with people from many different cultures.

The social life here is great, and I will really miss the good friends I’ve made when I go back home next week. There aren’t many other Czech people here so I’ve had to make friends with people from other countries. That’s been very good for my English – some Erasmus students stay mostly with people from the same country and they don’t get the same experience. The worst thing has been that everything is so expensive. I had to get a part-time job and borrow from my parents to afford to live here.

c) Syed

I won a scholarship to do an MSc in Telecommunications at Manchester University. The course was excellent and enabled me to get a good job when I finished. Now I’m thinking of doing a PhD before I return to India. I enjoyed the way the course was taught. We were encouraged to think for ourselves rather than read piles of textbooks. It’s a different approach to the way I’d studied before, and one that I would recommend.

I would also recommend living in student accommodation – it’s the cheapest option and although the rooms are small they have everything you need, and you get to know other people very easily. For me, the only problem was that the social life centres around alcohol, and I don’t drink.

2)* Decide if the following statements are true or false

	True	False
1. Lin already had Chinese friends in Bristol.
2. Lin has been to other parts of Europe.
3. Lin found it difficult when she had to speak in class.
4. Thomas chose his university because of the courses it offered.
5. Thomas enjoyed the social life.
6. Thomas had to work as well as study.
7. Syed is trying to get a job now.
8. Syed liked the way of teaching on the course.
9. Syed didn’t like the student accommodation.

3) Listen to George Stewart, Dean of Science at the University of Western Australia, talking about the growing relationship with Chinese universities and students to ensure Australia retains its excellence in science.