Even though I have not started my Master's degree in the UK yet, and will not for several months I have still noticed many differences between the UK and US education system from my own observations as well as friends who are currently studying there.
Landing in a new country that is now your place of residence is scary enough, never mind having to learn about an entirely new education system. Luckily I am preparing myself as best I can and finding out the biggest differences between the system I am currently in and the one I will be in next year so I won't be blindsided by the differences. Here are the biggest differences I've found so far:
No GRE's. A former roommate of mine is applying to grad school in the US and was freaking out about her GRE's. Basically GRE's are an admissions test that one must take before attending graduate school (much like the SAT's or ACT's for college). I cannot even comprehend how stressful they may be for someone, but fortunately for me the UK education system does not require GRE's to attend school there. Woohoo!
Later starting dates. I'm used to starting up the school year in mid August, or after I transferred, after Labor Day in September. To me this was starting late, but not compared to the UK. Friends of mine don't start their classes until the last week of September, almost into October!
A hands off approach. This may vary depending on the program one is studying, but compared to the American system I feel that the UK has a very hands off teaching approach. Professors don't really give you a schedule of homework or assignments, and don't seem to go as in depth with their teaching as they leave it to the students to do. Their seems to be a lot of time out of the classroom and a lot of opportunity for students to teach themselves through assigned readings and other things. It's definitely not the way I am used to doing it as I feel the US system uses more of a hands on approach. I know all of my due dates and assignments, projects and tests before hand and all learning is done in the classroom. The UK system will take some adjusting to but will be interesting to learn through a different style.
Reading weeks. This is something we definitely don't have in the US. It's sort of a mid term break (I'm guessing similar to our Spring Break here) in place for students to use to study, although I'm sure most don't. I can't lie, I'd use my reading week to travel abroad and leave my books at home...
A lot less work. This is not to say grad school is any easier or harder than those in the US. In the US I am used to having weekly homework & assignments, several quizzes & tests as well as group projects (ugh) that usually consist of a paper and a presentation. In the UK? Not so much. For each class you have one test (worth half your grade) and one big essay or paper (also worth half your grade) due at the end of term...and that's it. Part of me is excited and the other part terrified. What if I bomb the test? That's 50% of my grade! This is a major difference that I'm not sure how well I'll deal with. I guess I'll just have to constantly work on studying and writing to ensure I get a good grade on each part.
Final due dates. The last thing I was surprised to learn was when these final tests and essays are due. In the US, finals are the last day of class and then you're done! Freedom! Not in the UK. Your final exam and essay are due AFTER class ends. Yes. So if your class ends December 5th, but you don't start next term until January 5th, then that's when your final paper and essay are due for the previous term. I have to say: I do not understand this rule...at all. It makes no sense to me. Who wants to study for a final or write their essay during break? No one! I think I might just forego this rule and have everything I can get done done by the end of the term if I'm able to, that way I can enjoy my break as much as possible.
No doubt there will be a bit of a learning curve getting used to an entirely new education system, but I hope preparing myself ahead of time will make the adjustment a bit easier.
Image via wikipedia.
0 comments:
Post a Comment