Choosing a university: ideas for school leavers

Every course and every university is different, and each student wants different things. Do you want the best course? Do you want the ideal work placement? So how do you choose a university?

1. The choice of subject and type of course narrows down the number of possible universities. If you want to study the Burmese language, there is only one place to go. If you are interested in one of the major subjects such as English, chemistry, law or mechanical engineering, there are hundreds of courses.

2. Going away to university and living at home give you rather different experiences. Living far away from your parents and your home town, you are free to study and socialise when you like. On the other hand, it is expensive. You also have shop and cook for yourself, and there is no comfort of home.

3. Another important factor is the tuition fees. Generally, the central and prestigious universities are more expensive. Some very popular degree programmes can cost more money.

4. Old universities do more research and offer more traditional academic courses. New universities can be more locally and practically orientated and train more part‐time students.

5. Universities can be different in size, from fewer than 2,000 students to over 30,000. A small university is more personal and does not have many facilities and non‐academic activities; in a big university professors can give lectures to hundreds of students at a time.

6. University facilities can be very important. All universities have a library, a sports hall, a health service, and so on. But there are differences and if you want to play hockey at university, for example, you have to check out, if the university has a hockey pitch.

7. You can also often take a virtual tour of the university. Departments usually have their own sites, too. You can find information about courses, options, teaching methods and assessment. A personal visit can also be very helpful. You can get a feel of the atmosphere of a university. Don't forget about open days for school leavers.

Match the sentences and the paragraphs 1–7.

1. Small universities usually don't have many facilities.

2. You can get information from the Internet or visit the university yourself.

3. Living away from parents can have its pluses and minuses.

4. You can find more traditional courses in older universities.

5. If a subject is popular, there are many courses of it at different universities.

6. Tuition fees in prestigious universities are usually very high.

7. If you are interested in some specific activities, you have to find more information.

Read the article again and make a list of seven tips for school leavers about how to choose the right place to study.

Talking Points

Make an oral presentation of the Murmansk State Technical University in class.

TEXT 3

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Vocabulary Focus

2.27. Read and translate the following words and phrases:

scientific and technological research, industrialization, cooperation, Association of American Universities, radar, post-war defense research, Cold War, laureate, recipient, cybernetics, artificial intelligence, robotics, cryptography, subatomic and quantum theory.