Can you make a very reserved Englishman lose his temper? I tried, but to no avail. I asked why English bathrooms have two taps – one for cold and one for hot water, though the rest of the world has long used mixers (answer: “Yes, you're right, it's unhygienic”). I asked why British Airways paints the tails of its planes in unthinkable colors (“Yes, our queen is also displeased with that”). And whether it's true that Prince Edward has a non-traditional sexual orientation (“Such rumors are going around”). And recently I said to a gentleman: “Our students studying in England claim that the chemistry in the first year of your universities is less difficult than our ninth-grade curriculum, and mathematics – than our eighth-grade one. So why then is the English education system considered the best in the world?” The gentleman changed his expression and irritably replied: “If our education is so bad, why do so many of your people come to study with us?” Indeed, why?
Britons are no less proud of their universities than of their queen. However, much in England's higher education system seems strange to us. In Ukraine, it takes at least four years to get a first higher education; for them, it's three. With us, higher education is general education. With them, it is specialized. If you study business at a British university, you take only those subjects that relate to that field – marketing, management, economics, and so on. And no history or philosophy, which they stuff even into students of our polytechnic institutes. We graduate from universities knowing a little about everything. They know one thing, but very well. And this gives us the right to consider Britons limited, and gives them the right to consider us dilettantes. “When you go to a doctor, what is more important to you – that he is well-read or that he can give you the correct diagnosis?” – an Oxford graduate asked me, sure that Conan Doyle was a great pianist. Well, what can you answer?..
OLD...
In Britain there are only two private universities; the other 96 are state-run. This means that most English universities are under the watchful eye of controlling state organizations. However, the quality of education at different state universities varies. The English themselves often follow the rule: the older the university, the better. And they divide all universities into two groups: old and new.
There are about forty old universities in Britain. The oldest – Oxford, Cambridge, and St. Andrew's – were founded in the 13th–15th centuries. If an Englishman says of someone that he received a brilliant education, he means one of these universities. The same category also includes the “just old” universities opened in the 19th century – the universities of London, Manchester, Birmingham (their high reputation is also beyond any doubt).
The vast majority of British universities, like ours, house several different faculties under one roof. A special case is Oxford and Cambridge. Here there are about 30 colleges each, and each one is a small university. So, law can be studied at every college, but the disciplines “related” to this subject may differ from college to college.
In the rivalry between the two oldest universities, Cambridge wins – it is more conservative (it is still reluctant to accept foreigners) and has a more academic atmosphere. If in Oxford you feel ten years younger, in Cambridge you think about the eternal. The English joke: “At Cambridge you work, at Oxford you have fun.” Cambridge indeed places a heavier workload on students. If at Oxford you study one discipline for three years, at Cambridge you must study two in the same time (for example, first history, then business). Caroline Llewellyn, an employee of the educational company Albion Educational Services: “Cambridge is for those who need a broader specialization. But a large company hiring a chemist would prefer an Oxford graduate – because that subject needs to be studied longer.”
The academic nature of education for which Cambridge and Oxford are famous is, in some cases, a drawback. At least in teaching some “applied” disciplines, these universities are slightly inferior to younger British institutions. For example, business and management are taught best at LBS and UMIST, and electronic design at Bath and Imperial College.
Nevertheless, the competition at the two oldest British universities is among the highest in Britain. Marina Sergeycheva tried to enter Oxford last year. According to her, there were 13 applicants for each place, and that was still one of the lowest competition rates at the university. However, Oxford has a not very popular college – St. Hilda's, where the competition does not exceed 8 people per place. But only girls are accepted there. Moreover, the girls themselves are not especially eager to go there: “I didn't even think of applying to St. Hilda's,” says Linda, who failed her exams at a “mixed” Oxford college. “I studied at a girls' school for six years, and I'm tired of looking at boys with eyes wide with horror.”
In short, if you are not very confident in yourself, forget about the old English universities. Especially since Britain has 60 more “new” universities. These include former institutes (primarily polytechnic ones) that received university status after the education reform of 1992.
...AND NEW
At the entrance to Thames Valley University I was met by a girl of Asian appearance. The pass to the university was issued by an Indian. As I walked along the corridor, I met a dozen Africans. Among wealthy English people, new universities are not very popular, so they gladly accept students from abroad. For example, Thames Valley is ready to accept students without special English tests.
Another advantage of the new universities is that they often accept those who are over 30, while the age of entrants to the "old" English universities is 19-23 years. Of course, new universities lag behind old ones in the level of teaching and research, but practical training here is at a high level. "One of our black students, a former taxi driver, immediately after Thames Valley got a job as a TV producer at the BBC," says Pauline Barr, director of international student services at this university.
Usually, about a quarter of study time is allocated for interaction with teachers in new universities, and the student must study independently the rest of the time. Some consider this good preparation for independent life, but some students do not understand this and often ask the question, "And what are we doing here?"
Oxford Brookes University has nothing to do with the famous university. It is simply located on the outskirts of the city of Oxford. Nevertheless, Oxford Brookes is one of the best new British universities, which has already managed to gain popularity among foreign students.
New universities do not even try to compete with old ones in terms of the level of education, but they can give the "old-timers" a run for their money in terms of flexibility of study programs – they constantly introduce modern courses. Perhaps this is why graduates of new universities have good chances of finding employment. For example, 97% of students find work after Oxford Brookes, and 85% after Thames Valley University. However, this figure does not fall below 84% at any English university.
EXAMS
Admission to an English university is a very long and complicated procedure, and it can only be completed in Britain. The fact is that there are no entrance exams as such in British universities. They admit students based on the results of the A-Level test, which is taken in the final year of a British school or in special colleges. However, let us go through everything in order.
The English begin preparing for admission at the age of 15-16 in the final year of secondary school. They take exams to obtain the GCSE certificate, and if the results are good, students are transferred to senior school, where they will study for the last two years. In senior school, the English choose 2-5 subjects that they will study at university (it is in these subjects that they will have to take the final A-Level test), as well as the universities themselves (there must be at least six). Moreover, if Oxford is on the list of universities you have chosen, Cambridge must not be there (and vice versa).
Schoolchildren send the list of universities and their GCSE results to UCAS, an organization that coordinates the process of admission to higher education institutions. The documents must also include teachers' predictions of the grades you will receive for A-Level (there are seven grades in total: A, B, C, D, E, F, G; the highest is A). If a university is interested in you, you will be told that you are almost accepted. But with one condition – that you pass A-Level with certain grades. For example, to be admitted to the medical faculty of Manchester University, you need to pass one A-Level exam with "excellent" and two with "good", that is, score ABB. And Cambridge and Oxford often require AAA, and sometimes AAAA. The English themselves believe that passing A-Level with such grades is almost unrealistic. However, if you are not accepted into "Oxbridge", a dozen less "cool" universities may send you their invitations.
New universities may also accept you based on the results of a preparatory course – a foundation course, which can be completed in six months (old universities usually recognize only A-Level). In addition, all foreigners must take the IELTS language test. You need to score a minimum of 5.5 points – such a result means that you are fluent in the language.
But still, the main obstacle for our schoolchildren on the way to British universities is the notorious A-Level. There are several opportunities to prepare for this test, but more on that a little later. For now, about another problem – money.
MONEY
Although most universities in England are state-run, they are by no means free. Yes, British citizens until recently indeed did not pay for education. Now British universities charge a fee – a maximum of 1,000 pounds per year (approximately $1,700). Foreigners have to pay 5-10 times more.
Interestingly, the cost of tuition at the best British universities does not differ from that at the weakest ones by an order of magnitude. At Cambridge, tuition for foreigners costs about 6,300 pounds a year, and at Luton – 5,100. If your specialty requires laboratory work (chemistry, physics, etc.), you will have to pay approximately 1.5-2 times more, and if it is related to medicine – 2-3 times more.
Add to this the cost of living. For example, a week of staying in an LSE dormitory will cost 40-90 pounds, at Warwick – 30-40 pounds. But since there are not enough places in dormitories for everyone, you have to rent accommodation, and it costs more: in London, a room in a flat costs 45-100 pounds (in other British cities, housing is not much cheaper).
Prepare to pay at least 70-100 pounds a week for food (if in England I found a cheap eatery where one could have lunch for 5 pounds, I considered myself very lucky). Add to this traditional trips to pubs, and it turns out that living expenses will be at least 6,000 pounds a year, that is, approximately the same as the tuition itself. Moreover, you should not count on a scholarship. Cases where universities even partially cover the cost of tuition for foreigners are extremely rare. Only very talented students can receive a scholarship. And the degree of talent is determined by the grades on the A-Level test.
PREPARATION
If money is no object for you, go ahead. Those whose ambitions are limited to the new universities should apply to one of them – as already mentioned, to get in it is enough to complete a foundation course at one of them, and then submit applications to any new university. The course will take no more than a year and will cost on average 7,000 pounds. For example, a year of study on the foundation course at Oxford Brookes costs 6,220 pounds.
Preparing for A-levels will require much more effort and money. The most proper, but also the most expensive way to prepare for the test is studying at a private British school (foreigners are not accepted into state schools). It is better to send a child to an English school from the age of 10, but this is very expensive: a year of study at a decent school costs 8-15 thousand pounds. Therefore, it is better to send a child either to the last two years of a British school, or to a so-called Sixth Form College – a college whose curriculum corresponds to the last two years of a regular school. Moreover, the range of subjects that can be taken at A-level is usually limited in schools and Sixth Form Colleges. By the way, come to terms with the fact that your child will have to follow the rules adopted at the school – for example, attend church every week.
You can also prepare for A-levels at independent tutorial colleges (preparatory colleges) – there are about fifty of them in England. It is best to apply to those accredited by the British organization CIFE. Good colleges offer about 30 subjects to choose from and more opportunities for individual lessons, although the number of students in a group is already small. This approach yields excellent results. "Approximately 95-98% of our graduates, including foreign students, go on to university," says Ralph Denison, director of Oxford Tutorial College.
Some tutorial colleges, in terms of reputation, can rival the most famous universities. When English acquaintances learned that I was going to Cambridge Tutors College, they rolled their eyes: "Oh, you are so lucky!" Once there, the college's director, David Lowe, clarified the situation: "We have an excellent reputation. Nottingham has established a scholarship for one student of our college starting next year. Oxford and Cambridge also reserve two places and allocate six scholarships for our graduates every year." After a brief pause, David modestly added: "These universities want the best applicants and know that they can get them from us." About half of the college's "best applicants" are students from Asia. But for those who get into the college, all the trials are still ahead: they will have to study 6-8 hours a day, and then spend several hours on homework. But it is worth it. David showed me the list of his students' A-level results. 19 had four excellent grades, and one even had five. The worst result was ABB (with such grades you can get into LSE, Nottingham, and other no less prestigious universities).
And finally, Camttridge Tutors College – one of the few, and perhaps the only one in England, whose foundation course is recognized by some older British universities. For example, if you successfully complete the foundation course at this college, you will automatically be admitted to King's University.
It remains to add that preparation for each subject at British tutorial colleges costs on average 3,000 pounds per year (remember that there must be at least two subjects). Multiply this amount by the two years needed to prepare for A-Levels. Then get ready for university expenses. But who said that a good education is cheap?