Freshers

When they first arrive at college, first year university students are called “freshers”. A fresher’s life can be exciting but terrifying for the first week.

Often freshers will live in a Hall of Residence (a building owned by a college, containing study, bedrooms for students). It is situated on or near the college campus, although they may move out into a rented room in their second or third years, or share a house with friends. Many freshers will feel very homesick for the first week or so, but living in hall soon helps them to make new friends.

During the first week, all the clubs and societies hold a “freshers’ fair” during which they try to persuade new students to join their society. The freshers are told that it is important for them to came into contact with many opinions and activities during their time at university, but the choice can be great.

One day that lectures start, groups of freshers are often seen walking around huge campuses, maps in hand and a worried look on their faces. They are learning how difficult it is to change from a school community to one of many thousands. They also learn a new way of studying. As well as lectures, there are regular seminars, at which one of a small group of students (probably not more than 10) read a paper he or she has written. The paper is then discussed by the tutor and the rest of the group. Once or twice a term, students will have a tutorial. This means that they see a tutor alone to discuss their work and their progress. In Oxford and Cambridge, and some other universities the study system is based entirely around such tutorials which take place once a week. Attending lectures is optional for “Oxbridge” students.

After 3 or 4 years (depending on the type of course and the university) these students will take their finals Most of them (over 90%) will get a first, second or third class degree and be able to put BA (Bachelor or Arts) or BSc (Bachelor of Science) after their name. It will have been well earned.

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Talking Points:

1. Is it a good thing to leave home at the age of 18? What are advantages and disadvantages?

2. How do British universities differ from universities in our country?

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Write:

Every year thousands of students come to Cambridge from overseas to study English. Here is a letter from Frieda, a German student, to an Italian friend. Write a replay to Frieda’s letter, telling her what has happened to you recently.

High Trees,

H… Road

Cambridge

July 3d

Dear Anna,

I have been studying English in Cambridge for 2 months now, and I have had a wonderful time.

Perhaps the most exciting thing that has happened to me was going to May Ball. Let me explain – every years in June (although there’re called May Balls) the college organize big dances with lovely food and champagne served from Marquees in the college grounds. The dance goes on all the night, and then. At dawn, people take boat and have breakfast on the river. For a May ball the students wear dinner-jackets and bow-ties, and long dresses, although they usually wear jeans and tee-shirts.

Before the ball, I met the friends I was going with in a typical Cambridge student pub called “The Bath”. Apparently there’s an old student joke: ”If my mother rings, tell her I’m in the Bath”.

One Saturday I went down to the river to watch the “bumps”, which is rowing competition between college. Each boat tries to overtake or “bump” another boat. Lots of people got very wet.

I have found that you can learn a lot just by being in England. Yesterday, I learnt a new expression – Hobson’s choice. Apparently a man called Thomas Hobson lived in Cambridge about 200 years ago. He had about forty horses and whenever a customer wanted to hire one he always gave them the one that had rested longest. The only choice was “Hobson’s choice”, that is no choice at all, and that’s what it means today.

Please write soon and tell me what you’ve been doing recently.

Lots of love,

Frieda.

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