The International Student's Guide to UK Education

Unlocking University Life and Culture

Martin Hyde

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781136735073
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Are you thinking of studying at university in Britain? Do you feel confused about which course is best for you, which university to choose, and how to apply? Are you wondering about what kinds of challenges you will be faced with, how best to approach them and how to overcome them? If so, this guidebook is for you.

Honest and accurate, this book acts as an international student introduction and cultural guide to UK Higher Education. It informs and guides students in their preparation for all aspects of UK HE, from university selection and application through to participation, and provides a clear understanding of how British universities function. Helping international students make the most of the many opportunities that university offers, this text will expand your knowledge of UK Higher Education with regards to:

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• Application procedures
• Finances
• Self-awareness, cultural understanding and adaptation (social and academic)
• University administrative procedures, facilities and support
• Work and career information and advice.

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The International Student's Guide to UK Education is a comprehensive guide that will help students to develop critical and reflective ability in order to become independent, well-informed and empowered decision makers.

Chapter 1

Introduction to the Guide

Dear international student (or future international student!), well done for buying this guide! Whether you are already at a UK university or are thinking of applying to study in one, this guide will help you understand the UK university system of study and how to get the best from your time studying in a university in the UK. The guide is designed both to help you prepare for study and to help you understand the various issues that arise as you are studying and living in the UK as an international student and how to best deal and cope with these issues.

The guide is organised from start to finish: from application to arrival, stay and return to your own country and culture. It realises that a lot of things will be different and perhaps strange for you and that the experience will be both challenging and exciting. It realises that study at a UK university is a life-changing experience for you both professionally and culturally as a person. The guide will continually ensure you take account of your own development and cultural adaptation and change and help you with this process – a process that at times can be confusing and difficult. The guide helps you as a ‘whole person’, taking account of your emotional, cultural and academic needs. Above all the guide makes you realise you are not alone in this experience!

Instead of simply telling you facts about UK university study and the UK study experience, the guide is designed to engage you in your own learning. To do this you are required, from time to time, to undertake self-development exercises. This is done to encourage ‘active reading’ and ‘reflective learning’: learning that will equip you to deal with the challenges and excitement of your new life in the UK as an international student. Above all, the guide is designed to help you – to help you avoid some of the problems and traps that being an international student can involve and to make you aware of how you can take best advantage of and enjoy the experience.

It would, after all, be unusual to buy a beautiful new car and yet not have an instruction manual of how drive the car and enjoy all its features, wouldn’t it? Yet many students do just that – they buy an international education without having such a guide! This book is designed to act as such a guide for you. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful and that it helps you better understand and enjoy the experience.

The guide is organised and structured in the following way. You are the centre of the circle: an international student with your own culture, outlook and understandings – around you are the different layers of academic culture and the classroom, university academic structure, university administrative support. Beyond the classroom is UK student culture and outside the university is the British life and culture. All of these will influence your experience and the guide will explain these different influences and help you to better understand them. You, as a cultural being, are always central to the experiences that these different layers of experience offer. Developing your understanding of how you understand yourself and understand your reactions to these various layers of experience is the key aim of this guide.

Figure 1.1 You and the influences upon you as an international student in the UK.

Chapter 2

Before You Go

Understanding Yourself and Your Needs

Introduction

One of the most difficult and most important choices you may make in your life is the choice of education to prepare you for the life ahead.

The world is rapidly globalising. Internet technologies and the media combined with the spread of multinational business means that everyone in the world is increasingly in contact with each other and that opportunities for work are now found abroad as well as at home. This interconnection provides a wealth of opportunities to explore – opportunities that in the past were not available. The spread of global financial services, and the liberalisation of countries both politically and economically, mean the world is an exciting place for those who choose to prepare themselves for it by developing the skills needed to operate in it. One of the main ways of doing this is to opt for an international education. In this section you will undertake a series of exercises designed to allow you to reflect on the world around you and to analyse your own wants and needs so that you are better able to make the right choices about your study programme in the UK and increase its value to you.

Question: What do you feel are the advantages of an international education?

Exercise

Consider the following ideas and decide if you agree with them:

Opportunity offered	Tick if you agree
The development of international language skills – especially in English as it is the main world language of communication today
The development of intercultural awareness and the ability to relate to and work with people from many different international backgrounds
The opportunity for self-development and to become more self-aware through managing to adapt to a new cultural environment
The development of the necessary self-confidence to become a global traveller and citizen
The acquisition of the most up-to-date knowledge in the field I have chosen to specialise in
The opportunity to meet new people and make friends with people from places and backgrounds I would not otherwise meet
Other …

Note: You are advised to try these exercises out: it is best to use the space of a notebook to write down your responses to the various sections where indicated in the chart.

The choice of country, university and programme of study will have life-changing consequences for you, so it is very important that you spend time reflecting upon the choice before you make it. This section of the guide will help you with this process. There is no doubt that it is very difficult, especially if you are just finishing high school, to know what career you may want to follow. Perhaps it is not a good thing to be too sure of what you want too young anyway! In fact you may have ideas about what you think you want, or your parents may have influenced you in your choice of future career, but in fact, once you begin your studies, you may find that the choice was not the right one for you. It is expensive to make a mistake in your choice, both in terms of time and money, so the more you know yourself and what you really want to study and perhaps do later in life, the better – even if this simply means you find out what you do not want to do or study!

Reflective exercise: Imagine the future in five years’ time. Think of your ideal scenario. What are you doing as a job? What is your typical work day like? Now imagine the negative scenario. What are you doing as a job? What is your typical work day like?

It is wise to have a goal and to see what may help lead you to the goal and what may in fact lead you away from it!

Question: What skills and experiences will you need to develop to be good in your ideal job?

The fact that you have bought this guide suggests you have already decided to study in the UK. There are a wide variety of countries in which to choose to study these days. Nearly all countries with developed economies and even countries with developing economies offer opportunities for international education in their universities now. Even in countries where the spoken language is not English, you may find that the programmes of study are in fact taught in English. Of the English-speaking countries, the main choice is usually between North America (Canada and the USA), Australasia (Australia and New Zealand) and the UK.

Exercise

It is worth checking your thoughts about the relative advantages of each destination. Use the checklist in Table 2.1 to understand your reasons for choosing the UK compared to the other destinations.

Table 2.1 Why choose the UK?

Area of consideration	Advantage/disadvantage of the UK	Tick if important for you, cross if not
Reputation	UK has a very good worldwide reputation for the quality of its universities and education
Cost	UK tuition fees are comparatively reasonable and the cost of living is not too high
Simplicity of application	UK universities have an easy-to-use application system (UCAS) and visa system
Variety of programmes	There are over 100 universities in the UK all offering an interesting range of programmes to choose from
Teaching style	The UK educational style is practical and gets students involved in their subject in an interactive way
Polit...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• 1. Introduction to the guide
• 2. Before you go: understanding yourself and your needs
• 3. Choosing your programme, choosing a university and applying
• 4. Arrival and the early days
• 5. Understanding the teaching and learning methods
• 6. Understanding the university academic structure and system
• 7. Understanding the university administrative system, structure and support
• 8. Life beyond study: understanding and navigating British student culture
• 9. Life beyond the university: understanding and navigating British life and culture
• 10. After you finish your studies
• Glossary
• Index