Culture

B2

Unit

Study around the globe

1 Work with a partner. Read the statement.
What does it tell you about where and how
people choose to study?
2a Read the article. What are the main
differences between the three universities
Anya talks about?

Over 430,000 international students

study in the UK every year. The students
come from over 180 different countries.

STUDYING ROCKS!
improved because she has to listen to all of
her lectures in Spanish. She doesnt mind
listening to Spanish but admits feeling a bit
nervous when she speaks. Also, shes been
travelling all over the country when she
isnt studying! A lot of local students tend to
stay at home and travel to university to keep
costs down, but it can depend where in the
country they live there are some that have
to move to San Jose as its too far to travel.

hoosing which university to go to can be more difficult

than actually choosing which course to study. There are an
increasing number of opportunities for students to study
abroad or study via distance learning. We talked to Anya, a
geology student from France.

Ive been studying at the university for a

few months now. Im still at home in France
and I usually study during the day and a bit
more in the evening, before seeing friends.
Everything I need is online and Ive met
a lot of other students on my course on
the various student forums. My costs are
low as Im living at home. And tuition fees
are minimal. Theres a lot of opportunity to
communicate and talk to everyone on my
course and my tutors are fantastic. Some
days I feel like Ive been reading all day
and it can be difficult to switch off. Overall
though, distance learning definitely works
for me. Its incredible to think we can study

all over the world now! But, it wasnt easy

choosing which course to do. I made an
effort to research my options and I talked to
a few friends who are currently studying at
different universities.
My friend Helena studies at the University
of Costa Rica. Shes been studying there
for a year and has decided to stay for
another year she really likes it! She isnt
Costa Rican and has to pay higher tuition
fees than most of the local students there
they pay very little for tuition. She says
classes start really early, but shes been
getting used to that. Her Spanish has

Another friend, Jon, has been studying

in the Netherlands where living costs
are comparable with the UK, but an
undergraduate degree is around 25,000
cheaper than the UK. It costs just under
2,000 euros each year at a state-subsidised
university in the Netherlands. Jons from
the Netherlands and it means he can live
with his parents and save money. His living
costs are minimal, but he feels like hes
missing out on student life with the other
258,000 students in the Netherlands and the
opportunity to become more independent.
The number of students living away from
home used to be higher but is now dropping,
as theyre no longer given an allowance
from the government for this. However,
many of his friends still live in shared houses
or apartments and they seem to be more
involved in the extracurricular activities that
the university has to offer.
I hadnt thought about distance learning as
there are 83 national government funded
public universities in France and this can
help with cost. Initially, I wanted to study
abroad, but it was too expensive to study
in London and university fees in the UK can
cost up to 9,000 per year. That doesnt
even include living costs! I tried to find a
more affordable course and I came across
my distance degree at Stockholm University.
This seemed to be perfect for me.

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Culture

B2

2b Read the article again and decide if the sentences

are True (T) or False (F). Correct the false
sentences.
1 All universities in the Netherlands are free.

T/F

2 Anya isnt able to study in her own country.

T/F

3 Helena has been studying in English.

T/F

4 Fees are more expensive for Helena than
for local students.

T/F

5 Jons living costs havent been very expensive. T / F

6 Anya has been abroad for a few months.

T/F

7 There are a lot of universities in France
that are funded.

T/F

8 Distance learning wasn't Anya's first option.

T/F

2c Complete the sentences with the relevant

information from the article.
1 Jon doesnt pay over
each year for his university fees.
2 Anya could have chosen from
public universities in France.
3 Most universities in the UK now charge
for their annual fees.
4 In Costa Rica, university students usually

Unit

Gateway to culture
3a Work with a partner and discuss the questions.
1 Do you want to study abroad? Do you know what
you would like to study?
2 What are the benefits of distance learning or
studying in a university? What are the benefits of
studying abroad?
3 How do you think the experience, cost and university
culture abroad is different to university in your
country? Do you think youd adapt to another culture
easily?

PROJECT
3b You are going to prepare a small presentation
about a selection of universities. Read the
questions and prepare for your project
research.
1 Work in small groups. Choose three different
universities; one in your country, another abroad
that offers distance learning and another to study
abroad at.
2 In your groups, think about the points below when
you do your research online.
courses
costs
extracurricular activities
accommodation
language
lectures and schedules
making friends
culture and language
any other useful information

3c Present your findings to the class. Choose the

most interesting points and add some of your
personal thoughts and opinions, too.

rather than move.

5 The Netherlands has around
students attending its various
universities.
6 The

costs around

25,000 less than UK fees for university.

7 When thinking about university, there aren't only
fees but also

to think

about.
8 Anya can access everything she needs
.

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