The Main Academic Differences in the United Kingdom

Coming to a new country, I knew that the education system was going to be vastly different than it was in the United States. I had heard some things from previous exchange students and read some things online, but there was still a lot that I wasn't prepared for. Even though some of these things are easy adjustments, it would've been nice to know before I came.

1. It's not college - it's university. College is something completely different here. This adjustment wasn't that difficult because I attend a university in the US. However, where I would ask people, "Are you going to college?" or something along those lines, here you would say, "Are you going to university?" The first time I slipped up ended up launching an hours long conversation about the differences in American education and European education (for example: there's no high school).

2. That's not the only educational term that's different. It isn't called a "major", instead, it's called a "course". And you don't call it "class" you call it a "module" (but people will still know what you mean if you say class). And instead of abbreviating "bachelors of science" to BS, they say BSc.

3. Oh yeah - university here is only three year and you start your major-specific (or course-specific) classes right away. You and everybody else who entered into that major at the same time act as a cohort. Instead of having level 100, 200, 300, etc., you either take level 4, 5, or 6 classes. Everybody in your level takes the same two core classes and then an elective that they choose every semester. So every level 6 student will be taking International Marketing and Digital Strategy and Management plus the elective they choose this semester.

4. Classes in general are formatted incredibly different. When you look at your schedule (that's called a timetable in the UK) you'll see four different types of class sessions you can go to. Not every course you take requires all four class types.

• Lecture - this is typically everybody in your level meeting at the same time (because you're all registered for the class). This is essentially what it is in America, the lecturer will go over a powerpoint and you'll take notes for 2 - 3 hours.

• Seminar - you and some of your classmates will be assigned a seminar. Because this is a smaller group of people, it's expected to be more interactive and discussion based. It usually has something to do with the lecture or is expanding upon a particular topic. This is usually an hour or two.

• Workshop - usually this is also a smaller group of peers, but not always. Here, you'll do work but not alone. Whether it's following along with the lecturer, group work, partner work, etc., you'll will have assistance of some sort. Workshops range between 1 and 3 hours.

• Tutorial - like the workshop, this is usually, but not always, a smaller group of classmates. Except now, you're doing the work on your own. You can ask the lecturer for help, but this is viewed as individual work. Tutorials are typically 1 hour.

5. You're entire grade is based on one final. All of my finals are papers (the shortest one being 12 pages and the longest one being 16 pages). Towards the end of the semester, you submit a draft of your paper and your professor will provide feedback to you on how you're doing and what you should change. However, if you end up doing poorly on your ONE assignment, you'll do poorly in the entire class.

6. Fortunately, the grading system is different! If you're looking to just pass, all you need is anything above a 34%. Anything between a 60 and a 100 is considered a good grade.

So far, these are the largest differences I've seen but it's only week one. It was definitely an adjustment coming into all this and not knowing what was going on. Fortunately, my flatmates have been incredibly helpful with answering questions and helping me navigate things around campus. As the school year continues, I'll keep you updated on all of the differences between American and European education.

My first day of class for my junior year of undergrad!