How to Talk About University Life in English – Keith Speaking Academy

It’s exam time and you really need to start studying hard. A useful expression here is,

• To hit the books =

  to

  start studying with a lot of effort

I have an exam next week, I really need to hit the books

When it comes to studying, there are 3 main kinds of class that you may come across at University. You need to go to lectures, seminars and tutorials 

The common collocations are 

I go to lectures 

I attend lectures

What is the difference between these? 

• In

  lectures

  there are lots of students (maybe over a hundred) and the tutor talks and conveys ideas, whilst students take notes. 

• On the other hand,

  seminars

  are smaller than a lecture, usually less formal and students can ask questions, and even debate issues. 

In the UK, tutorials can be similar to seminars, but sometimes smaller. Also tutorials can even be where a student has one-on-one time with a tutor.

When it comes to homework and assessment, we have the following useful expressions,

The teacher gives out assignments

The teacher hands out assignments

Students do an assignment 

They must hand in the assignment

Notice at school we talk about homework, but at university, we tend to talk about assignments, although it is basically the same thing.  

For most degrees in the UK, you may be assessed with a mixture of 

• Assignments

• Coursework

• Exams

• A Dissertation or Thesis 

If you are doing a Master’s degree in the UK, then we use ‘dissertation’ to refer to a bigger piece of work based on in-depth research you have done.

A ‘thesis’ is the same but at PHD level.

Do note, that in some countries these terms are used slightly differently. 

Other useful expressions related to doing assignments are,

I need to meet the deadline

I can’t make that deadline 

The deadline is the date the tutor has set for you to hand in the piece of work.

I can’t keep up 

I am lagging behind

I am struggling to manage my time

• To

  keep up

  = to follow the pace or deadline set for the work. 

• To

  lag behind

  = to fall behind or not being able to keep up

• To

  struggle

  = to find it difficult to do something 

University life in the UK, can be different from other countries. You need to be very independent and manage your own time. It is essential you are proactive, not just a passive listener. 

If you are falling behind, you can seek help from your tutor. Tutors usually have fixed times when you can go and visit them for help or advice. There times are called,  

• Office hours 

• Consultation hours

• Open door