When you are considering studying in a new country, there can often be lots of new phrases and words to learn, or they may have different meanings in different countries. Here we’ve pulled together a short list to help when thinking about studying in the UK.
- Term – At a UK university, a year is split into different terms or semesters. At Roehampton, a one-year course is often split into three terms.
- Foundation – Much like pre-sessional programmes, a foundation course will give students the qualifications and skills they need to progress their education.
- Pre-masters – These courses build on students’ existing education to meet the entry requirements for postgraduate degrees.
- Pathway – These programmes develop students’ academic and study skills so they can successfully join a postgraduate or undergraduate degree.
- Intake – This is often used to refer to the start month for a programme. For example, a September intake refers to a course that starts in September.
- College – The University of Roehampton is a collegiate university, which is made up of a number of old colleges that now serve as accommodation for the students. In other cases, colleges also operate as standalone educational institutions that offer their own courses
- Bookworm – This refers to someone who spends a lot of time reading books and gathering information.
- Mind-map – A process by which a group of people openly share ideas on a subject. When written down, this would include a central theme surrounded by connected branches of related ideas or thoughts.
- Pass with flying colours – This refers to when someone passes an exam with an impressively high mark.
- Show of hands – When trying to determine the preferences of a set of people, you can ask for a “show of hands” and people will raise their hands based on their preferred options.
- Off by heart – If someone knows a subject so well they can talk freely about it without guidance, they know that subject off by heart.