Higher education in the usa

The first American college was Harvard, which was founded in 1636 by the graduates of Cambridge University. Later, in 1693, the college of William and Mary was founded in Williamsburg, Virginia, with Yale soon following in 1701. By 1776, there were 9 colleges in the colonies, including Princeton, Pennsylvania, Columbia, Brown, Rutgers. Today these universities are among the most respectful not only in the USA but all over the world. They are very selective and very expensive. The most outstanding of them are called the Ivy League (группа старейших университетов): Brown, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Darmouth College, Princeton and Pennsylvania.

About 40% of high school graduates go to college. Students pay tuition (платить за обучение) to study at public and private universities. Some of them have scholarships (стипендия) to help with the cost of tuition. Even with scholarship, higher education is very expensive; many families take out loans to pay for their children’s college education.

The USA now has about 3, 350 accredited colleges and universities. They offer a great variety of requirements for admission and so many different types of programs that foreign visitors usually have some difficulty identifying American colleges and universities with those of their own countries.

College-bound students generally take college admission tests during their last two years of high school.

The terms “college” and “university” are often used interchangeably, although the former often is a part of the latter.

An American college offers a blend of natural and social sciences and humanistic studies. Students, traditionally from 18 to 22 years old, attend classes for about 4 years to receive, if they successfully complete all requirements, a bachelor’s degree in arts or in sciences. A university is usually composed of an undergraduate college of arts and sciences, plus graduate schools and professional schools and facilities.

A student can accumulate (накопить, сдать) credits at one university, transfer them to a second and ultimately receive a degree from there or a third university.

American universities and colleges are usually built as a separate complex, called “campus”, with teaching blocks, libraries, dormitories (общежития), and many other facilities grouped together on one site, often on the outskirts of the city.

A student starting high school is called a freshman and becomes a sophomore in the second year. Eleven-grade students are called juniors, and twelfth-grade students are seniors. There are eight classes a day, usually from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The academic year (учебный год) begins in late August or early September and ends in May or June, for most colleges and universities. The semester system divides the academic year into two equal terms of approximately 16 weeks each. Usually there is also a fourth “summer quarter” for students who choose summer school and earn units which may help them to complete their degree work in a shorter length of time than normally is required.

At the end of term students get a grade of A/A- (outstanding/ extremely good work), B+/ B/ B- (very good work/ good work/ a bit better than average), C+/ C/ C- (better than average/ satisfactory/ almost satisfactory), D+/ D (not good/ barely passing), or F (fail) for each subject. As they finish each class, students get a credit. When they have enough of these, they can graduate.

Most colleges and universities in the United States have established “honor codes” «кодекс чести» – statements of certain rules students must follow in their academic year. Ignorance of the rules is not usually accepted as an excuse. You may be expelled from your school. There is a US idiom that applies here: “It is better to be safe than sorry”.

Cheating (списывание) is a failure of honesty. In the USA cheating means getting unauthorized help on an assignment, quiz or examination. You must not use unauthorized sources for answers during exam. You must not take notes or books to the exam if this is forbidden.

Plagiarism is a failure to do your own original work in written assignments (письменные задания). Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas as though they were own. It is literary “theft”. If you commit any act of dishonesty even for the first time:

▪You will certainly receive an “F” (failing grade) for the assignment;

▪You will probably receive an “F” for the entire course;

▪You may be expelled from the school.

Methods of instruction: Lecture is the most common method of instruction at U.S. colleges and universities. Usually lectures are supplemented by an extra “discussion” class, reading assignments and periodic written assignments. Class discussion is regarded as a healthy sign of interest, attention and independent thinking. Seminars where students prepare presentations based on independent reading and research. Laboratories, esp. for science courses where theory learned in the classroom is applied to practical problems. Term papers are based on researches students have done in the library or the lab. The professor usually assigns a term paper early in the course and near the end of the course. All papers must be typewritten.