College Student Life Off-Campus How to find and participate in student life outside your college classroom.

Conventional wisdom states that college student life means drinking beer and having fun. But all too often, especially for the international student, life outside an American classroom is life inside the library.

You shouldn’t study for hours each and every night, even if you want to.

Take a break once in awhile. Part of attending a US university is experiencing college student life when your books are shut. Make sure the university you choose has enough options for you.

But all the opportunities in the world won’t help if you can’t get to them. Also make sure you have transportation options for on- and off-campus events at your US college.
College Student Life After Classes

Uncover the hot spots around campus. Do students gather at the union? Do they play Frisbee on the commons?

Many universities offer their own evening activities, such as speakers or free films. Also check if the drama department presents plays on-campus, or if the music department holds concerts. You may want to participate in one of these activities as well.

Find out what types of activities and clubs are on-campus and what student life is like for college students off-campus. For example:
Do students crowd the bars and go to off-campus parties?
Are area coffee shops filled to the brim?
Does the theater play popular movies?
Location Affects College Student Life

College student life can vary significantly based on the US university you choose. The location of the college plays an important role.

A college in a small community probably won’t offer as many off-campus alternatives. However, a university in the middle of a large city will offer a nearly endless number of options off-campus.
Transportation at US Colleges

Even if you can walk to your classes, exploring the community by foot might be impractical.

What types of transportation are available at your school? Even if you attend a rural college, a bus or train might provide service to a nearby city.

If public transportation isn’t available, you might consider getting a US driver’s license and bringing a vehicle to college. Before you fill up the tank, make sure this is even an option.

Some colleges have restrictions on who can bring cars to campus. Even upperclassmen who have cars may have to park far away if they live in the college dorms.

Parking might be a concern even if you live off-campus. Spots could be limited, and you might need a parking pass.
Bicycles on College Campuses

A bicycle can be a quick and affordable college strategy. Just be sure to buy a strong lock to secure your bike. Your residence hall might even store the bike during winter.

However, many US cities don’t have bike lanes, and drivers aren’t always kind to bicyclists on the road. If you ride your bike off-campus, be observant and try to avoid the busiest streets.

Whether you’re walking or biking, make sure the campus is safe and well-lit at night. Some US colleges offer their own shuttle service. You can sometimes arrange for a school-sponsored service to pick you up and drop you off at your destination late at night.
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You are attending a US college to learn, but you must remain sane and take time to unwind. When you are deciding where to attend college, be sure the options for student life on- and off-campus match your interests. After all, the social skills you learn in college are just as important as any history class or chemistry lab.

British students going to American universities

The crisis engulfing British universities is turning young heads towards the US. Yale graduate Zachary Roth reveals what they can expect to find there .

The number of British students going to American universities looks to be on the rise – thanks to intense competition for places in Britain and an aggressive push by US colleges to target British applicants. This week’s threats of annual tuition fees growing to £10,000, on the back of Lord Browne’s proposals for a shake-up of university funding, may well spur them on.

But what can British students expect if they choose to cross the Atlantic? What adjustments would they have to make? What might they get in return? And is the romanticised Hollywood image – you know, beautiful co-eds frolicking on ivy-covered campus lawns, cheering on the team at the big game, falling in love and forging lifelong friendships – for real?

As someone who made the leap from a London public school to an American Ivy League university, I can offer some advice.

First, be ready for a very different approach to higher education. Rather than allowing students to focus on one subject, as in the European model, American universities offer a far broader educational grounding, and require you to take classes in a range of topics. Having done A-levels in English, history, and politics, I’d assumed that I would never have to struggle through another science class after sitting my GCSEs. Instead, I found myself barely managing a pass grade in an introductory university physics class.

One of the true pleasures of those years came when, each summer, the “Blue Book” would arrive in the mail, outlining the hundreds of classes on offer to students. I’d excitedly circle a class on medieval Icelandic literature, then one on modern American urban planning, then another on the gay and lesbian presence in 20th-century art. How many British universities offer that extensive a menu of educational experiences for students to choose from?

System of Higher Education - Study in Norway

System of higher education

Norwegian education institutions are state-run. As a rule, there are no tuition fees for higher education in Norway, but fees may be charged for certain professional education programmes and special programmes, and by some of the private institutions.

In addition to teaching, all higher education institutions, and especially universities, have a particular responsibility to conduct pure research and researcher training, by means of graduate-level studies and doctoral degree programmes. The internationalisation of higher education has been a key factor for the development of programmes where the language of instruction is English. Currently, almost 200 Masters programmes taught in English are available to students, covering many different subject areas. Some of the institutions are also offering English taught programmes at Bachelor’s and PhD level.

Degree system
Norway is one of the leading countries conforming to the guidelines from the Bologna Process in European higher education. The degree system based on the Bachelor's, Masters and Ph.D. structure has been successfully implemented together with the ECTS credits system. By adapting to the European standard in higher education (see Fig. 1), it has become easier for students who complete all or part of their education in Norway to obtain recognition of their qualifications in other countries.

[Fig 1]



Source: NOKUT
Please note that exceptions are not included.

Credits and grading scale
Courses at universities and university colleges are assessed on a scale of study credits, in accordance with the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) standard. A full-time academic year equals 60 ECTS credits. Courses are measured in “studiepoeng” according to the ECTS standard (European Credit Transfer System credits). The full-time workload for one academic year is 60 “studiepoeng”/ECTS credits. Both undergraduate and graduate students are given grades on a scale ranging from A (best) to F (fail), where E is the lowest passing grade. Some exams, however, are simply marked Pass or Fail.

International students
All international applicants must fulfil the same basic entrance requirements as Norwegian students. Eligibility for exchange and fellowship programmes is usually determined on the basis of national and regional bilateral agreements and fulfilment of quota requirements. Participation in a number of the funding programmes is restricted to applicants from specific countries. A good command of English is required for all students attending Norwegian institutions of higher education. International students who are not native English speakers must document their language proficiency.

'Thousands of children' sexually exploited by gangs

Thousands of children in England are being horrifically abused by gangs, the deputy children's commissioner has said, as she launches an inquiry.

Current estimates say up to 10,000 children could be affected by the sexual abuse, but it is feared the true figure could be much higher.

Sue Berelowitz said: "Right now thousands of children are being horrifically abused by gangs."

She is mounting a two-year inquiry into the scale and scope of the problem.

The exploitation involves children as young as 11 being targeted by groups of men or gangs. They are given gifts and attention, then sold or passed on to others once they are trapped.

The issue reaches across all races and classes, said Ms Berelowitz.

African-Caribbean boys 'would rather hustle than learn'

Black schoolboys can choose to perform poorly to avoid undermining their masculinity, the head of the Jamaican Teachers' Association has said.

Adolph Cameron said that in Jamaica, where homophobia was a big issue, school success was often seen as feminine or "gay".

He was concerned the same cultural attitude was affecting African-Caribbean male students in the UK.

They are one of England's worst-performing ethnic groups in schools.

Only traveller children do worse at GCSEs. Although improvements have been made, last year just 40% of African-Caribbean boys achieved five good GCSEs including English and maths compared with the national average of 58.5%.

Mr Cameron, head of the Jamaica Teachers' Association, made the comments in a lecture at an event in Bristol aimed at promoting the educational achievement of black boys and sponsored by the National Union of Teachers.

He noted that in Jamaica boys were at least 10 percentage points behind girls in national tests. Misplaced views about masculinity needed to be tackled in schools.

He said: "Education... takes second place to notions of entrepreneurship as, predominantly our young men, get involved in the informality of what the University of the West Indies academics, Witter and Gayle, have called a 'hustle culture'."

More on This Story

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15410424
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15350429
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15267914
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15171830

Merged University of Wales chief hails 'new beginning'

The University of Wales (UoW) says its merger with two colleges is the "start of a new beginning" for the scandal-hit institution.

The 120-year old university is in effect being abolished after BBC Wales' investigations raised questions about its scrutiny of partner colleges.

Vice-chancellor Medwin Hughes said the new organisation was a "strong brand" that ensured UoW's name would continue.

UoW council chairman Hugh Thomas resigned after the merger decision.

Visa scandal

The institution's future had come into question following Welsh government proposals to rationalise higher education.

A merger with Trinity St David in Carmarthen and Lampeter, and Swansea Metropolitan University, was proposed as the way forward.

But a scandal uncovered by BBC Wales involving an alleged visa scam centred on a partner college in London offering UoW validated degrees confounded the plan.

Prof Medwin Hughes, said the three institutions would now be "recreated" under a new brand.

The new vice-chancellor told BBC Radio Wales: "We have secured yesterday that the Wales name will continue within the context of higher education

'Decent burial'

"Wales needs strong brands. You don't throw away a name - Wales. You don't throw away the name of the university of Wales. Clearly it has to change. Every university has to change."

Prof Hughes said students in the UK and beyond would still be able to finish a University of Wales degree.

Once the merger has taken place, new degrees would bear the name of the three universities, he said.

Following the scandal revelations, education minister Leighton Andrews said UoW had "let Wales down" and "probably requires a decent burial", and called for Mr Thomas to quit.

Last year BBC Wales revealed that a pop star with bogus degrees was running a University of Wales partner college in Malaysia.

It led to a damning report from the higher education watchdog, the QAA, which found serious shortcomings in the way UoW approved other colleges to teach and design courses for its degrees.

Announcing his resignation on Friday, Mr Thomas said the "historic decision" taken by the governing body for merger had led him "to assess what in leadership terms was in the best interests of the transformed university".

A Welsh government spokesperson welcomed the resignation as the "right decision in light of recent events".

"The University of Wales has played an important part in the history of Wales. It's important that any successor institution builds upon that history," they added.

Conservative education sppokeswoman Angela Burns AM said: "It is now crucial that lessons are learned and that Welsh higher education regains its credibility".