Read the extract and do the assignments below.

Paola: What I describe university life like is the worst holiday ever: The change is nice for a while, but then you get used to it and it becomes a crappy version of what you had back home, along with all the flaws of living with others. I initially shared with 24 people and now with 10 and things such as just cleaning are enough to wind me up. Then there's the work side; you'll have no idea what to expect to begin with and will probably go overboard, but don't do that so much. Remember, Freshers year counts for nothing - it's just to get you used to university life. You could be going away from lectures and doing up your notes etc and bear in mind that a lot of it is SELF STUDY! Lecturers / seminar tutors won't know your name or even care about you: There are audiences of 200 + for lectures so you're a John Doe amongst a sea of other John Does.

Ruffio: As annoying as this generic answer is it depends on you and your course. But nonetheless, It's interesting to study something that you're really interested in rather than studying subjects at A level that you don't really care about and that are just merely a stepping stone towards what you really want to study at degree level. As a result, writing essays are more interesting as (at least in my case) I get to choose from a wide range of questions of which quite a few interest me and I enjoy going to the library and actually doing independent reading on the topics because i'm studying something i'm interested in.

Lessy: I reckon for a lot of people, uni is what you make of it.

Granted things like lecturers and flatmates etc you get what you get but try and make the best of everything.

Personally, i love uni and am dreading finishing it.

The hours depend on what course and uni you attend.

Most places you won’t be stuck for things to do though, your student union will run loads of activities and if not, you can start your own societies etc!

You'll be allocated a personal tutor at uni you can go to for help

 

A: Who of the students say the following. Prove your point of view.

В· This student likes studying only special courses

· You don’t learn anything when you are the first year student

В· The course you study really matters

В· Extracurricular life is important

В· This student is afraid of graduation

В· This student likes self-studying

В· This student dislikes self-studying

B: Explain, what the saying “you're a John Doe amongst a sea of other John Does” mean to you.

Exercise 2. Work in pairs. Fill in the chart eliciting as many benefits and drawbacks of the student’s life as you can. Compare it with other groups.

Benefits	Drawbacks
You meet many interesting people …	Huge amounts of homework …

 

Exercise 3. Extracurricular activities [EA]

A: Discuss the following questions.

В· How do EA differ from grades and tests?В

В· What kinds if EA are offered at the university? Fill in the following table.

Social activities

Sport activities

Scientific activities

 

В· What motivates students to voluntarily participate in EA?

В· Who takes advantage of EA?

В· Is participation in EA related to students' success in school?

B: Learning outcomes.

In you group, consider which skills/key skills/other skills and qualities are developed through these activities.

In your group, write these ideas on the large sheet of paper using a spider diagram for each activity.

 

ВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВ Stamina

ВВВВВВВВВВВ PatientВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВ Good with childrenВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВ Reliable

 

 

ResponsibleВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВ Fit

 

ВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВ Reliable

ВВВВВВВВВВВ TrustworthyВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВ TeamworkВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВ

ВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВВ Good Coordination

 

Consider the reasons why the development of skills and qualities through extra curricular activities is important for its own sake and /or for your employability potential.

В

Homework. Prepare a leaflet offering on extracurricular activity for the students of your university. Make it attractive and appealing.

 

Lesson 4