Listening Comprehension Activities

1. Listen to the radio program in which Andrew Ferguson, a senior editor at the Weekly Standard, talks about his new book, Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College. Make notes about his attitude to the problem of applying to college.

2. Listen againand write (T) true or F (false) in front of each of the sentences.

1. Most middle-class parents aim at getting their kids into Harvard or Yale.

2. Mr. Ferguson began to get his son ready for college application when his son was in his last high school year. He felt he should have started earlier.

3. Mr. Ferguson consulted a woman who provides an A to Z college preparation program for children who are in their freshman or sophomore year in high school. The course costs $14,000.

4. Many parents start to compile the so-called “brag sheets” when their children are in elementary school. The “brag sheets” usually include all kinds of their children’s accomplishments like videos of athletic performances, tapes of music recitals and mentions in local papers.

5. Mr. Ferguson believes it is impossible to get into college without a great SAT score and a great GPA as they are the most important requirements for admission to college.

6. Mr. Ferguson says that the hardest part of college application is writing an application essay as the questions given usually appeal to your emotions, not reason. He admits he could not help his son to learn to write such essays.

7. When Mr. Ferguson met a college counselor, she recommended his son to take a SAT prep course.

8. Mr. Ferguson’s advice to all parents whose kids are going to apply for college is to stop worrying too much.

9. When Mr. Ferguson’s son was asked by his college counselor to describe college he would like to study at, he said that he wanted a school where he could go to a football game, paint his chest in school colors and major in beer. Mr. Ferguson did not like that joke.

 

After Listening Activities

Activity I: Discussing the Issues and Comparing

1. What do you think makes selective and highly selective colleges so attractive?

2. Read the following excerpt from the article “Prestige Versus Education” written by Thomas Sowell, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Do you agree or disagree with his opinion? Do prestigious universities and colleges really give you better education?

Academic prestige is based mostly on the research achievements of the faculty. Places like Harvard or Stanford have many professors who are among the leading experts in their respective fields, including some who have won Nobel Prizes. Good for them. But is it good for you, if you are a student at Prestige U.? Big-name professors are unlikely to be teaching you freshman English or introductory math. Some may not be teaching you anything at all, unless and until you go on to postgraduate study. In other words, the people who generated the prestige which attracted you to the college may be seen walking about the campus but are less likely to be seen standing in front of your classroom when you begin your college education. <…>

By contrast, at a small college without the prestige of big-name research universities, the introductory courses which provide a foundation for higher courses are more likely to be taught by experienced professors who are teachers more so than researchers. Maybe that is why graduates of such colleges often go on to do better than the graduates of big-name research universities. You may never have heard of Harvey Mudd College but a higher percentage of its graduates go on to get Ph.D.s than do the graduates of Harvard, Yale, Stanford or M.I.T. So do the graduates of Grinnell, Reed, and various other small colleges. Of the chief executive officers of the 50 largest American corporations surveyed in 2006, only four had Ivy League degrees. Some – including Michael Dell of Dell computers and Bill Gates of Microsoft – had no degree at all (abridged from http://www.creators.com/conservative/thomas-sowell/prestige-versus-education.html).

3. Is there any gradation of universities in Russia? What universities can be considered selective or highly selective?

ACTIVE READING

 

Read the following information and find differences and similarities between American and Russian institutions of higher education. Write out all the words relating to education.

US Higher Education

There are three main levels of higher education: undergraduate studies (bachelor’s degree), graduate studies (master’s degree) and postgraduate studies (doctor’s degree). The terms ‘college’ and ‘university’ are often used interchangeably as they have many things in common. Both offer undergraduate degrees in the arts and sciences, and both can help prepare young people to earn a living. But many colleges do not offer graduate studies. Another difference is that universities are generally bigger. They offer more programs and do more research. A college can also be a part of a university, e.g. Harvard College is the undergraduate part of Harvard University. Programs in higher learning can also be called schools, like a school of engineering or a medical school within a college or university. Another place of higher education, especially in technical areas, is an institute, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Most academic years consist of two 15-week semesters. The academic year usually begins in August or September and finishes in May or June with a short “winter” break, usually in December or January. Most bachelor’s degrees consist of 120 credits. In theory courses, one credit is equal to 50 minutes of contact (time spent in class) per week for one semester. Most theory courses carry three or four credits each. Therefore, students should expect to be in class three times per week for 50 minutes each for a three-credit course. Most students take five courses for a total of 15 credits (each semester). In laboratory, practical or studio courses, one credit is equal to two to four 50 minutes of contact (class or lab time) per week for one semester. (abridged from http://www.justlanded.com/english/USA/USA-Guide/Education/Higher-Education); and E-journal USA, Society and Values: College and University Education in the United States, http://infousa.state.gov/education/overview/docs/ijse1105.pdf).

 

VOCABULARY CORNER

 

 

1. There are various types of institutions of higher learning in the United States. Which of the characteristics below describe each of the types given in the box? Write out the words and expressions which seem to be the most relevant to speak about the topic.         

public universities          specialty colleges            liberal arts colleges     community colleges     minority serving institutions      private universities      religiously affiliated colleges

1. They have a historical tradition or mandate to serve a specific demographic of student, but often serve non-minority students as well.

2. They are largely locally controlled and publicly funded. They offer studies leading to technical and semi-professional occupations, and studies which prepare students for entrance to a four-year degree institution.

3. They are closely identified with and supported by the states in which they are located.

4. They provide pre-professional training of four years or less for students who proceed to advanced professional schools, such as law or medicine, and offer a liberal education for students who don’t enter professional or graduate school.

5. They have a distinctive identity and mission rooted in a religious tradition.

6. They award an associate degree after two years’ study, e.g. Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degrees.

7. They enroll tens of thousands of students and produce the majority of graduate and professional degrees in the country as well as a significant number of undergraduate degrees.

8. They feature more focused curricula, not a broad range of studies; they specialize in distinct areas such as the fine and performing arts, business, or technological skills, or military training.

9. They occupy all but three or four of the top 25 slots in most rankings.

10. Three groups whose members fit into this category are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC).

11. They cater to non-traditional students like part-timers, parents, and the already employed. They can also help gifted and purpose-driven students develop their talents and pursue their professional objectives.

12. They attempt to present both reason and faith as two distinct yet related components.

13. They generally enjoy greater financial flexibility as they do not depend on state legislatures for funding but draw their resources from alumni, philanthropic foundations, and scientific and other professional organizations.

14. Most of them have articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities ensuring that credits earned will count toward the four-year degree program.

15. They charge, on average, $8,244 in tuition and fees for in-state students. The average surcharge for full-time out-of-state students at these institutions is $12,526 (in 2011-2012).

16. They are somewhat smaller than their public counterparts.

17. They are of different types – state colleges, public schools, community colleges, religiously affiliated colleges, liberal arts colleges.

18. They charge, on average, $28,500 per year in tuition and fees (in 2011-2012).

2. Match the words with their definitions.

1. alumni 2. credit 3. faculty 4. prerequisite 5. major 6. minor 7. scholarship 8. general education (GenEd) courses 9. summer school 10. thesis

a) courses you can take in the summer at a school, university, or college (if you miss or fail a course and want to catch up) b) all the teachers in a university c) a long piece of writing about a particular subject that you do as part of an advanced university degree such as an MA or a PhD d) the second main subject that you study at university for your degree e) the former students of a school, college etc f) courses in key areas of knowledge (e.g. math, science, composition, U.S. history or government, economics, foreign languages, etc), which are not program specific g) a successfully completed part of a course at a university or college h) an amount of money that is given to someone by an educational organization to help pay for their education i) the main subject that a student studies at college or university or someone studying a particular subject as their main subject at college or university j) a course that is required to be taken prior to the course that you want to enroll in

3. Fill in the gaps using the words from exercise 2.

1. The percentage of ________________, as compared to major courses, varies depending on the school and the major, but all institutions require some of them.

2. Legacy admissions are a long-standing tradition. Historically, private universities – especially the most selective ones – have used them to cultivate a sense of family continuity and to attract donations from _______, who are likely to donate more generously when they think their children might gain admission.

3. While ___________ for graduate students are less common, they are often very generous, as many target particular fields of study or are awarded by potential employers who want a better-educated employee base.

4. Nearly two-thirds of undergraduate students in the United States change __________ before graduating.

5. A __________, also called dissertation, is usually associated with postgraduate studies, i.e. research or taught Master’s degree or PhD level and is carried out under a supervision of a professor or an academic of the university.

6. Your ________ may also be important when it comes to applying to graduate school or other academic endeavors as it can show that you have additional skills and interests.

7. Both ______________ and students oppose the measures.

8. When a course has a ______________, the content assumes a specific skill level or knowledge base. This allows for course continuity.

9. The present-day definition misses the mark by equating __________ with time spent learning rather than with the learning outcomes.

10. ____________ has customarily been a time for thousands of students to gain ground on degrees or, if hampered by work and family duties, stay on track.

4. Listen to a short lecture about academic titles at American colleges and universities and make notes about the following positions. Then explain how they differ.

· professor · instructor · assistant professor · associate professor

· full professor · visiting professor · adjunct professor · lecturer

INTENSIVE LISTENING

Before Listening Activities

Activity I: Orientation

6. Going away to college can be an overwhelming time for new students as they embark on a new stage in their lives. What are freshmen usually anxious and nervous about? Make a list of the most common fears that freshmen have at the beginning of the first year of college.

7. What was your transition from secondary school to university like? Did you have any worries and fears?

Activity II: Helpful Vocabulary

1. Match the idioms and phrasal verbs with their definitions, then give their Russian equivalents.

1. be cracked up to be 2. be on one’s own 3. find (get) one’s bearings 4. make one’s mark 5. measure up 6. move out 7. put (the) pressure on sb (to do sth) 8. put on a front 9. skip (a class) 10. slack off

a) prove capable or fit; meet requirements b) do sth that allows one to receive appropriate recognition c) figure out one’s position or situation relative to one’s surroundings d) be independent e) cover up true feelings f) make demands on sb, try to get sb to do sth g) become lazy or inefficient h) leave a place of residence permanently i) be absent from, avoid attendance at j) be alleged or understood to be sth

2. Use the words from exercise 1 in the correct form in the following sentences.

1. She is new to the company and needs time _______________.

2. He is not the problem solving CEO that he _______________.

3. Near the end of the school year, Sally began _________, and her grades showed it.

4. It’s really exciting ___________ for the first time even if I am only one state away from my family. I’ve never felt so independent before.

5. He hasn’t shown any signs of grief over his father’s death, but I’m sure he _____ just __________.

6. The math skills of the majority of children in this school _________ to the national standards.

7. Living away from home while attending college gives students a lot of new-found freedom – often resulting in a classic case of classes __________ and GPAs destroyed.

8. Although _________ is something that is normal for most young adults, the age at which a person does this often depends on the emotional and financial readiness of the young adult, as well as on the parents and the child’s relationship with those parents.

9. On this website you can see how our current students and graduates ____________ around the world, hear from scholarship winners and see our TV stars.

10. The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, found that China was the only one of 21 countries or territories where the majority believes parents ______ too much __________ students to do well in school.