English for studying abroad
If you are at university or going to go to a university where you need to speak English, make sure you know these phrases so you can talk confidently about University life in English, otherwise you may lose all your confidence very quickly.
Imagine your first day at university in the UK or USA, or any country where you will be studying in English, and the other students start talking to you about university life in English.
They are talking about the dorms, their placements, pastoral care, the student union, and fear of lagging behind, and suddenly you think,
What do all these words and phrases actually mean?
Of course, you can ask, and that’s fine, but if you want to be well prepared and keep your confidence high, you should take some time now to learn these essential phrases so you are fully prepared for your university life.
Table of Contents
Talk about your university subjects
The first thing you need to get right when introducing yourself to others, or discussing your life at university, is explaining what you are doing and what kind of a student you are.
You can say,
I am studying AT university
I am studying AT college
I am studying AT vocational college
Notice there is no ‘THE’ unless you identify which university you are studying at.
I am studying AT university
I am studying at the University of Edinburgh
There are 2 kinds of students at university, those who are attending for the first time, an undergraduate student, and those who have already graduated once and are now doing a second or third degree, a postgraduate student. So, you might say,
I’m an undergraduate
I’m a postgraduate
There are many types of degrees, but the 3 main types are the following;
A Bachelor’s (e.g. BA / BS / BSc)
A Master’s (e.g. MA / MS / MSc)
A Doctoral degree (e.g PHD)
The first is an undergraduate degree and the other two are both postgraduate degrees. Below are the different ways you might say you are following a degree course,
I am studying a bachelor’s in Chemistry
I am studying for a bachelor’s in Chemistry
I’m doing a bachelor’s in Chemistry
I’m pursuing a bachelor’s in Chemistry
In the United States of America, and some other countries, you may study one main subject, but you can also opt to study an extra subject that is related to your degree, but not the main part.
The main subject is a major, and the secondary subject is a minor. These can be both used as nouns and verbs.
I major in business
My major is business studies
I minor in marketing
My minor is marketing
English phrases for studying at university
It’s exam time and you really need to start studying hard. A useful expression here is,
- To hit the books = to start studying with a lot of effort
I have an exam next week, I really need to hit the books
When it comes to studying, there are 3 main kinds of class that you may come across at University. You need to go to lectures, seminars and tutorials
The common collocations are
I go to lectures
I attend lectures
What is the difference between these?
- In lectures there are lots of students (maybe over a hundred) and the tutor talks and conveys ideas, whilst students take notes.
- On the other hand, seminars are smaller than a lecture, usually less formal and students can ask questions, and even debate issues.
In the UK, tutorials can be similar to seminars, but sometimes smaller. Also tutorials can even be where a student has one-on-one time with a tutor.
When it comes to homework and assessment, we have the following useful expressions,
The teacher gives out assignments
The teacher hands out assignments
Students do an assignment
They must hand in the assignment
Notice at school we talk about homework, but at university, we tend to talk about assignments, although it is basically the same thing.
For most degrees in the UK, you may be assessed with a mixture of
- Assignments
- Coursework
- Exams
- A Dissertation or Thesis
If you are doing a Master’s degree in the UK, then we use ‘dissertation’ to refer to a bigger piece of work based on in-depth research you have done.
A ‘thesis’ is the same but at PHD level.
Do note, that in some countries these terms are used slightly differently.
Other useful expressions related to doing assignments are,
I need to meet the deadline
I can’t make that deadline
The deadline is the date the tutor has set for you to hand in the piece of work.
I can’t keep up
I am lagging behind
I am struggling to manage my time
- To keep up = to follow the pace or deadline set for the work.
- To lag behind = to fall behind or not being able to keep up
- To struggle = to find it difficult to do something
University life in the UK, can be different from other countries. You need to be very independent and manage your own time. It is essential you are proactive, not just a passive listener.
If you are falling behind, you can seek help from your tutor. Tutors usually have fixed times when you can go and visit them for help or advice. There times are called,
- Office hours
- Consultation hours
- Open door
Talk about your year
When you meet other students, a common question is,
Which year are you in?
Here are the terms used to talk about this in both the UK and the USA
Year | UK | USA |
1 | I am a first year student (or a fresher) | I’m a freshman |
2 | I’m a second year student | I’m a sophomore |
3 | I’m a third year student | I’m a junior |
4 | I’m a final year student / I’m in my graduation year | I’m a senior |
Other useful vocabulary and phrases are
- A gap year = taking a year away from study.
This can be between finishing school and starting university, or between finishing university and starting work.
I have decided to take a gap year
- A placement = a period of time where you practice or work in a job.
For some degrees you need to do some practical training as part of your course. It may last a few months or a year.
I am on my placement year
I am going on a placement abroad
I am doing a placement in a fashion company
As for the amount of time you spend studying, we have two ways of expressing this.
- A term = 3 month period of study
- A semester = a half year period of study
We have end of term exams next week
I going on a placement abroad next semester
Talk about university accommodation
- When you go to university, there are different accommodation options. You may stay in a university dormitory (also known as a dorm), a big building that houses lots of students in single or shared rooms.
- In the UK, dorms are usually known as halls of residence. Often this type of accommodation includes meals and cleaning services.
The benefits of halls of residence are that they tend to be close to the university campus, and they make it easier to meet others and make friends. This makes it a popular option for first year students.
- Some students opt for private accommodation, usually renting a flat with 3 or 4 other students.
The pros of this are that you can choose who you live with and also you learn to be more independent, and pick up skills such as cooking and cleaning that you will need later on in life.
- Finally, some students may live at home with their parents, but this is unusual in the UK. Many young people prefer to live away from home when they go to university.
Some useful phrases here are,
I’m living in a dorm
The dorms are so convenient
I’m staying in halls of residence
It’s catered accommodation so all meals are provided
I’m renting a (student) flat
I’m living at home
Talk about the university campus
At the centre of every campus in the UK is the Student Union.
This is a student-led organisation that exists to represent the students at a University or College. It looks after a number of things including,
- Student rights
- Student well-being and health
- Housing
- Legal advice
- Social events
In addition, there are student societies which are basically clubs students can join. They are based on student interests such as hobbies, sport, politics and many more.
Another key area of support for students studying in the UK is the Personal Tutor. Every student is assigned a tutor who can have one-on-one meetings with them, and give both academic support and pastoral care.
- Pastoral care = emotional and social support
So, I hope in this lesson you have learned lots of useful phrases and vocabulary to talk about university life in English.
Thanks for reading this far and do leave comment below.
Tell me about your studies and university life, I am eager to know more about you!
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