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1 Inside View
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2 Outside View
Inside View
Language and Culture: Terms & Semesters
Some British universities organize the study periods by terms (as at Oxford University), normally with three terms a year and in each term there are exams for the course(s) students take; some courses may last longer than a term. Some other universities organize the study periods by semesters, normally with two semesters per year between October and May. At the end of the first semester, there may be an exam or phase test (ie a test which checks students’ learning of the course up to that point), and then a final exam at the end of the second semester (the end of the academic year).
In some universities, the term and the semester systems run at the same time for different academic programmes. In some programmes, there might be a fourth term, usually during the summer, for those who would like to finish their course credits earlier or who have to do their work placement during the summertime. So when international students consider studying at a British university, it is useful to find out which system is operating there.
I can’t face something means I don’t want to do something because it is too difficult or unpleasant.
Keep an eye on something means to look after (take care of) something.
Fed up with something means annoyed or bored with something that you have accepted for too long.
Home comforts refer to things which can make you feel comfortable as if you were at home. First-year students might miss the comforts of home.
To be run down means to feel tired, lacking energy and not functioning properly.
To be depressed generally means to feel sad and without hope; it indicates a general loss of interest in life, combined with a sense of reduced emotional well-being. This is natural as a normal response to some events in life, but if it affects a person’s behaviour and physical state it may be a depressive illness.
