Singapore Kopitiam

Am thinking of sending some of my stuff over to UK by way of sea freight. Any recommendations for reliable and cheap service?

Well, there are different kinds of educational "events" you can go to. But they are not all compulsory. Most of the time you only need to sit the exam and pass. But in many cases you NEED to attend to scrape a pass. I think we've got a different concept here..

There are lectures, which are "lessons" following the (in my opinion stupid) method of frontal education. There is a professor standing in the middle of an auditorium, filled with (at some German unis, such as the LMU) up to 500 students, and talking about things, whilst YOUR job is to sit and listen and take notes.. they often conclude in exams.

The proseminars are mainly for first years because you learn about the methodology and such like of your course. They end with an essay and a presentation.

Then there are seminars, which serve the purpose to go "deeper" into a "special topic" in groups of 10-20 students. And here you actually learn something new. They conclude in you writing an essay and holding a presentation.

Additionally, there are "project seminars" in which you do research of your own into a topic you may choose out of a selection.

Sadly, I don't seem to be able to find an English course overview. Otherwise I'd copy you a link.

And as for the fact that your supervisions seem to be geared more towards making everyone understand than anything else: it probably is that way because each university student in the UK spends a lot of money on her/his education. If the course were so hard that the student would not cope anymore (as very often is the case here! In fact that even is the strategy of the unis here: they want to make sure that their students really want to do what they are doing and don't just study their subject because they follow a whim or because they want the academic prestige. Which is why they are "sieved out" by overly harsh exams, courses, projects in the first few semesters. So yes, many German students fail.), the student would have to stop studying and thus the uni would lose money.
I found it extremely weird that all international applicants at the uni of edinburgh received an offer - well all of them would have paid the largest sum for their education.... maybe that is not the explanation for that phenomena, correct me if I'm wrong. =)

And contact hours vary from "event" to "event".. each "event" leads to a certain number of "credit points" (either 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 or 9 for my course). Most of the time one "event" takes up 2-4 hours a week, and apart from some "events" which are compulsory, you may pick the others freely. The only criteria you need to fulfill is that you need to have filled 180 credit points at the end of your education, according to plan three years, but many students don't manage to meet this set time limit. A good friend of mine added another year because he was interested in too much to be able to cover everything within the time an average student is allocated.

Somehow i have the impression that the British education system is the same as ours - emphasising on rote learning and being exam smart.

And because of that, excessively high grade inflation is a norm in the UK now. Like A* was only recently introduced and almost all top uni are asking for straight A*.

Something is really wrong.

Edinburgh? Interesting, I'll be there too. You can get by on about a hundred quid a week.

Are you there for study? Does your budget includes accommodation, etc.? If it does, what is the budget for general expenses alone, leaving out the amount for catered accommodation lifestyle.

This sounds like quite a good system - you actually get to explore and find out more about a topic you are interested in - as opposed to getting the information via lectures. Unfortunately - for my University at least - this is limited to some third year and fourth year modules - which are not even compulsory.

I agree that my supervisions seem to be geared more towards making everyone understand than anything else - but my personal belief is that supervisions need to have different pacing in different years. In short, if you are a second or third or a fourth year student, you really *ought* to have studied on your own / read up instead of asking easy questions. My gripe is that if your question is something that can be answered in your own lecture notes, OR via google, or by substituting numbers and checking, DON'T ASK IT. You are wasting everyone's time.

I have found with the increasing university fees - there seems to be some discontentment amongst some UK students - they want more contact hours, expect to be spoonfed at these supervisions, and want an easy exam. The more senior lecturers ignore them, the less senior (because they can't afford to get negative feedback) sometimes pander to them. Which sucks. For example, even as a student, I have been flamed for bluntly telling someone to google something simple or look at the course website for being rude, despite the fact that I've told them nicely a few times before I snapped.

I would certainly like the opportunity to do more research on topics that interest me, and I guess, if *cough* students who waste time / expect material to be given to them are kicked out after the first year, it might be a better (although more stressful) environment.

It appears that in this post, I've pointed out quite a few disadvantages of the UK university system. However, I don't really see it as one country's education system is "better" or "worse" than the rest - there certainly are advantages and high points of my course

I guess it's really what you make out of it. If you really want to, you can pursue interdisciplinary courses in the UK, and learn more, but it boils down to being active -i.e. you'd really have to make some effort to do it. Otherwise, you can simply scrape through. Whereas perhaps in Germany and the US say, that is the system - you are placed in it, and are expected to go through the process.

If only you knew.... there have been mass protests in many federal states.

This is not only due to the mass of students and the - often - lacking capacities; it also is because of the feudal hierarchies which still exist. These are underlying problems which resurface into public consciousness everytime there is a change to the German educational system.
For instance, until a couple of years ago, we did not have BAs, BSCs or Masters.. we had diplomas, magisters and Staatsxamen ("state exams" for teachers, medics and lawyers, still in place for lawyers and doctors; for teachers only in certain federal states). The diplomas, magisters and Staatsexamen were the equivalent to your masters degree. There was no bachelor. Because of the "Bologna process" and the insecurity it meant for future bachelor students (as you now do not study towards your magister or diploma, but only your bachelor at first, which means that it is uncertain whether you actually get the grades for a masters degree (2.5)), as well as the massive workload and the - compared to earlier times - more prescribed courses, people protested. Additionally, the bachelors degree prevented the students from travelling around from city to city and deepening the own studies by travelling from the faculty in Munich to the faculty of Heidelberg because they specialise in different things.
Another trigger of protests was the introduction of university fees a couple of years back. Compared to international standards you might deem these ridiculous because the unis "only" demanded 1000€ p. a., but there is an underlying ideology. Education ought to be free and available for everyone. Because this was not guaranteed anymore and because thus a financial selection process came into play - so they argued - fees should be abolished again. By now the only federal states which hold onto them are Lower Saxony and Bavaria.

The thing is, I think - and again: correct me if I'm wrong - that the universities in Britain are selective before admitting students to a course. In Germany, universities are selective whilst the student is on the course....

Out of curiosity, do German students complain about this? Or rather, is there a large voice speaking out against this? I seem to recall that education in German universities are free for both local and international students, and this seems like a natural side effect.

I know that in England (and quite possibly Singapore?), there is more guidance given, although (the cynical) part of me believes that guidance is not taken during normal term time, and is only fervently sought near exam time. Quite possibly this is due to the culture of studying last minute / doing work at the very last minute - something common to an increasing majority of students. Doesn't help that being exam smart usually gets you a 2:1 in most exams.

An interesting point - if Gordon Brown had succeeded in his target of getting 50% of British students into higher education, would British universities have to follow the Humboldtian ideal, not because they believe in it, but because it would seem the best way given overcrowding? Sieve out the elite, so to speak - 50% could enter, but far less than 50% could graduate.

No, I'm not going to study in Singapore. I see that you are going there for a year. And whilst it is a fascinating place to be for tourists, to live there is an entirely different matter.. you could read up on Singaporean politics, if you like. They and society there are pretty much the factors which prevent me from moving back to the place where I received the beginnings of my education.

And yes, I live in Germany. And according to my ID card, my "nationality" is "German". If you look at history, however, you come to realise that "Germans" are not all of the same "nationality" because "Germany" is, as such, not a nation. There are Bavarians, Prussians, Saxons.. but "Germans" are a figment of their imagination.

Any current student whose parents have followed you when settling in school?

How/what did you arrange for your parents while you are attending the freshers' week?

Any current student whose parents have followed you when settling in school?

How/what did you arrange for your parents while you are attending the freshers' week?