[CherryWill]

Hey,
I'll be an exchange student at the university of nottingham for the '12-'13 year and I was wondering, do you guys have to pay your entire accommodation fee up front? You can't pay it by month like rent?

thanks!

[scbond]

It's paid at the start of each term, just like every other university in the UK.

[CherryWill]

hey thanks for replying!
that's really crappy to do it like that because my scholarship money comes after school starts but I talked to them about it and they said they would work with me.

thanks again, though!

[scbond]

Guessing you're an international student? Is this under the Universitas 21 scheme? If so, everything should be arranged for you regarding accommodation.

[CherryWill]

haha yea I'm from the U.S.
I have nooo idea what a Universitas 21 scheme is but My university's making me work it out with UoN but they said they would work out a plan for me soooo it's all good now. I just had to email them.

So how is it there? I hear this school is really prestigious which makes me afraid that it's gonna be reaaally hard academically and I'll pass out from exhaustion.

[dsinghdahiya257]

What course will you be on?

[scbond]

It really does depend on the course and individual faculties a lot but yes, Nottingham University has a high reputation. The tutors and other students will always be there to help though if you feel you need it.

Which university/college are you coming from? Universitas 21 is just a group of universities (there's more than 21 now lol) who share resources and offer exchange opportunities to each other globally.

[CherryWill]

I go to the University of South Florida. Definitely not notably prestigious but not super easy. It's like an average school. My intended major (or course) is International Business but I won't really get into my major until I get to UoN because so far I've been doing all my pre-reqs. So I'm just trying to get a feel of what I should expect. Good to know there's tutors....i'm hoping for freeee?

[scbond]

When I say tutors, I mean the professor/lecturer of your course...they will usually be able to provide help and advice if you find yourself struggling.

[CherryWill]

ohhh I see, so the school doesn't provide actual student or professional tutors to help students with their classes.

...there's gonna be a lot I have to get used to.

Does UoN have a lot of internationals?

[catoswyn]

(Original post by CherryWill)
ohhh I see, so the school doesn't provide actual student or professional tutors to help students with their classes.

...there's gonna be a lot I have to get used to.

Does UoN have a lot of internationals?

The system used here is that usually a student will have an assigned person they see approximately three times a term on a one to one basis in order to discuss any problems etc with the course and get feedback as to how it is all going or sort out logistical issues. This person is a 'personal tutor' or just called tutor. They are a member of the department and teaching staff so your personal tutor might also lecture on some of your modules. Most offer some kind of open door policy too so you can get to see them inbetween times if neccesary.

Then there is will be lecturer/s who lead each teaching module that you take. These people are also generally known as 'tutors'. They vary as to their accessibility but many are avaiable either at set times or on a more informal basis inbetween lecturers and seminars if you need to speak to them about the actual modules and work you are doing for them.

There is generally no one to one tution as such. Classes are either large lectures or seminar groups with smaller numbers involved.

If you have any difficulty with the way information would need to be presented or are struggling at all then student services have support advisors in learning services you can see and talk to and get advice/help.

From what I've heard from people who have been in both systems American universities tend to have more ongoing volume of work on a week to week basis such as tests and quizzes to pass and assignments to hand in regularly. The difficulty builds up gradually over the time of study. In Britain we tend to have less weekly volume of work to do with more gaps between assignments and far fewer tests until end of module exams for some units but conversely the nature of the work that does have to be done emphasises a high level of personal research capability from the beginning so there can be a bit of a leap/change needed in terms of skills applied. This may not apply with regard to your university and the one you are going to but is an observation that has been made by USA students generally.

See if you can find the detailed module descriptions for your course (often a PDF file that will be somewhere on the departmental site) it will outline the details of each module, the weekly hours spent in seminar or lecture time, the method of assessment which will say how many essays will be asked for and how long they should be and what written exams in any will take place. There will also often include the reading list for that module. This will let you see exactly what the workload is going to be.