Uni

Okay, every time I hear the word Uni (short for University over here) I can't help but think of a Unicorn. It just sounds so odd! Like something is missing. And its not only the word that sounds different from the states, there are more differences as well.

1) Almost no-one here pulls an all-nighter. It just simply isn't done. Although the library is open 24/7 (thank goodness) after 10pm almost no one is in it. Which, for us Americans, is prime studying time and therefore perfect for us to go for some peace and quiet. And the library here is really nice and spacious and has a lot to offer, however I miss the Smith Library back home at High Point University. It just has such a lived in feel to it, whereas here it's very minimalist and modern.

2) Buses. There are three separate campuses here under one university name, and each of them are 20 minutes away from each other. And unless you really love cycling or walking, or you own a motorcycle that means you are taking the bus. The wonderful royal blue Oxford Brookes Bus. That is most of the time inconsistent and at times too full to let people in. I have one class outside of the campus where I am staying and I try to catch the bus at the same time but they are always showing up at different times. This makes for a very stressed out me because I like to be on time/ a little bit early to everything I go to, and walking into a lecture hall full of 200 students five minutes late is not acceptable. Even if I am dressed up. So no, I do not really like this whole bus system. I prefer my medium sized campus where I can get to everything in 5-10 minutes.

3)Lectures, seminars, and the like. In England you have each class once a week, and for those classes you have an hour to two hour long lecture in a huge lecture hall with a lot of people. Then later on you have a seminar, which breaks up the class into smaller groups for an hour to discuss the lecture. Now I don't know about large state schools in the U.S. but I know at High Point University we have M-W-F & T-TH classes that run about an hour and ten minutes or so. And here we have only one or two big assignments that count for all of grade. Some classes have end of the semester exams but most don't, so it's sink or swim. There is help available but they don't offer it up at the beginning. You really have to be well self-disciplined to make it work for you.

4) Food. As far as food goes there is a lot of options, but most people cook inside in their flat. There is no meal plan and while there are cafeteria's, there is not that much choice. Thank goodness they have Starbucks over here.