Text 43. OXFORD

The oldest English Universities are Cambridge and Oxford. Ox­ford was founded in the 12th century as an aristocratic Universi­ty and it remains aristocratic till the present day. Very few children from the working class can afford to study there as the cost of studies is very high. Students have to pay for everyt­hing – for using books, laboratories, for taking examinations.

Oxford organization is very complicated. In fact the Univer­sity is a collection of Colleges. There are 32 colleges in Ox­ford: 27 colleges for men and 5 colleges for women. Each college is a world of its own which gives its students a specialized tra­ining in arts, law, medicine, science, etc.

The University is an administrative centre which arranges lectures for all students of the colleges, holds examinations and gives degrees.

Oxford and Cambridge have a tutorial system of education and this is one of the ways in which Oxford and Cambridge differ from other Universities in England. Every student has a tutor who plans his work and discusses it with the student after he has do­ne it. Every student must see his tutor regularly and tell him everything about his studies. They also discuss different scientific and social problems. Though this system of education has some advantages, it brings a student into personal contact with his tutor, and the latter tries to have a great social and poli­tical influence on his students.

The academic year in England has three terms; each term lasts from eight to ten weeks. Final examinations take place at the end of the course of studies. If a student fails in examina­tion he may be allowed to take the exam again. But only two re-examinations are usually allowed.

Almost all students go in for some kind of sports. One of the most favorite kinds of sports among the students at Oxford is punting.

Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of university is Oxford?

2. Is the organization of the university complicated?

3. How many colleges does Oxford consist of?

4. What system of education is there?

5. How long does the academic year last?