Dialogue 1

Ann: Hullo, Steve! Have you got a minute?

Steve: Sure, yes. What can I do for you?

Ann: I’ve read a number of books on the British system of higher education but I can’t make head or tail of it.

Steve: Mm… no wonder. What’s the problem?

Ann: Quite a lot of problems. What I want to discuss is the difference between a university and a college.

Steve: It’s like this, you see… The programme is different. At a university it is much wider. Great attention is paid to scientific subjects.

Ann: It sounds as though most people prefer a university.

Steve: Well… that rather depends.

Ann: Speaking about universities I’m not quite clear about tutorial there. What is a tutorial exactly?

Steve: Oh, it’s when students discuss topics with a tutor in very small groups – usually there are not more than three or four students and sometimes only one.

Ann: I see … And coming back to colleges… I’m still not terribly sure what a residential college is.

Steve: Erm… It’s a college with a hall of residence on the same ground as the principal buildings. In fact all the students live in hall.

Ann: Really? And what about the teaching staff?

Steve: Actually the majority of the teaching staff live there too. But there are also quite a lot of non-residential colleges.

Ann: And did you study at the university?

Steve: Yes…

Ann: What was it like? Beautiful?

Steve: Nothing very remarkable. Of course there were lecture halls, classrooms and a number of laboratories.

Ann: Any facilities for sport and PE?

Steve: Let me see … Yes … A gymnasium with changing rooms and showers, a tennis court… What else… A playing field for netball and football.

Ann: Well, Steve. Thanks very much. You’ve been most helpful.