9. Planning your time and organizing your work at University

It is a common knowledge that entering the university after leaving the school is a most exciting event in the life of every young person, who has spent a lot of time and efforts to get a “ticket” into the adult and unknown world. But I think nobody will deny that almost all freshmen come across with some serious problems. A vivid example of them is how to organize yourself in such a way that you can succeed in your studies and have enough spare time for the private life. Well, from my point of view, the best way not to be left behind is to plan one’s days carefully. So, every diligent student should calculate how much time a week he/she needs for studying and then allocate it on the number of essays that have to be written and reading that has to be done each week. Another option is to draw up a seven-day timetable, which can show how many hours should be spent on this or that particular subject. Anyway, following such a plan definitely will allow any student to save some time.

However, there’s another serious and I’d say even difficult problem which is how to find an appropriate place for one’s studying. On the whole there are a wide range of places to do one’s learning, for instance, a university library, a vacant classroom, a special room in the students’ hostel. Moreover, some very hard-working students can study even in such noisy places as parks or public transport. So, everything depends on the person, his ability and desire to gain knowledge. Of course, some people can concentrate on the subject only at home and only in complete silence; others on the contrary are able to make progress in studying in the reading hall, where they have an access to the literature the need.

As far as I am concerned, I rather think that it is very important to study always in the same place, as it really helps you to switch into the right frame of mind as soon as get down to work. Secondly, if one wants to achieve good results and to be a success, they should try to find a place with as few distractions as possible. Apart from that, it is always easier to study at a place which has a good light; besides, it must be warm enough and well-ventilated. So, in my opinion, keeping to all these pieces of advice any student attain excellent results in studying and will be never left behind his/her group.

10. The advantages and disadvantages of different places where a student can study

It is a common knowledge that nowadays higher education is extremely necessary for every modern specialist. But as far as I know it isn’t compulsory in any country. So, it is up to a person to decide whether he/she needs it or not. However, if you’ve already made up your mind and decide to study for a degree, there’s one more difficult decision you have to make—is to choose the place where you will spend next five years. Generally speaking, there’re at least four options to think about. I mean such educational institutions as a language school, the Open University or the so-called distance teaching, a usual university, and a great number of colleges.

In my opinion, if someone wants to learn a language very quickly the best way is to enroll at a language school. As a rule, such s school is able to provide you with a wide range of modern language-teaching facilities. For example, there’s always a good well-trained teaching staff that use only up-to-date methods of teaching. Secondly, it has well-equipped TV and video rooms, cookery and pottery classes, tennis courts, sometimes a swimming pool and a good library. So, one has everything at their disposal that will help to concentrate on the studies and to be a success. Moreover, if you have nowhere to live a school can offer you an accommodation with a family which includes bed and breakfast, a package lunch and an evening meal. However, there’s a considerable disadvantage about the language school: the price of studying in it is too high, and only few people can afford it.

It is a well-known fact that nowadays a lot of parents especially in Britain and America prefer to send their children to private colleges, like Eton for example. Despite the fact that Eton is a college for boys only it is very popular and has a brilliant reputation, which dictates its extremely high price. Actually, entering such an educational institution one has to be ready to follow its rather strict rule and wear the uniform, no matter you like it or not. To my mind the greatest advantage about private colleges or schools is that the level of education is very high there. As a rule, after leaving a private college one can easily enter any university they want.

Today Open Universities have become very popular, but I think studying in such universities takes more time and efforts than in any other place. The main difference is that you study at home and to make some progress you have to do a great deal of hard work on your own. But on the other hand it is very easy to apply to the Open University, because you don’t have to show your background or get any “A” levels. Generally, the university is absolutely free. The majority of courses will come through the post, TV and radio broadcasts. What is more, you can get a personal tutor who will be making the assessments of your abilities and will help you to avoid mistakes. Besides, the prices here are quite reasonable, and those who have low incomes can be provided with grants.