What are university students like in Britain compared to Japan?

Hello! Today I would like to talk about British university students compared to Japan. Then I will introduce about study in Britain and what their off-campus activities (part-time jobs) are doing.

Study in Britain

Classes differ between Britain and Japan. Also it is said that British university students study harder than Japanese university students. What kind of classes are held in Britain? Why are they serious about education? Also how are they studying? I will talk about those three points here.

◎What kind of classes are held in the UK?◎

There are many lessons in the UK with a smaller number of students than in Japan, and it seems that there are many classes for discussions. In Japan, there are many classes in which a teacher writes on a board and students keep writing it in a notebook. On the other hand, in the UK, presentations and essays are the basis for evaluating grades through discussions and group work during class. There are many places for students to speak, and it can be said that the lessons are student-centered rather than teachers.

◎Why are they serious about education? (Why study so much?)◎

1. This is because the grade rank at the time of graduation affects the subsequent academic and career. Universities in Britain are ranked by grade at the time of graduation! There are 5 ranks: “1st”, “2: 1 (Upper Second)”, “2: 2 (Lower Second)”, “3rd”, and “Pass (Ordinary degree)”. “1st” is the highest rank “pass” is the lowest rank. This evaluation determines what level of graduate school students can go to, and the advantages of employment for students at the time of selection. On the other hand, in Japan, when you get a job, you are often asked about self-appeal, club activities, and part-time jobs rather than grades. In Japan, it is easy to see “which university you graduated from”, but in Britain, “what level you graduated from university” becomes important, so it seems that the amount of study is large.

2. There are many tasks, which is also the reason why they are said to study hard! It seems that many lessons have reading tasks every time. Lectures and seminars are conducted on the premise that you have completed the reading, so you will not be able to keep up with the lessons unless you complete the assignments. As a result, the amount of study inevitably increases, and it seems that many students are serious about their education.

• 

• 

◎How are Britain university students studying?◎

As I said before, there are a lot of tasks in Britain. On weekdays, they often study in the library after college. It is not uncommon to stay in the library all day long, and especially at the end of the semester when the deadlines for submitting assignments overlap, the library seats are filled with students.

Off-campus activities of Britain university students

Just as the situation inside the university is different between Britain and Japan, it seems that the activities outside the university are also different. For example, part-time jobs, Club activities・Societies (circles), on weekends and so on. What are they doing outside of class?

◎Part-time jobs◎

There seems to be no student in Britain who works part-time on a daily basis like Japanese university students. In Japan, there are many students who are full of part-time jobs. However, in Britain, there are still many tasks and it seems that you cannot spend a lot of time on your part-time job. Among them, the most popular part-time job is a restaurant like Japan. It seems that restaurants where you can improve your communication and speaking skills are popular not only with local students but also with international students.

◎Club activities, Societies(circles)◎

In Britain, most students participate in extracurricular activities such as club activities and societies. There are various types such as sports such as basketball, rugby and tennis, and cultural such as art, music and cooking. Also, it seems that there are many students who do not concentrate on just one, but carry it on. In addition, many students join volunteer groups to volunteer.

• 

• 

◎Weekends◎

British students, who spend most of their weekdays in class and study, seem to go out into town on weekends to play in pubs and clubs. Of course, like Japanese students, they go to lunch with their friends and go shopping. However, it seems that some universities rarely have bars and clubs in the university. After all, British likes alcohol. It is the same as in Japan that the tiredness and stress accumulated by studying on weekdays are released on weekends.

In Britain, I felt that studying and playing were clearer than in Japan. As much as they studied hard on weekdays, I think they’re playing as a reward on weekends. I think it’s very nice!! I found it interesting to see various differences between Japan and the Britain both inside and outside the university.